Posts Tagged Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler

Dispute arises between the Barrington FD and the Barrington Countryside FPD

Jan 5

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 5 Comments

The Daily Herald has another article on the split between the Village of Barrington Fire Department and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District.

The Barrington Fire Department and Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District went their separate ways as scheduled New Year’s Day — but not without some last-minute miscommunication. Even though the 48-square-mile fire district received 19 firefighters laid off by the village of Barrington at the stroke of midnight, those firefighters weren’t allowed to bring their individually fitted safety gear with them.

This forced the fire district to borrow gear from the Fox River Grove Fire Protection District a few days before the split, and to begin making arrangements to lease gear from elsewhere during the coming months.

Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler said the issue arose from the fact that the district didn’t hire the laid-off firefighters directly, but through the private contractor Paramedic Services of Illinois. “It is taxpayer property and we can’t just give it to someone else without the proper legal mechanism to do so,” Lawler said. He added that this issue was addressed in a conversation with fire district officials in early December and he didn’t understand how they could have overlooked it.

Barrington Countryside board President Tom Rowan said the conversation Lawler referred to is one only the village of Barrington seems to recall.

Because the fire district and village of Barrington co-owned all the equipment they shared during their decades-long contractual relationship, it was meant to be divided evenly at the end as all the vehicles were, Rowan said.

Barrington Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Swanson said that while rules should be followed, they should never get in the way of safety. While the legalistic separation of the gear could have been worked out over time, the firefighters needed to be using it on New Year’s Day, he said.

Barrington Countryside employs a total of 34 firefighters through Paramedic Services of Illinois. Only the 19 laid off from the Barrington Fire Department were affected by the dispute over the equipment. Swanson said the specially fitted equipment newly ordered for these employees isn’t expected to arrive until the spring. They will be using leased equipment in the meantime.

Apart from this issue, both agencies reported that they’ve been fulfilling all their operational responsibilities since the split. The Barrington Fire Department’s jurisdiction narrowed from covering the district as well to just the village’s five square miles.

Rowan said morale is high among the fire district’s new staff, evidenced by their cleaning all their equipment anew just after receiving it from the village of Barrington after midnight Wednesday morning.

Barrington Countryside covers parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Inverness and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

On a separate note, our information about the apparatus split is as follows:

The Village of Barrington Fire Department has:

one engine
the quint
the battalion buggy
two ambulances

The Barrington Countryside FPD has:

Two engines
the squad
the tanker (in addition to a newly acquired tanker)
two ambulances

At this point in time, we are unsure of the ownership of the brush unit.

Tags: Barrington & Countryside Fire Protection District, Barrington Countryside board President Tom Rowan, Barrington Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Swanson, Barrington Fire Department, Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler, Fox River Grove Fire Protection District, Paramedic Services of Illinois

Barrington FD & Fire Protection District update

Oct 7

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 1 Comment

The Daily Herald has an article about the Village of Barrington Fire Department and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District dividing their assets for what will become the two separate departments after the 1st of January.

The Barrington Fire Department and Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District on Friday took the last major step before they separate on Jan. 1, by dividing up the vehicles and equipment they co-own.

… both sides expressed satisfaction with the division.

Officials of the 48-square-mile fire district just outside of Barrington also found out this week that 16 of the 19 laid-off Barrington firefighters to whom it offered jobs have applied with them. Barrington Countryside offered these firefighters their current union salaries and vacation time, but not a continuation of their pensions.

Rowan said it is important to the fire district to retain firefighters with as much experience and institutional memory of the fire district as work there now.

The rest of the fire district’s roster of 33 full-time firefighters will be filled with staff provided by private contractor Paramedic Services of Illinois.

“I think the residents are going to be really pleased,” Rowan said. “We have the equipment we need and the personnel we need.”

On Jan. 1, the fire district will terminate its long-running contract for service from the Barrington Fire Department.

The newly divided equipment should be moved to its new locations among the village’s fire station and the fire district’s two stations in Barrington Hills and Lake Barrington about a week or two before the Jan. 1 split, Rowan said.

The contractual relationship between the village and fire district will be officially finished at the shift change at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, he added.

Some of the previous posts on this split can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Tags: Barrington & Countryside Fire Protection District, Barrington & Countryside FPD, Barrington District board President Tom Rowan, Barrington Fire Department, Barrington Fire Department staffing, Barrington FPD terminates their contract with the Village of Barrington, Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler, fire district and village split in Barrington, fire district and village to split in Barrington

Barrington & Countryside FPD update

Jul 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 3 Comments

The Daily Herald has an article labeling the split between the Village of Barrington and the Barrington & Countryside FPD as a done deal:

Barrington village officials told the Daily Herald editorial board Monday that the proposed split between the Barrington Fire Department and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District on Jan. 1 is now past the point of no return.

