David Northcutt appointed new Sterling fire chief

STERLING — Sterling City Manager Scott Shumard has appointed David Northcutt as the next fire chief for the Sterling Fire Department, effective April 30, 2025.

Northcutt has served as Deputy Chief of the SFD since March 2023. He previously served as a captain with the Rock Falls Fire Department, where he was employed for more than 23 years and is the current Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 30 president. He also served as a 911 dispatcher, as a Fire Officer Program instructor at Sauk Valley Community College and is a U.S. Army veteran.

“I’ve been doing a lot of it already, so it’s not a whole lot of change,” Northcutt said. “However, there is a little weight that came with the official announcement. The biggest thing for me is the support that I’ve had, people messaging, calling, emailing, all that ... very humbling to have that much support.”

Shumard said that appointing department heads falls under the authority of the city manager. The position was advertised online and with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and the Great Lakes Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“Three applications were received,” Shumard said. “After meeting with one applicant, he was ruled out as his certifications were in Michigan, and Illinois law has stricter requirements for out-of-state fire chief candidates that the candidate did not have.”

The remaining two candidates were interviewed, and the city retained MGT Solutions to conduct an “assessment center” for those candidates.

“The Assessment Center is a series of written, oral and presentation tests administered by a team of current or former chiefs to evaluate how candidates respond to various scenarios,” Shumard said. “Personality profiles were also completed at this stage.”

The 2025 wage study that was completed for the city recommended a salary range of $110,210-$148,220 for the position. Shumard said Northcutt will start at $112,965.

In a news release issued by the city, Shumard said that Chief Northcutt was well prepared for the position through his experience as deputy chief and tutelage from interim Chief Forest Reeder.

“Chief Northcutt’s experience with the Rock Falls automatic aid agreement, his time as deputy chief and mentorship from interim Chief Reeder makes him a well-qualified successor,” Shumard said. “Northcutt will continue the culture of increased integrity and, most importantly, accountability in the Sterling Fire Department.”

Northcutt plans to improve training and professionalism within the SFD to make it a leader in both areas. He wants to build on the progress made over the past year and strengthen partnerships with nearby departments through MABAS to improve teamwork and emergency response in the area. He said that strengthening collaboration with neighboring departments starts with open communication.

“The first thing is communication, it’s got to start there,” Northcutt said, adding that understanding each department’s practices and priorities is key to serving the region as a whole. He noted that while Sterling operates as a full-time department, it still relies on assistance from surrounding agencies, including volunteer departments, for large-scale emergencies.

Northcutt expressed deep appreciation for that support and stressed the importance of sharing resources and knowledge. He said that when firefighters attend specialized training, the goal should not be to benefit only one department.

“If we have a little bit better funding mechanism to go to classes and things like that, when we do come back, don’t just use it for us, but to pass on that knowledge to the other department.”