CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Division of Fire has announced that Chief Angelo Calvillo will be retiring next month after 33 years with the department.
According to Cleveland Division of Fire Public Information Officer Lt. Michael Norman, there will be a retirement event for Calvillo held on May 5 at the Cleveland Fire Museum.
Calvillo was appointed as Interim Chief in October of 2015. The position became permanent the following year. He has worked in multiple disciplines of the fire service including fire prevention, hazardous material response, and ad director of training and fire suppression. Calvillo has also been involved with the Cuyahoga County Regional Hazardous Material Team and the Joint Hazard Assessment Team.
According to the city's website, Calvillo oversees approximately 751 employees, operating from 27 different fire stations. He has been a functioning paramedic since 1996 and is also a member of the Hispanic Alliance Leadership Development Initiative.
Calvillo's impending retirement will close the chapter on several years of bitter feuding with the city's firefighters' union, IAFF Local 93. Tensions first arose back in 2017, when the IAFF accused Calvillo of breaking the law when he collected signatures for then-Mayor Frank Jackson's reelection campaign. Local 93 members filed a lawsuit when the city refused to take action, and further allleged Calvillo had illegally collected overtime pay for his work during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
In 2021, the International Association of Fire Fighters voted to censure Calvillo, with IAFF Local 93 chastising him for "escalating public safety concerns stemming from, in part, his failure to properly maintain firefighting equipment, PPE, and apparatus." Members of Local 93 called Jackson to remove Calvillo from his position as chief, something they originally did in 2019 after a vote of no confidence.
Tyler Carey and Mark Naymik contributed to this story
Previous Reporting:
- International firefighters union unanimously censures Cleveland Chief Angelo Cavillo; local chapter renews calls for his firing
- Firefighters union says Cleveland Fire Chief Angelo Calvillo paid overtime during 2016 RNC against city rules
- Firefighters sue Cleveland over fire chief’s political work for Mayor Frank Jackson: Mark Naymik Reports
- Cleveland Fire union votes ‘no confidence’ in Chief Angelo Calvillo
