Parkland grad turned firefighter, author to share story with kids

CHAMPAIGN — Bo Chaney hadn’t planned on becoming a firefighter.

A primary school education teacher back in 2004, he only decided to take the Rockford firefighting entrance exam to support four young men he was tutoring who were nervous about trying out themselves.

But when they didn’t show up, the department’s recruiter convinced Chaney to take the exam anyway.

Now, after spending 20 years in the “greatest job in the world,” the Parkland College graduate, firefighter and author is coming to Champaign on Friday to read from his book “The Adventures of Rob and Rocky,” which aims to spread awareness among children about the benefits of pursuing a career in public service.

The readings, which are free and open to the public, will take place at 10 a.m. in the Champaign Public Library’s main branch and again at 4 p.m. at the Douglass branch.

Mike Rogalla, the library’s children’s services manager, said kids can expect to receive a copy of the book and, barring any emergencies elsewhere in the city, encounter a Champaign Fire Department engine parked outside the libraries.

Besides sharing his story and answering questions, Chaney also will be facilitating a coloring-book contest of his book and award the winners by opening a $25 checking account in their name.

Chaney grew up in the Englewood area of Chicago but enrolled at Parkland after he visited a friend in Champaign one weekend and got “hooked.”

Having grown up in an all-African American community, Chaney said he enjoyed meeting lots of new people through the melting pot of races that the University of Illinois brings.

After obtaining an associate degree in arts at Parkland, he went on to earn his bachelor’s in elementary education from Rockford University and his master’s in education administration from Northern Illinois.

While teaching elementary and middle school-age children in Rockford, Chaney said he knew nothing about firefighters and thought they must be crazy for running into burning buildings.

But after he got into the profession — and in light of the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., and not seeing many other African American firefighters — he wanted to help diversify the public service sector.

“I’m with the belief that you have to be comfortable with authority and the authority has to look like the people that they’re kind of policing or working with,” Chaney said.

“So the idea of the book was to get more minorities aware about the options of becoming a firefighter, a police officer or a mail carrier.”

The illustrations of Rob and Rocky are based on Chaney’s two sons, he said, and have a conversation in the book about establishing attainable goals that differ from becoming a rapper or an athlete — goals that many children otherwise seek out.

After publishing the book in 2018, Chaney has given readings all across the country and facilitated other literacy-minded events where students discuss topics like fire prevention and creating a book together.

The book is ultimately directed at helping young people recognize that these rewarding jobs are available. But in addition to learning about Chaney’s career, Rogalla said it boosts children’s connection to books when they meet authors in person.

“A book is kind of an abstract thing — you pick it up, you don’t realize that a person’s involved,” Rogalla said.

“So when you get to meet the author, especially for kids, it really brings to their world, that ‘Wow, these are actual people that I can meet and talk to and find out about why they write things and how they learned how to do it.’”