New Fire Chief Named for Freeport Fire Department

FREEPORT, IL — Tom Korte takes over as Chief of the Freeport Fire Department as a 30-year veteran of the department, as he was sworn in at the City Council meeting on February 2, 2026.

Korte was promoted to Lieutenant in 2017, District Chief in 2020, and most recently served as Interim Deputy Chief after his predecessor retired in 2025. He received the Freeport’s “Firefighter of the Year” Award in 2018.

Korte currently holds additional certifications: Fire Apparatus Engineer, Hazardous Materials Incident Command, Advances Fire Officer, Fire Service Instructor and more. His work with Freeport Fire has been instrumental in maintaining radio communication systems, reporting, and so much more. He is married to his wife Jean, with four children. Congratulations Tom!