When reached at the department’s main line Thursday, a Sycamore firefighter confirmed that there’s a new interim fire chief in charge after online rumors circulated suggesting Fire Chief Bart Gilmore had been placed on leave.

The city manager and mayor have refused to answer questions about Gilmore’s standing, however.

City Manager Michael Hall told Shaw Local Thursday that the city has plans to recruit a new permanent fire chief.

It’s not clear as of Thursday morning what the status of Gilmore’s employment is in the Sycamore Fire Department or whether the social media post alleging he’d been placed on leave was true. Gilmore didn’t respond to request for comment.

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser refused to confirm if the post was true when reached Wednesday night.

“I can’t comment on personnel matters,” Braser said.

Ward, the city’s deputy fire chief, also said he couldn’t comment on personnel matters when reached Thursday morning.

In an email Thursday morning, City Manager Michael Hall said, “The city doesn’t comment on personnel matters.”

“The Fire Department continues to operate normally, and emergency services remain fully staffed and available to the community,” Hall wrote.

Hall was then asked who was currently leading the city’s fire department, but didn’t name anyone.

“The Fire Department continues to operate under its established chain of command,” Hall wrote. “We have experienced leadership in place, and emergency services remain fully staffed and available to the community.”

But a firefighter – who Shaw Local has decided not to name – said Ward is the interim fire chief as of Thursday.

In a later email sent from Hall shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, the city manager said there are now plans for a new interim in the works: Former DeKalb Fire Chief Mike Thomas, who retired in July 2025, will begin serving as Sycamore interim fire chief on March 9, Hall said.

“Chief Thomas will provide experienced leadership and help the City evaluate Fire Department operations while we begin the process of recruiting a permanent Fire Chief,” Hall said.

Hall again did not comment on Gilmore specifically, however.

A social media post widely circulated Wednesday night that purported Gilmore had been placed on administrative leave.

The post alleged the apparent move was in connection to comments Gilmore had made in February that staffing challenges had impacted his department’s ability to respond to a major fire at Tom & Jerry’s Restaurant that destroyed the building on an early Saturday morning Jan. 31.

Shaw Local hasn’t been able to confirm whether that’s true or not.

Gilmore has been fire chief since June 2023. Before coming to Sycamore, he was a 26-year veteran of the DeKalb Fire Department, where he last served as deputy chief.

The change in fire department leadership comes less than a month after the city formally relocated Fire Station No. 1 to a new facility, custom-built for the department, at 1351 S. Prairie Dr.

Gilmore hosted a parade and public ceremony Feb. 17 to open the new facility, meant to provide firefighters with a more modern home.

The Sycamore City Council met on Monday, though nothing appeared related to the fire department or fire chief’s employment status on the agenda.

The Council held a closed executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss what’s cited under Illinois law as the “appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees,” the document shows.

Those sessions are not open to the public, however, and officials generally don’t divulge what is discussed.

This story was updated at 10:29 a.m. March 5, 2026. Additional updates could occur.