This from a reader:
Thought this might be of interest to the Chicago Area Fire readers. Bolingbrook will remove the fire chief position from their budget beginning May 1st, 2013 and current police chief Kevin McCarthy will become the public safety director. Bolingbrook laid off 3 firefighters a few years ago, I’m not sure if it’s related or if there are still budget issues.
Thank you for the website, I really enjoy visiting and learning more about the fire service in the process.
This from WJOL.com:
Bolingbrook Combining Fire and Police Departments
In Bolingbrook, some readjustments are being made that involve a couple of “two departments into one” situations. The police and fire departments are going to be combined into a PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT, with current Police Chief Kevin McCarthy serving as Director of Public Safety. Current Fire Chief Dave Litton has been dropped from the new city budget. Mayor Roger Claar says he did initiate this effort, and simply felt THE TIME HAD COME.
A deputy fire chief AND a deputy police chief will report to McCarthy. Claar says ANOTHER CHANGE to be made is rolling the public works and community development departments together.
The changes will take place when the new budget takes over on May 1st.
thanks SP
#1 by Sam on February 28, 2013 - 8:29 PM
There is a law against forming a new public safety department in Illinois. There are two, Rosemont and Glencoe, that are grandfathered in. I don’t believe Bolingbrook will actually be combining the two departments as it’s against the law, they will only be reducing brass. Some may say this is a good thing, but it seems odd to have a career police officer running a fire department. No disrespect to Chief McCarthy as I’m sure he’s a great police officer and police chief, but how will he know how to properly run a fire department? They’re two very different entities.
Hopefully this works out for them, but with Bolingbrook’s history I’m guessing there’s something behind this that we haven’t seen yet.
#2 by Scott on February 28, 2013 - 3:35 PM
A public safety director does not violate the law or change their being an FD and a PD… as long as seperate.
#3 by Tom on February 28, 2013 - 10:17 AM
Are they becoming a public safety department or are they going to have a public safety director and the existing deputy will report to him? I believe the law was changed some time ago to limit the public safety departments to those that were currently doing it then. i.e. Rosemont, Glencoe