Mark Puknaitis has served as the Fire Chief for the City of Naperville, Illinois, since 2008, following a 23-year tenure with the Oak Park Fire Department. Mark is a 40-year veteran of the fire service and has been instrumental in professional fire service and accreditation forums over the past 30 years. Chief Puknaitis is the Past President of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and served as Chairman of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Accreditation Committee. Chief Puknaitis is the Past President of the Great Lakes Fire Accreditation Managers (GLFAM), which was formed in 1997 for aiding and mentoring fire agencies pursuing accreditation. Chief Puknaitis has been the recipient of the coveted Ray Picard Award as selected by the Center for Public Safety Excellence Board of Directors and Commissioners. In 2017, Chief Puknaitis was selected as Fire Chief of the Year from the Illinois State Crime Commission. The Chief resides in Naperville with his wife of 35 years. They have two sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren.

Some of the unique concepts and programs Chief Puknaitis has developed include:

• Working with the Illinois General Assembly to enact the Illinois Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) program, which has generated over 200 million dollars annually of supplemental reimbursable revenue for Medicaid transports for Illinois Fire Service EMS Transport agencies.
• Created a Power Shift that utilizes maximum staffing during peak hours.
• Developed a “Dropping the Borders” program with neighboring departments to provide responses that share bordering areas of the community.
• Developed a Rescue Vehicle program that responds to calls that would otherwise require a large piece of fire apparatus.
• Creating a Medical Billing Specialist position to develop strategies that ensure the maximum dollars received through insurance and governmental billing entities.

Chief Puknaitis is committed to setting a backdrop for the modern-day fire service that will enable it to adapt to the changes we face, focusing on response and technology in a way that allows for a sustainable means of operating well into the future.