The Chicago Tribune Trib Local has an article discussing a search for possible cuts to police and fire budgets in Lake Zurich:
As the village police chief considers cost-cutting measures, Lake Zurich village board members recently approved a study aimed at finding ways to save money within the fire department. The study comes after cuts over the last five years have reduced the department’s staff by six positions, according to fire Chief Dave Wheelock. Meanwhile, Police Chief Steve Husak is also exploring ways to cut costs, including a possible reorganization within his respective department.
The fire department study, which will cost up to $50,000, will be performed by the International City/County Management Association and take a little over four months to complete, officials said. According to village documents, the study will look at the department’s organizational structure and culture, compare its practices to industry standards, check for increased efficiency and improved performance, and recommend appropriate staffing levels for all the department’s functions.
“I’m not exactly sure where the board is focused,” Wheelock said. “The study, I believe, is focused on finding efficiencies within the department. I don’t know that that necessarily translates into more cuts. They have different response models, maybe different types of vehicles. It’s a very encompassing report.”
The fire department already has very little fat to trim, Wheelock said. Since 2009, he said, they’ve been constantly looking for efficiencies in the department. That includes the fire prevention bureau losing half of its four members last year.
“We’re about as low as we can go in terms of that kind of staffing,” he said, pointing to the “jump companies” at all four stations — a three-person crew that mans both ambulances and fire trucks based on the type of call that comes in. “We think our operation will hold up pretty well to review.”
The fire department isn’t the only one in the village that has faced cuts over recent years, with 19 full-time positions having been eliminated since the 2010 fiscal year.
Budget restrictions earlier this year forced the village to postpone a similar study that was planned for the police department. Officials said with a new top cop taking the reins in April, they wanted to let Husak see if he could find any room for efficiencies before commissioning the examination.
Specifically, Husak said he was looking at things such as assigned and unassigned time for officers, hire-back practices and vacation and sick time. He said he hasn’t gotten any “marching order” as to whether cuts need to be made, and he’s not sure whether a reduction in force will be an option down the road.
Mayor Tom Poynton said that any savings would have to be significant in order for Lake Zurich to slash its police and fire services. “We’re not going to compromise the safety of the community for nickels and dimes,” he said. “It would have to be something that is significant.”
#1 by Bill Post on June 13, 2014 - 10:22 AM
Big Moe is probably correct about the group that is being commissioned to do the study. The industry standards are an engine company be within 1.5 miles of a built upon area and 2.5 miles for a ladder company. They need to get at least 4 men on the scene of an emergency in no more then 4 minutes from the time of leaving the station (not including turnout time or dispatch time). They also need to get at least 15 men on the scene in not more then 8 minutes drive time from the stations. The 4 minute drive standard also applies to first responder service and the 8 minute standard also applies to ALS service.
Since they are so hard-up for cash then let them do an in-house study by the fire department instead of wasting the $50,000 when it can be done for less by the fire department staff (who really should know what the industry standards really are).
Big Moe is right. There much more qualified organizations that can do fire and public safety studies such as Tri-Data and several others, however it may cost more then $50,000 so if they really wanted to save money, let the fire department do the study instead. The chief already knows that an ambulance and an engine can’t respond simultaneously from the same station.
I wonder how much the mayor and village fathers of Lake Zurich are getting paid for their services? Perhaps they can do double-duty and respond as firefighters to help make up for the short staffing on the fire apparatus they already have.
#2 by Big Moe on June 13, 2014 - 7:05 AM
The group commissioned to complete the study will without a doubt recommend staff reductions as a cost cutting method. They are anti career firefighter all day long and will not produce a balanced report. They need a private group like Tri-data or someone else, not a group of city and county managers.
#3 by Chuck on June 13, 2014 - 1:31 AM
They don’t have the money for public safety but they have $50,000 to blow on a study?