Silvis Departments

John E. Winters, Fire Chief

John Winters was born in Moline and raised in Rock Island. He started his career in the fire service in February 2005 with the Silvis Fire Department. He ascended through the ranks and became the department's Fire Chief in April 2018. He was named as the Emergency Management Director for Silvis in 2023. He started teaching with the Illinois Fire Service Institute in the fall of 2018 and teaches in the Hazardous Materials, National Incident Management Systems, and Cornerstone programs. He also teaches for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. He is the current President of MABAS Division 39 and has served as the past Hazardous Materials Coordinator for the division.

John has been awarded the Chief Fire Officer professional designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association serving as the Director of the Volunteer and Combination Officers Committee.

John has an Associate in Applied Science-Fire Service Officer, an Associate in Arts-Accounting from Blackhawk College, and a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University. Some of his fire department certifications from the Illinois State Fire Marshal Office include: Chief Fire Officer, Fire Department Incident Safety Officer, Hazardous Materials Incident Command, Hazardous Materials Technician, Fire Service Instructor II, and Advanced Technician Firefighter.

John is a member of the East Moline/Silvis Rotary, Silvis Optimists, and is a charter member of the Silvis Lions Club. He lives in Silvis with his wife, Minnie. They have three children and seven grandchildren.