The Village of Clarendon Hills has commissioned an outside consultant to provide an operational assess and departmental leadership study which can be found HERE
Below are some excerpts as related to apparatus:
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thanks Scott
#1 by Ted on December 1, 2020 - 5:13 PM
I want to bring everyone back to a little history lesson, I agree with Brian on his assumptions from the report!!The History, Clarendon Hills has in their history over time 3 engines, 1 squad, 1 ambulance, and their Chief’s vehicle. They also had two stations, one on each side of the tracks. Through Chief Leahy’s career he has consolidated!! on many items. They are now running out of one station, they consolidated 3 engines down into two. If you all remember the second engine was a 55ft tele-squrt. The squad never had a pump or a tank it was a true service company. So when it was time to purchase the ladder in 2002 he was able to request and get approval for making the quint a full service combination company. So if you look at the long term portrait of his time as Chief you can see where he has consolidated and reduced the size of his operation in both real-estate, apparatus, and you can tell where he has made efficiencies to his operation. Yes, there still is a good response and support from their community. They dynamic of Westmont, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Tri-State, Oak Brook, have always been there, and are nothing new. Let him run his operation as he see’s fit!…Clarendon Hills is still ahead of the ballgame by operating like they are!
#2 by The DH on November 30, 2020 - 12:28 PM
Sebastian, that’s Willow Springs.
#3 by Sebastian on November 30, 2020 - 12:25 PM
Guys.. I thought western springs doesn’t exist anymore? I thought that they consolidated with tristate??
#4 by Rob on November 30, 2020 - 11:45 AM
I think it is now upped to 4 people per shift as they went to the 4th person in 2019 because of the call increase.
#5 by The DH on November 30, 2020 - 11:06 AM
Tom and Rob, I believe CH runs with 3 a shift currently, they may have upped it to 4. Typically, Utility 86 (which I believe is a car) chases the ambo, and if more personnel are needed there’s a callback and they respond in a suppression rig.
The duty crew uses the ladder for fire calls in town first out. Then the POCs/callbacks respond in the ambo, engine and squad. CH and Hinsdale run together on a lot of calls. They also get a surprising amount of people on callbacks. They can turn out all the rigs.
The engine and squad respond out of town on fires, box alarms, etc. Western Springs ladder is not staffed. Hinsdale’s is frequently out of service, as of late, so has Downers. Tri-State’s is a jump between the engine. Very quickly, you are out of aerials in the immediate area. It wasn’t too long ago that Downers, Lisle and Darien ladders were all OOS at once.
#6 by Tom Foley on November 29, 2020 - 11:46 PM
Reading the other comments, it seems it could be the heavy rescue that’s more the issue. (If staffing can’t support.)
I am not a big fan of solely relying on mutual aid as a solution. That’s not mutual. That’s using another community as a crutch.
What unit is sent with the ambo? Ladder or engine? Lots of extra wear on a more expensive ladder, when used this way. Conversely, it is almost required in order to respond from a scene with the the benefit of the ladder. And, if only having a minimum staff of 4…
I’m not really the biggest fan of a quint. But, I do compare it to the Swiss Army knife of apparatus. It can serve many purposes. It may not do all as well as a dedicated apparatus (such as a tower), but for many suburban Dept’s, probably very adequate for easily 95% or more of the tasks. That, to me, just makes good fiscal sense while largely serving the community’s needs.
Unless someone can explain differently, it’s the heavy rescue unit that needs to be further explored. A rescue pumper seems to be a better fit and ability to consolidate the current engine and heavy rescue. That, and a quint. Ability to even staff ambo, quint, and an engine doesn’t even seem to be there, except perhaps for call backs.
#7 by Rob on November 29, 2020 - 4:58 PM
From my understanding and reading this report.
They have minimum manning of 4 per 12 hour shift. In 2019 they ran over 1,100 calls.
The truck which is there is quint is first due on any fire call.
The engine which the members call the POC Engine is second due out.
It does not say when the squad is due or when it even responds.
I would agree they should have purchased a pumper squad in 2017 instead of this heavy rescue as the manning is not there.
#8 by Michael m on November 29, 2020 - 2:34 PM
My question would be how many times in a year is it actually used in a fire? I like the idea of getting a quint to use frontline and have the engine be a reserve. I am sure there is a company that could build a quint that would fit in their station.
#9 by Tom Foley on November 29, 2020 - 11:55 AM
How are they currently staffing rigs? I will assume the engine and ambo have a crew of 5-6. Is heavy rescue and ladder staffed? Or, jump company? And, if staffed, how many times are they going out for their specialty purpose vs. perhaps just sent when engine and ambo are on a call? How unique is the heavy rescue unit to where its equipment couldn’t be allocated to other units?
