While the vacant Streator city manager role was filled with a new face, the next fire chief will be a familiar one.

After a short stint as the interim chief, Captain Bryan Park has been named the next fire chief, the Streator Fire Department announced Tuesday morning.

Park, a lifelong Streator resident and 20-year veteran of the department, will take over as chief effective June 8. He succeeds retiring Chief Gary Bird.

A 1995 graduate of Streator High School, Park earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Illinois State University.

Park then joined the Streator Fire Department in 2002. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2016 and captain in 2024. He holds certification as an Advanced Fire Officer and is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician.

Park still lives in Streator with his wife, Tiffany, and their children, Ella and Tyler.

In a previous release, the department said Park has been in a leadership role in multiple areas throughout his time with the department.

“Throughout his career with the Streator Fire Department, Captain Park has demonstrated a strong commitment to emergency response, firefighter development, and public service,” officials said in a statement. “His leadership has played an important role in the department’s continued mission of protecting the citizens and visitors of Streator.”

Specifically, he has played a key role in advancing the expansion of Emergency Medical Services, the Streator Fire/American Red Cross smoke alarm program and public information campaigns.

Looking ahead, Park said he plans to build on the department’s existing foundation while working with its firefighters and EMS personnel.

“This appointment is truly the honor of my lifetime,” Park said in a statement. “I look forward to serving my fellow Streator residents and making our fire department the best it can be. The department is in a great position thanks to the hard work of all Streator firefighters, past and present, and the leadership of retiring Chief Gary Bird.”