From the patch.com:
Clarendon Hills needs paramedics, but the fire department can cover its shifts the chief said.
Every month, Fire Chief Brian Leahy releases the monthly schedule more than a couple of weeks ahead of time. Many shifts, often during weekends, are open. For March, the fire department put out the original schedule Feb. 11. Nearly two weeks later, about four dozen shifts remained unfilled.
“That’s pretty normal,” Leahy said in an interview. “The firefighters, EMTs and paramedics put in their shift requests. Some don’t put in any until they get their schedules for their full-time jobs.”
Except for Leahy, the department’s members are part time. He said the department has looked at how other departments with paid, on-call models handle scheduling.
On the open shifts, he said that 99.9 percent of the time, someone will pick up a shift. At the same time, he acknowledged staffing can be difficult.
“We’ve been struggling through this all through COVID,” Leahy said. “McDonald’s can’t get enough employees. It’s the same thing.”
thanks Robert
#1 by danny on April 9, 2022 - 6:41 PM
I’ve seen on here a few people upset about the McDonalds comparison…he wasn’t comparing paramedics to McDonalds employees, he was saying everyone is having a hard time with staffing no matter what line of work you are in. I see it at my job and every place I pass by on the way to and from my job everyone is hiring, and a lot of places have we apologize for longer services times due to our current staffing levels or something along those lines.
#2 by Tom Foley on April 8, 2022 - 4:13 PM
It’s an unpopular opinion, but for the small footprint of the town, they ought to just combine with a neighbor or two and form a district and better streamline staffing and apparatus.
The comparison to McDonald’s employees did not seem well thought out.
#3 by Cmk420 on April 7, 2022 - 12:45 PM
When I was working as a POC/part-time FF/EMT at a Fire District in DuPage County, our front-line ambulance was dual paramedics, but our 2nd ambulance would go out with either two EMTs & we would pull a medic off the engine to transport ALS or, on rare occasions, we have it as one EMT and one medic.
It is a shame that Clarendon Hills is spending money on new rigs & not on making sure their ambulance is staffed all time with (at minimum) one EMT & one paramedic. Priorities are completely messed up over there.
#4 by Evan Davis on April 7, 2022 - 11:23 AM
The ALS staffed model for many fire department and EMS agencies across the country is 1 BLS provider and 1 ALS provider on an ambulance and I’d say overall, the majority of EMS calls can be handled by BLS providers. I never really understood how the majority of suburban Chicago departments require duel ALS on the ambulances. With that said, absolutely nothing is wrong with duel ALS on ambulances of course and it’s a blessing for the area to be paramedic heavy for that to happen! But we all know the staffing struggle across the Chicago area and around the country as well. I wouldn’t call Clarendon Hills running 1 BLS provider and 1 ALS provider on M86 a “downgrade,” that’s still an ALS staffed ambulance. The downgrade is an unstaffed ambulance which seems to be the main issue.
#5 by harry on April 7, 2022 - 10:51 AM
brad i agree with u why they need to get rid of two 2002 pierce rigs is stupid the smart thing they could have done would have been when they got the new sqd is make it a squad pumper and then if they wanted to replace a rig now get a new single ladder ascentdent or eone ladder and keep the 2002 pierce engine in reserve
#6 by Brad on April 7, 2022 - 10:06 AM
Absolutely ridiculous. Clarendon Hills FD can’t even staff their most important piece of equipment which we all know is the ambulance. It’s a shame the the surrounding towns have to take the brunt of their staffing issues. I live in the area and know for a fact that Hinsdale and Westmont are being called for their ambulance calls because their ambulance is sitting unstaffed at the FD. I am all about towns helping each other because one is busy but it’s NOT the surrounding community’s job to provide service because of this. As for the comment of being compared to McDonald’s employees is just plane wrong. It’s actually a disgrace to the men and women that work as a medic at the FD. A total waste of $ on the towns part for buying a new truck and engine. The towns first and foremost priority should be getting their ambulance staffed 24/7 EVERY day of the year. It’s absurd that they are so set on getting 2 new pieces of equipment that will most likely be either short staffed or not staffed at all.