There are some decent sized buildings in Westmont. It would seem prudent to have a ladder rather than exclusively rely on mutual aide. Does Western Springs even staff theirs anyway? (Except as jump company?)
Arm chair, guy behind a computer perspective, it would seem a quint, engine, and ambo as front line equipment is probably a better fit. Maybe keep an engine in reserve. (The number of reserves all these MABAS10 departments have is a different topic for a different time.)
#10 by harry on November 28, 2020 - 2:43 PM
i would say if there ladder or engine were in bad shape i would say have another town help but if there is nothing wrong why get rid of it heck there is a town in maine that still to this day has a 1960 ladder truck frontline
#11 by BMurphy on November 28, 2020 - 11:31 AM
The reality is that the expected level of service- legally required and demanded by the public- will not decrease, nor will the fact that costs will continue to increase, likely faster than the rate of inflation. Another reality is revenues will not keep pace with future costs, or will at least have substantial competition from other sources. There is only so much tax revenue to generate before it ceases to be an option (even in Illinois).
Providing adequate services (expected, as well as legally-obligated) as a small or even larger-sized department is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Even the cost-saving measure of part-time, and certainly volunteer, staffing is becoming an increasingly non-viable option.
Subcontracting emergency services, while a sometimes an effective approach, carries significant risks, hidden costs, inefficiencies and other concerns, all of which must be carefully considered and continuously evaluated (which can add to costs).
The public demands, and is owed, the most efficient and reasonably effective service possible. Therefore, it’s the duty of the public service provider to be continuously monitoring and evaluating operational costs and finding the best possible way (all things considered) to deliver that service.
The reality today is that there are substantial service delivery inefficiencies. While everyone would like a fire station within a mile of their home, or 5 firefighters on the first-due company, or a 2 to 1 engine to truck company ratio, these obviously are not usually financially possible or operationally necessary, especially from a risk/benefit standpoint.
On the other hand, due to these inefficiencies, some providers cannot deliver even the most basic services, even with a surplus of resources within close proximity.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but in the Chicago area, from a purely operational (not political) standpoint, consolidation- whether by county or multiple municipalities- seems to be the best (but not perfect) solution. Likely, efficiencies would improve regarding revenues, operating costs, service delivery, safety (firefighter and public) and staffing (with possible increases in staffing levels).
The hurdles are substantial, of course- pensions, labor contracts, aversion to losing local tax revenues, wanting to hang onto ‘kingdoms.’ These are legitimate and difficult issues, with no simple solutions.
This overall idea is well-known and has been promoted for many years, but as noted with increasing financial and operational pressures, the ‘clock is ticking’ on the old ways of doing things. The current ‘partial’ partnerships among some departments (exclusive of MABAS) are a start, but only full legal consolidations will realize improvements that would have the greatest long-term benefits for all.
#12 by theFiremang on November 28, 2020 - 11:05 AM
Whadda joke. Lets listen to paid off consultant groups for the city on taxpayers dime. These people seem to be more of a career volunteer status. My biggest problem is when they say , hey lets use other fire departments and their equipment on their dime. Lets tax their resources to put out our fires and ems calls. Lets steal from Paul to pay Peter attitude. If your dept cant handle the fire business, now is the time to annex off your department and pay that department to run your calls. Also why doesn’t CHFD up their shift manning, its only a part time dept, so no worry of health benefits or pensions, since full time career firefighters work there, and love the dept soo much, they should just volunteer their services. Politics at its best. Steal from everybody else so we pocket more taxpayers money.
#13 by Chuck on November 28, 2020 - 9:18 AM
I started to read this, then decided to check out the “consultants” who were behind this. I am always skeptical of people like this, and reading these individuals bios. is no different. If these backgrounds were any more vague I wouldn’t have hired them to walk my dog, much less critique and evaluate a fire department. In the end, they get paid no matter what, and move on to the next hatchet job. They write what politicians want to hear, plain and simple.
#14 by Andy on November 28, 2020 - 8:59 AM
A squad with no pump, no tank in a place like CH was a poor way to spend the taxpayers money.
#15 by harry on November 28, 2020 - 12:45 AM
when they order the rescue it should have been ordered as a rescue engine
#16 by Bill on November 28, 2020 - 12:00 AM
I’m shocked Clarendon hills need a heavy rescue p
#17 by Mike on November 27, 2020 - 5:58 PM
This right here would be a great opportunity for a complete consolidation with a neighboring department.