After a four-decade career in emergency medicine in the South Suburbs, Bernie Heilicser retired from full time work on Dec. 31, 2025. (Provided photo)
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EMS director Dr. Bernie Heilicser steps aside after 41 years

Before the conversation really begins, he makes one small correction.

“It’s Bernie.”

You had just called him Dr. Heilicser.

You had read the old story about him. You knew what he meant to this area.

An emergency physician. A longtime EMS leader. A volunteer firefighter in three towns.

But on the phone, he is gentle about it.

“It’s Bernie.”

After more than four decades shaping emergency care in the South Suburbs, Bernie Heilicser stepped away…

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