#7 by Mike on April 7, 2022 - 7:37 AM
Our collective bargaining agreement does not allow our personnel to work a 2nd job in any 911-type capacity. I thought this was a bad idea limiting our members rights, but have changed my mind over the years. The biggest reason is the recent situation with the Buffalo Grove firefighter developing colon cancer and the city doing everything in their power not to pay benefits entitled to the family by state law. What is your time, your health, and your families well-being worth? Mine is certainly worth more than $15/hr. Just my 2 cents.
#8 by Mike on April 6, 2022 - 9:03 PM
BT13, you’re correct except that many departments either don’t hire or didn’t hire untrained people and then make the 2-3 year commitment to train them and pay for it. Many places wanted to save the money and just bank on trying to hire already certified people.
#9 by BT13 on April 6, 2022 - 8:10 PM
These part-time places are good for guys starting out or for those that are retired.
*When Clarendon Hills stopped sharing ALS service with Westmont in the late 90s, they went to the Loyola EMSS so they could be a one paramedic and one EMT/B ambulance.
#10 by Mike on April 6, 2022 - 6:47 PM
You guys are right about wages and work schedules. There are a lot of departments in Illinois that try to only use part timers because they don’t want to pay for full time people and want to get skilled and qualified people as cheap as can be, but they want them to work full time hours.
Combine that with people not wanting to pay more in taxes and here we are. Public safety costs money: people, apparatus etc, all costs money and people don’t want to pay for it.
The whole work part time thing is a scam. These employers are basically getting off east because they’re not investing in you while your full time job is. There are many people who are working full time and then full time hours at a part time job too. A lot of these departments that can’t get people to fill spots also stopped hiring and training people because they didn’t want to waste the time and spend the money, and now they’re dealing with manpower shortages.
The fire service is at a low again like it was 20 years ago. Nobody wants to do this job when they can work from home on a computer and make better wages for less work.
#11 by MABAS 21 on April 6, 2022 - 10:52 AM
I have to agree with Gerald and Pat’s comments. One thing to keep in mind, is the fact that these municipalities and fire districts that utilize part-time personnel are saving a huge amount of money by not having to pay for Healthcare insurance, pensions and overtime for full-time employees.
The politicians and residents of these affluent communities that they serve must understand that just as they are career professionals who expect to be highly compensated, the same applies to the fire service. We are the ones that they call in their crisis; ones who are the “Jack of all Trades”, are cross-trained as paramedics and many of whom have college degrees just like them. They expect the best and fully trained personnel to mitigate their emergency and equally so, part-time personnel should be compensated fairly too.
#12 by Gerald on April 6, 2022 - 8:23 AM
Pat is spot on. Medics shouldn’t/aren’t working for cheap anymore. Why pick up another shift at a part time gig for far less money, when picking up some OT at your full time will make you far more for less time? And even then, if you want a side job, there’s now a long list of jobs that will pay you more than a part time FD, with more “normal” hours, less sleep deprivation, etc….
Lets not place the blame on people “not wanting to work”, its workplaces not wanting to pay their employees enough or provide the benefits and work environment they desire.
#13 by Pat on April 6, 2022 - 6:42 AM
The problem with getting people to work part time FF or PM jobs is the pay is not worth it. Look at theblueline.com and check out the hourly for these part time gigs. With people making 80K+ at a full time job, why am I going to work part time for 17-22 an hour? If these places were paying 30 an hour, it would be worth peoples time. Also Crabbymilton, I get what you’re saying about people not wanting to work, but the group of people who have their medic aren’t in that boat, in my opinion. Medics are done working for chump change, and in the last 5-8 years, departments have started seeing their part time work force dwindle. The day of guys staying at their part time gig after getting on somewhere full time are over. Maybe departments will realize this and change with the times.
#14 by crabbymilton on April 6, 2022 - 5:44 AM
It’s sad alright. But the fact is so many people just don’t want to work especially when we have a POTUS that pays people not to work but I digress.
#15 by Rich on April 5, 2022 - 9:29 PM
But they can buy new rigs????
Mess up!!
#16 by Scott on April 5, 2022 - 8:55 PM
This is a serious problem for Clarendon Hills . The Ambulance goes out of service on a regular basis. The article doesn’t mention when the ambulance get downgraded to 1 Paramedic and 1 EMT Basic. For a small 1.8 square mile affluent community more of a priority should be made to fully staff the ambulance. The Chief comparing Paramedic’s to McDonald’s employees. With that attitude it’s Shocking he can’t find Paramedics to work.