Excerpts from the Village of Glenview:
NEWS RELEASE
Village of Glenview Board Approves Better Alignment of Emergency Response Services with Community Demand – Station #13 resources will be realigned to meet community safety needs
February 2, 2021 – The Village of Glenview Board of Trustees unanimously directed village staff to start the process of realigning existing resources from Fire Station #13 at 831 East Lake Avenue, to the four other village fire stations. The decision came following an extensive review process beginning in 2019 during which board members and a working group composed of firefighters, lieutenants, battalion chiefs, department leadership, and village management considered seven options for further alignment of services with community demand following a comprehensive, data- driven study and subsequent report analyzing fire department utilization.
Board members said the action to reallocate Station #13 resources, based on safety, fiduciary responsibility, and utilization data, provides for more efficiency while continuing to safely serve the community. As part of this plan, the number of fire and EMS personnel employed will remain unchanged.
A detailed study delivered by public safety consultants at a September 15, 2020 board meeting that was open to the public (the recording of which is available online), found that since 2018, medical calls continue to make up the majority of community demand. The report led to the development of several recommendations for consideration to better align resources to meet this need. Due to the pandemic, Fire Station #13 resources were temporarily reallocated to other stations for 15 weeks in 2020 and for another four weeks in 2021, and public safety was not adversely affected.
After considering several options evaluated by the working group, the board gave the village manager and fire department leaders the authority to make changes to realign emergency resources. The anticipated changes may or may not be subject to certain collective bargaining obligations, which, if applicable, will be addressed at the appropriate time.
The board also recommended that the fire department continue pursuing long-term collaborations with surrounding fire departments. The Glenview Fire Department has automatic aid agreements in place and will explore opportunities for additional partnerships.
thanks Keith
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#1 by Michael m on February 4, 2021 - 8:29 PM
How can Citizens help keep Station 13 open? I don’t know if Citizen feedback convinced Bensenville Fire District board to put Truck 107 back in service. This is different, the village board is Closing Station 13. Money does not even sound like an issue this time Unlike Bensenville.
Citizen feedback worked once, it might work again. Should residents who live on the East side write to the village board?
#2 by Jim Wilk on February 4, 2021 - 3:06 PM
Bill Post was discussing this topic back in 2014 on this blog when the new station 6 was moved and being built. According to the study Brutus listed, one recommendation is to continue to staff a peak load ambulance while running a jump company during the hours the peak load ambulance is down. It appears a third ambulance is needed. Does combining station 6 and 13 make sense to staff an additional full time ambulance? This would allow for 4 engine companies with three, 1 truck with two, 3 ambulances with two and 1 battalion chief full time. An ambulance could supplement the truck staffing depending on where the call is. This isn’t perfect but it does maintain staffing at 21 as is current practice. Why is automatic aid needed in Glenview with their current staffing?
#3 by Bill S on February 4, 2021 - 9:25 AM
I am told when 13 closes, they will put an ambulance at station 14. All other apparatus will be left at respective stations.
#4 by Dan on February 4, 2021 - 9:15 AM
My guess is they will move Batallion 6 to Battallion 14. Truck 14 will be changed to Truck 6. That way station 6 would have 2 suppression pieces of apparatus and an ambulance which would be enough to serve the old station 13 district. Station 14 would an engine instead of a truck company.
#5 by Keith Grzadziel on February 4, 2021 - 9:14 AM
I read part of a different study posted online for Glenview (may have been a newspaper article from a village board meeting) and one suggestion mentioned was making Station 13 a jump company with a 4th ambulance. Although I am not an advocate for jump companies for various reasons, this suggestion is drastically better than entirely shutting down a fire station and burdening the already beat up mutual aid agreements in place.
#6 by Brutus on February 4, 2021 - 8:17 AM
The department needs everyone’s support.
Fitch Study
https://glenview.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2261&meta_id=99130
Fitch Study Presentation
https://glenview.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2261&meta_id=99129
February 2nd Board Meeting
https://glenview.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2355
#7 by Mike C on February 4, 2021 - 6:53 AM
This is rather interesting. 6 months ago Glenview had plans to rebuild Station #8. Last I heard the whole plan had been scrapped.
#8 by Tom W on February 3, 2021 - 10:53 PM
Here is the key statement that I find very suspect, “ The board also recommended that the fire department continue pursuing long-term collaborations with surrounding fire departments. The Glenview Fire Department has automatic aid agreements in place and will explore opportunities for additional partnerships.” There is way more here than meets the eye! Close a station and rely on mutual aid? Is this collaboration/building partnerships, or a town trying to put the burden of responsibility on its neighboring communities? There is something fishy going on here! I’d love to hear from the rank and file members of the GFD!
#9 by Mike on February 3, 2021 - 9:06 PM
I haven’t read the studies yet but my question is Glenview opened engine 13’s house in the late 90’s early 2000’s so there was an actual need for increased fire protection in that area due to high response times. Fire quadruples every 60 seconds, NIST has proven that and we all know brain death starts at 3-4 minutes without oxygen. Years ago the village eliminated 1 of 3 staffed ambulances and relied on moochual aid to be the band aid. This sounds a lot like the same. Reduce fire protection by 20% depending on how you count it because depending on who is staffing truck 14 the truck acts as a truck and not an engine so essentially that would be a 25% reduction in fire suppression. For a village that has a lot of money and people pay a lot in property taxes this is huge step backwards. The village isn’t rebating property taxes because they’re shutting down an engine company. Plus I’m sure they contacted ISO to have them come in and re-evaluate the city which has a possibility of costing taxpayers more because the ISO rating may go up with this reduction in service. If I remember right Glenview runs approximately 7500 runs a year with 4 engines, 1 truck and 2 ambulances. Glenview has many tall buildings and expensive properties and actually could benefit from 1-2 more ambulances a second truck company and a squad company.
When someone has a chance can they please post the studies that were done for us to read.