Flossmoor Village Board honors Minga for 34 years fire service

The Flossmoor Village Board on Jan. 22 recognized Trustee Philip Minga with a resolution, plaque and words of gratitude for 34 years of fire service following his retirement from the Flossmoor Fire Department.
 

Minga, who retired Jan. 5 from his role as fire captain, began as a volunteer firefighter with the village in 1985 and performed many duties over the years including firefighter, emergency medical technician/paramedic, public educator, driver/operator, fire lieutenant and fire captain. 

He obtained numerous State Fire Marshal certifications during his tenure and served various capacities on the Volunteer Corporation’s Executive Board.
 

Minga became a state licensed paramedic in 1992, and he obtained the rank of fire lieutenant in 1993 and fire captain in 2010. He is retiring from his role as fire captain to spend more time with his wife Gina and his family, according to the resolution.

Minga was first elected to the village board in 1997. A registered professional engineer, he works for a consulting firm in Chicago and specializes in the design and construction of interstate highways and local roads, site development and utility work. 

Mayor Paul Braun took a moment to offer thanks on behalf of the village.
 

“What do you say to somebody who has given 34 years of their life to our community here in fire service? That’s not even including all the years he’s provided good service as a village trustee here in town,” Braun said. “Phil is the example of what it means to be a community member here.”
 

Minga thanked his former fire captains for their mentorship and read from a message he posted on social media last year on Sept. 11.
 

“We keep all the memories of all we did, all we saw, all we felt, all we smelled and all we heard in our hearts, in our minds forever,” he read. “For some of us it becomes too much, but we seldom complain about it… We never stop being firemen, ever.”
The village restructured paid-on-call staff coinciding with Minga’s retirement. Promotions are as follows: Earl Moy — lieutenant, Ethan Stratman — lieutenant, Ed Hutton — lieutenant, Matthew Albano — engineer, Alex Ooms — engineer, and Scott Steiner — engineer. 

The village also hired two new full-time fire captains, Nick Camilli and Larry Moran, who were sworn in during the Jan. 7 village board meeting.