Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert was surprised by his recent appointment by Mayor Daley to the top position of the Chicago Fire Department. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think about this job,” he said. “I was happy as a fireman and happy as a captain and so on. I’m going to give it my best shot — it’s easy when you love something.”

Hoff has served the Chicago Fire Department for 34 years, rising through the ranks to first-deputy commissioner in 2008. He is also one of the most respected and decorated firefighters in the history of the Chicago Fire Department, twice winning the department’s highest honor — the Carter Harrison Award — for bravery. In 1984, Hoff was severely burned in a fire and spent 21 days in the burn unit.

Hoff and his brother, Ray, are third-generation firefighters. Their father, Bttn. Chief Thomas Hoff, and another chief died in the line of duty. Despite the loss, Hoff said he never hesitated to follow in his father's footsteps.

"I have to live up to his expectations,” he said. “I went to the cemetery Sunday on Father's Day and never did I believe I'd be standing here being asked to be fire commissioner. It's a proud day."

In 2007, as assistant deputy fire commissioner for the Bureau of Operations, FIRE CHIEF interviewed Hoff on the significant advances to training on scene within CFD.

“We're in conditions where fires burn hotter than people have ever been in before, so we have to analyze that and learn from it. I think we're catching up, but we still have to stay with the basics of accountability,” Hoff said. ”Everything goes back to training and that's what we're trying to push on the Chicago Fire Department.

"Our profession is our life, not just a job," he continued. "We have to constantly train on what is most dangerous that we do. Being accountable to yourself, your brothers and sisters you work with is paramount.”

As part of that accountability, Hoff now plans to “make some job consolidations at the top, to show that that stuff starts at the top.”