When Prospect Heights Fire Chief Kelly Cossman is formally installed Thursday, he will be the seventh fire chief to lead the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District since it formed in 1944. As chief, he will lead 20 full-time and 18 part-time firefighters and paramedics, who respond from two fire stations covering the city of Prospect Heights, as well as parts of unincorporated Wheeling and the Chicago Executive Airport (formerly Palwaukee Airport).
Prospect Heights Fire Chief Kelly Cosson, center, with fellow firefighters..
Cossman has steadily risen up the ranks during his more than 17 years with the district. In fact, he is the first full-time firefighter to be promoted to every rank in the organization in the department’s history. He started as a probationary firefighter in 2009, was promoted to Lieutenant in 2012 and was named Battalion Chief in 2018.
Cossman became Deputy Chief in 2024, working closely with the recently retired Fire Chief Drew Smith, before taking over the role on Nov. 1. His formal installation Thursday will be part of a time-honored ceremony that is deeply rooted in the fire service tradition.
“It is a great honor to serve as the next fire chief, though it was never my goal,” Cossman says. “My goal was simply to be a great firefighter, a great mentor and provide the best experience for the people I worked with on shift.”
Fire Chief Cossman, left, with Deputy Fire Chief Andy Plonski
Unlike many in fire service, Cossman says he never dreamed of becoming a firefighter. In fact, when he graduated from high school, he began working in the trades, in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). It wasn’t until he developed a friendship at his gym, with Steven Orusa, then Deputy Chief of the Waukegan Fire Department, that he thought of entering fire service.
Orusa merely asked him if he had ever considered becoming a firefighter, and he encouraged Cossman to consider fire service as a career.
“I took Chief Orusa up on that offer to discuss things over lunch and it changed my life forever,” Cossman says. “Once I stepped foot in a firehouse I fell in love with the profession. I loved training, I loved going on calls, and I loved working with a team of firefighters who all had a passion to deliver service to others.”
The very next week, Cossman started at the Fire Academy in Antioch, before going directly into basic EMT school, followed by paramedic school. At the same time, Cossman still worked 50-60 hours a week in HVAC, while working as a paid-on-call firefighter every third night for the Newport Township Fire Protection District, in Wadsworth.
Cossman, right, as Battalion Chief, training another firefighter
Over the last 20 years, Cossman has worked for four different fire protection districts: the Newport Township Fire Protection District, the Bensenville Fire Protection District, the McHenry Township Fire Protection District and the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District.
Cossman says he has learned something from each of these different departments — and the firefighters he served with — helping him establish his vision for the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District going forward.
“We have a lot of members who are in new leadership roles and we have a renovation of our headquarters station that is right in the middle of completion,” he says, “consequently my number one goal for 2026 and into 2027 is stabilization.”
Once that happens, Cossman plans to to implement strategies into the fire district to increase its ability to deliver enhanced service to the residents in the community
“I will do whatever is necessary,” Cossman says, “to make sure our members have the best equipment, facilities and career development.”
Other News:
