Assistant Chief Don Davids is a resident of Aurora, Illinois. He has been a member of the Aurora Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic for 26 years, currently assigned as Assistant Chief of Support Services. In this role, he oversees purchasing and maintenance of major equipment as well as buildings and grounds. He has extensive experience in diversified roles including 24 years as a member of the water rescue team, 15 years with the Hazardous Materials Response Team, 8 years as the Team Coordinator.
Chief Joe Holomy has been in the fire service since 1976, beginning as a volunteer Firefighter in northern Illinois Southwest of Chicago. He worked his way up through the paid ranks, becoming a Paramedic then being promoted to Lieutenant in 1988, Deputy Chief in 1994 and becoming a Chief in 2001. He then retired as Fire Chief of Effingham in 2018 after serving 14 years. He currently is serving as Interim Chief in Litchfield and is a volunteer Assistant Chief for Teutopolis FPD.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, holds numerous State of Illinois Fire Certifications to include Fire Officer III, Instructor III, and Arson Investigator. Chief Holomy was first Conferred as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) by the Commission on Professional Credentialing in 2004 having recertified five times to date being 1 of 1,391 Chief Officers worldwide. He is a 2016 Graduate of the National Fire Academy (Emmitsburg, Maryland) Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program. He serves on numerous committees across the State to include the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, the Illinois Fire Service Institute Fire Advisory Board, and Chairman of the Illinois State Fire Marshal Fire Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) having served on the Executive Board from 2005 to 2014 and remains on several committees within the Association and is Past President of MABAS Division 54 (2005-2018). Chief Holomy is a state certified assessor for promotional testing in assessment centers for Firefighters challenging promotional exams to various ranks in the fire service.
In February 2017, Chief Holomy was elected Secretary on the Executive Board for MABAS-IL which oversees the 69 Divisions within the state. Chief Holomy received Firefighter of the Year in 1992 and 2006, Unit Citations 1995 and 1996, Commendation Award 1999, Valor in 2000, Humanitarian Awards in 2005 and 2008 and Merit Award 2007. In addition, he received the Illinois Police Association Citizens Award for Valor in 2000 and Illinois Fire Chief of the Year in 2009.
Bio coming soon!
Bernie Lyons has been the Section Chief of Administration for MABAS since 2017, after almost 26 years with the Arlington Height Fire Department. Bernie has served many roles over the course of his career. He served as a Paramedic, Dive Team and Hazardous Materials Team member and as the department’s Training Division Chief and Director of the Arlington Heights Fire Academy. From 2007 until 2017, Bernie was the department’s Deputy Chief of Administration, where he was responsible for the oversight of the department’s EMS. Public Education and Training Divisions. In addition to overseeing the department’s budget, grant initiatives, and serving on a variety of Village boards and committee. Bernie has also served the as MABAS Division 1’s Secretary/Treasurer.
Bernie is originally from Chicago and a graduate of Chicago’s Gordon Technical High School. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, a Master’s degree in Emergency Management from Southern Illinois University, and has a Chief Fire Officer Certification from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Bernie’s late father, Thomas Lyons served for 35 years on the Chicago Fire Department and retired at the rank of Captain.
Bernie lives in Buffalo Grove with his wife, Mary, and their five children—Conor, Austin, Declan, Patrick and Nora.
Kevin Lyne serves as Operations Branch Chief for the IL-TF 1 Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team. Kevin has more than 29 years of fire service experience. He began his career as a firefighter/paramedic with the Burbank Fire Department. In 1986, he became as a firefighter/paramedic with the Naperville Fire Department, where he progressed through the ranks and retired after 28 years as the Division Chief.
Kevin was the Naperville Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team Leader, and was involved with the MABAS Division 16 special operations teams. He has been a fire and rescue instructor for the SKCTA, Spec Rescue and Rescue 3 International, most recently in the discipline of swiftwater rescue. He has served on committees for the OSFM, MABAS and with the AFFI.
Kevin earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in Fire Science Management.
Spencer Kimura is the Assistant Operations Section Chief. He began his fire service career in 1980 at the Glenbrook Fire Protection District. In 1992, the Glenbrook Fire District merged with the Glenview Fire Department where Spencer rose through the ranks retiring as Battalion Chief in February 2012. Spencer served as Fire Chief of the Riverside Fire Department from August 2011 through July 2015. He holds a Master’s of Science degree from National-Louis University, Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University, and (2) Applied Associates of Science degrees from Oakton Community College. He has several professional credential certifications including OSFM Chief Fire Officer, National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer, Center for Public Safety Excellence Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer, and Institute of Fire Engineers MIFireE grade.
Spencer resides in Glenview with his wife Heather. They have two children: Ryan and Tiffanie. Their son, Ryan, is a partner CFO/CTO at Local Foods Chicago. Their daughter, Tiffanie, graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in May 2015 and she was married this September. Spencer enjoys watching and playing sports with their children that includes competitive badminton (indoor only), bowling, golfing and tennis.
Al Vrshek serves as the MABAS IL. Operations Branch Chief for Northeast Illinois. Al performs annual Staff Assistance Visits (SAV) with his divisions in Northeastern Illinois. Al Vrshek has 35 years of fire service experience. He began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Dixmoor, a southern suburb of Chicago, in 1974, Al became a certified paramedic with Dixmoor. He began his full time career as a firefighter/paramedic with Elk Grove Village in 1977, where he progressed through the ranks and retired after 32 years as Deputy Chief of Operations. Al was involved with the Division I dive team, where he served as president for several years.
Chip Wilmot started his fire service career at age 16 at the Downs FPD (Downs, IL, outside of Bloomington). He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology. He and his wife Cheryl married in 1989 – the year he started with State Farm Insurance as a property claim representative.
His fire and emergency services experience includes cooperative education with the Madison County Fire Department while attending EKU, an auxiliary police officer in Collinsville for two years following college, and 4 years volunteering with both the City of Mt. Vernon Fire Department and the Jefferson Fire Protection District. He joined the Germantown Hills FPD in 1995, and, in 1997, assumed the chief’s position where he continues to serve.
He also continued working at State Farm and transitioned a Special Investigative Unit claim representative in 1991. He remained at State Farm until retiring in early 2015. He also owns and operates his own business, Tri-County Door Doctor, Inc., specializing in overhead garage door & opener sales, service and repair. He is very involved in wireless communications as the fire chief, as well as a licensed amateur radio operator. He volunteers at his church as one of the technical crew.
He and Cheryl have 3 children, Bailey age 21, Regan age 18 and Ty age 15.
Chief Darin Beckman serves as the MABAS-IL. Operations Branch Chief – Central/West Region. Chief Beckman is currently responsible for 15 counties which comprise 9 MABAS-Illinois Divisions. Included within his geographical region are 2 MABAS-IL statewide Technical Rescue Teams (TRT), 4 MABAS-IL statewide Hazardous Materials Teams, and 1 MABAS-IL statewide Water Rescue and Recovery Team. Chief Beckman is responsible for performing annual Staff Assistance Visits (SAV) with each division in his region. Additional duties and responsibilities include acting as the primary contact and resource for MABAS-IL divisions within the central/west region. Chief Beckman also holds the responsibility of acting as the primary MABAS-IL liaison to the Illinois State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and is the primary MABAS-IL representative to any prospective new central/west region divisions.
Chief David Fleege serves as the MABAS-ILLINOIS Operations Branch Chief, North Central Region.
Chief Jim Klinefelter serves as the MABAS-IL Operations Branch Chief for the last 18 years in Northwest Region. He is currently responsible for 9 counties which comprise 9 MABAS-IL Divisions. Included within his geographic region are 4 MABAS-IL statewide Technical Rescue Teams (TRT) and 3 MABAS-IL statewide Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Teams.
Chief Klinefelter is currently Fire Chief of the Shannon Fire Protection District in Shannon, Illinois. He has served for over 30 years with the Shannon Fire Department including more than 16 years as Fire Chief. Also, he serves on the Illinois Fire Chiefs Funeral Committee for the last 18 years currently the Chair. He is also past President of Northwest Illinois Ambulance Association. Past Fire Chief of the Rockford Airport. President of MABAS Div. 29. Has served as Carroll County EMA Director for 4 years. Also is a member of the Stephenson County Sheriff’s off Emergency Response Team (TEMS) for the last 12 years. Police Officer for the Freeport Park District. Also as worked at the Genandt funeral home for over 16 years.
Chief Klinefelter attended Highland Community College. Chief Klinefelter has obtained certifications as an EMT Intermediate, Firefighter III, Fire Officer I, Safety Officer, Is also an Eagle Scout. He has been married to Amanda for 19 years and has two children Eric (26) and Olivia (16). Also, a proud grandpa of 2 granddaughters Piper (2) Haven 2 weeks.
Chief Michalesko serves as the MABAS – IL Operations Branch Chief – Southern Region. He is currently responsible for 34 counties which comprise 10 MABAS-IL divisions. Included within the region are XX MABAS-IL Technical Rescue Teams (TRT) and XX MABAS-IL Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Teams. Chief Michalesko is responsible for performing annual Staff Assistance Visits (SAV) with each southern region division. His additional duties and responsibilities include: acting as the primary contact and resource for MABAS-IL divisions within the southern region and he is the primary MABAS-IL representative to prospective new southern region divisions.
Chief Michalesko retired in 2015 after having served more than 35 years with the City of Carbondale Illinois Fire Department, including the last 9 years as Fire Chief. The Carbondale Fire Department provides service to a resident population of over 25,000 residents, as well as Southern Illinois University. Chief Michalesko was employed as a firefighter in 1980, and held the positions of Lead Fire Investigator, K-9 Handler, Captain and Assistant Fire Chief before being appointed Fire Chief in 2006.
Chief Michalesko holds a Associate of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
He is married to Debbie and has one adult son Ryan
Mike Forrest began his career in the fire service with the Savoy Fire Department on August 1st, 1985. After a few short years, he was promoted to the position of Fire Chief in 1988. Over the years the department was transformed into a very proactive and progressive paid on call Fire Department with 42 active members, a modern fleet, an active training program, and an improved ISO rating.
He is a past vice president and president of MABAS Div. 28, a member of the Champaign County Fire Chiefs Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Mike attended Loyola University of Chicago and Parkland College. He lives in Savoy, as he has for the past 34 years with his wife Carrie. They have three adult daughters; Alexandra, Morgan and Sydney. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and travel.
Mike brings a great deal of familiarity with and a general understanding of the MABAS system, structure and special operations teams, in addition to knowledge and understanding of the MABAS box card system, Statewide Plan and MABAS SOP’s.
Chief Bob Bush currently serves as MABAS-IL Operations Branch Chief and Support Services Specialist, overseeing key functions such as Fleetio, Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), MABAS Mobility Command Center (MCC) operations, and Microsoft Teams. He plays a pivotal role bridging MCC and MABAS SEOC during incidents, utilizing tools like Survey123 and Esri ArcGIS Solutions.
His journey began in 1979 at Hinze Jr College, followed by service as an EMT-B in New Orleans until 1983, when he joined the US Army. With diverse roles, including time at the National Training Center and in Egypt with the 18th Airborne Corps, he modernized training and support processes at 1st Battalion, 131st Infantry.
In 1988, he joined Roselle Fire Department, later transitioning to Naperville Fire Department (NFD) in 1992. At NFD, he contributed to specialized teams, held roles like Training and Safety Officer, and implemented crucial systems such as the Harris Radio and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems.
Post-retirement from NFD in 2013, he joined SUNGARD, climbing from Data Center Technician to Supervisor of Data Center Operations, overseeing a 150,000 sq. ft data center. He underwent various technical training courses, including CCNA, MTA, MCTS, MCSA, and MCSE for Windows systems.
During COVID-19, he aided MABAS in resource tracking and managing pandemic activities, collaborating with Illinois Emergency Management and Illinois Department of Public Health for an Alternate Transportation Plan. This period highlighted opportunities for improving MABAS’s response capabilities through program and application enhancements.
On a personal front, Chief Bush has been married to Renee for 37 years, with a son named Ryan. Their move to Roselle in 1988 marked a significant chapter in their lives.
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
US&R Administrative Branch Chief Joseph Moore retired as the Operations Chief of the Orland Fire Protection District in March of 2023. In his over 31 years in the fire service, he worked as a Paid On Cal Fire Fighter at Wood Dale Fire Protection District, a Fire Fighter at Roselle Fire Department, and for the last 27 ½ years at Orland Fire Protection District. He was involved in many facets of Orland Fire, including as the Hazardous Materials Team Leader, Divisional HazMat Training Officer, and an Assistant Accreditation Manager for their recent 2023 CPSE reaccreditation process. He continues to serve on the Orland Fire Protection District Pension Board.
Having graduated from DePaul University in 1989 with a Bachelors in Secondary Mathematics Education, he worked in High School District 214 from 1989 until 1995 in various educational supporting roles. He was an assistant Track and Field Coach at Elk Grove High School from 1989 until 1999 He also achieved many Illinois State Fire Marshal Certifications from Firefighter I up to Chief Fire Officer. He has also been involved in teaching in the fire service through the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and the Illinois Fire Service Institute since 1999. He achieved a Master’s Degree in Public Service from DePaul University in 2008.
Chief Moore has been with IL-TF1 since 2012 as a HazMat Specialist and Team Manager. In 2016 he transferred to Planning Team Manager and became part of the initial EMAP Accreditation Team. In 2019 he was named Accreditation Manager and helped lead the team to EMAP Type 1 Certification in 2022.
In November of 2022, he was selected to be the US&R Administrative Branch Chief. This position has allowed him to handle the team’s budget, procurement, policy, procedures, exercise documentation, response planning with regional and state partners, and coordinate reimbursement with the 62 supporting agencies and stakeholders.
Mr. Michael A. Graves is the Exercise and Training Director and NIMS Compliance Officer for MABAS-IL. His primary responsibilities include validation and certification activities for MABAS deployable teams and assets. Since his engagement with MABAS he has been involved in over 100 exercises with various MABAS teams, local response, State response, Regional response, and National response.
Mr. Graves serves as an instructor for the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF) teaching all National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses and teaches primarily the ICS 300 and ICS 400 courses. Mr. Graves serves as a MABAS Liaison at the State Incident Response Center in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. He is a member of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Training Committee and the co-chair of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Exercise Sub-Committee.
Mr. Graves holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Illinois – Springfield, a Masters in Business Administration, with a concentration in e-commerce, from Touro University, and a Master of Divinity, with a concentration in education, from Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. He is also a FEMA certified Master Exercise Practitioner and a FEMA certified Continuity Practitioner.
Mr. Graves is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major. Mr. Graves began his military career in the active duty Air Force in 1976. Subsequently, he entered the Virginia National Guard in 1979 and in 1987 he transferred to the Illinois National Guard, and he retired in 2005 with over 24 years of active service.
Since his retirement from the Army in 2005, Mr. Graves has been employed by various companies as a contractor. His initial assignment was overseeing the transformation of the Illinois National Guard. His subsequent assignment was as the Strategic Planner and acting Planning Officer for the Illinois National Guard.
Currently Mr. Graves also works as a contractor for the National Guard Bureau as the FEMA Region V Defense Readiness Anaylist. In this position he assisted the six states within FEMA Region V during the implementation of the Defense Readiness Reporting System, and supervises the rest of his team in the other 9 FEMA regions. He has worked in organizational development and strategic planning for the past twenty-five years. He has been involved in Management by Objectives, Total Quality Management, Balanced Scorecard, Baldrige Quality Awards, Lean Six Sigma, and the Strategic Management System. For the past fifteen years he has been involved in these programs at the state level in the Illinois National Guard.
Ed has been the Logistics Warehouse Manager for MABAS since 2011. He is responsible for receiving and storing goods and general maintenance to the building and equipment. Prior to working for MABAS, he owned his own company – ECG, Inc., specializing in voice/data and fiber installations. Ed likes to golf, fish, and travel in his free time.
Mark has been with MABAS since 2022, as a Plans / IT assistant, and now as our Finance assistant also. He has been involved with MABAS since 2000 in his many positions in the Fire Service and Communications. He started full time with MABAS after retiring from his 27 year career in dispatch with RED Center and Orland Central, and 31 years of volunteer and part time service with multiple fire agencies. Mark currently serves as a Subject Matter Expert on the MABAS Communications Committee, assisting in coordinating the annual MABAS Communications Summit, as well as a coordinator and instructor of the Regional Communications Training seminars. He is also a volunteer with New Lenox CERT, with his wife Lisa, and a volunteer staff member with Project Fire Buddies.
Linda Cruz has been with MABAS since March 2014 as a part time Administrative Specialist and Receptionist. Her duties include covering the front desk, greeting visitors, processing MABAS dues payments, sorting incoming mail, and assisting with day-to-day clerical and finance tasks.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She is a dedicated volunteer and enjoys helping others.
Victor Visoky currently serves as one of the Deputy Administration Section Chiefs for MABAS. Victor has been with MABAS since 2010, where he started as MABAS’s first Intern, while attending Western Illinois University. He has held various jobs with MABAS throughout his time, from Intern, assistant to the facility manager, Accounts Manager, to his current position.
He is originally from Northbrook, Illinois where he attended Glenbrook North High School, and then Western Illinois University where he played defensive line for the NCAA Division 1 Leathernecks. He graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, accompanied with a Minor in Fire Administration.
While working for MABAS, Victor has serviced as a part-time member of the Wauconda FPD from 2014 – 2021. Victor worked full-time for the Village of Glencoe Public Safety Department from 2015 – 2021. Since leaving Glencoe in 2021, Victor took a full-time position with the Wauconda FPD as a firefighter/paramedic within the department.
Victor lives in Ringwood, Illinois located in McHenry County with his Wife, three children and two dogs.
