The city of Kewanee announced Tuesday that interim fire chief Stephen Welgat is officially the new chief.
Welgat replaces Kevin Shook, who retired in September. The move comes following an internal search by city officials.
“I was prepared to conduct an external search if an excellent candidate wasn’t identified through an internal search,” City Manager Gary Bradley stated, “but we’re fortunate as a community that Chief Welgat has more than 22 years on the department and extensive training not just in firefighting but in the leadership of firefighters and paramedics in their typical and emergency situations, along with a good understanding of the direction the City is moving in as an organization, Stephen will be a great addition to our leadership team.”