Fire district trustees entirely agree.

Barrington Village President Karen Darch and Village Manager Jeff Lawler explained why they believe the coming separation is in the best interest of both local governments.

The village will see the reduction of pension and potential disability costs for 20-22 firefighters used exclusively by the fire district, which is currently pursuing an expansion of services for its own 48-square-mile area.

Since about the 1950s, the fire district has contracted for services from the geographically smaller village — but the mutual benefits of that arrangement have been gradually disappearing for both agencies, Darch argued.

Firefighters, though, have strongly disagreed throughout the separation process, maintaining that public safety will be hurt by the loss of efficiency brought by one united department.

Fire district President Tom Rowan said he and his fellow trustees want to save as many firefighter jobs as possible by encouraging their re-employment through the district’s new private contractor — Schiller Park-based Paramedic Services of Illinois.

The hiring of that contractor and new administrator Jeff Swanson last week make going back to the old arrangement with Barrington virtually impossible, Rowan said.

“We hired our new fire chief/administrator and he has a three-year contract,” Rowan said. “We are going to separate (from the village). We don’t see reconciling at this point.”

The village wants to sign an automatic-aid agreement with the district, but district trustees want to hold off until the village decides on Aug. 19 whether it will employee a staff of 16 or 18 people.

District trustees said they want to make sure any agreement they sign with a neighboring department is mutually beneficial.

Rowan said he’s also eager to work out the division of the equipment both agencies co-own well ahead of New Year’s Day when the fire engines, tankers and ambulances will physically change hands and fire stations.

The district covers parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Inverness and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

A previous post on this can be found HERE.

Tags: Barrington Countryside Fire Protection, Barrington Fire Department, Barrington Fire Department staffing, Barrington Fire district President Tom Rowan, Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler, Barrington Village President Karen Darch, fire district and village split in Barrington, Jeff Swanson, Schiller Park-based Paramedic Services of Illinois

Barrington & Countryside FPD update

Jul 18

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 1 Comment

The Barrington Courier Review has an article about the split between the Village of Barrington and the Barrington & Countryside FPD.

Barrington, fire district to proceed separately

BARRINGTON — A consultant’s report presented Monday night to the Barrington Village Board revealed that 20 firefighters and paramedics could be laid off when the village and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District begin operating as separate entities on Jan. 1, 2014.

During a separate meeting Monday night, the Fire Protection District announced former New Lenox fire chief Jeff Swanson as its interim administrator.

Speaking at the Village Board meeting, William Balling, from WRB Consultants, outlined two options for the Barrington department. The first option recommended a total staffing of 16 sworn personnel, including 14 operations and two administrative positions. That staffing plan would result in 22 layoffs. The second option recommended a total staffing of 18 personnel, including 16 in operations and two administrative positions.

In either case, the staffing change would be a considerable decrease from the 39 sworn personnel under the expiring intergovernmental agreement with the Fire Protection District.

“We need to retool and redesign,” said Balling. “We think this is a logical progression.”

Balling recommended staffing the Barrington station with 18 personnel, which would cost about $80,000 more per year than the 16 staff model.

The board is expected to make a decision at its next meeting, scheduled for Aug. 19.

In explaining the downsizing, village leaders cited the much smaller geographic area — about five square miles — that village firefighters will serve starting in 2014. Village Manager Jeff Lawler said Fire Station 1, located in Barrington, receives about five to six calls a day, most of which are emergency medical calls.

As part of the reorganization, the village intends to reduce the number of personnel on ambulances and other apparatus from three to two.

Lawler said this will provide Station 1 with greater flexibility.

“What it’s doing is it’s aligning the assets and personnel at Station 1 with the most common calls, which are EMS calls,” he said.

During his presentation, Balling said many neighboring cities including Arlington Heights and Palatine have adopted a two-person ambulance model.

“Two-person ambulances are not a new phenomenon,” he said, adding that there could be flexibility on that number if needed.

Last month, the district proposed that the village lease 18 Barrington firefighters to the district for a two-year period. During that time, the district would consider a tax levy referendum to fund pensions and health care costs for the firefighters.

Village President Karen Darch cited legacy costs, including pensions and disability liabilities that could cost taxpayers millions, as a reason not to lease the 18 firefighters.

On Monday night, Darch outlined the department’s budget, including current operations, infrastructure, employee pensions and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds. Her goal was to explain that every dollar that goes into pension funds is a dollar that cannot support those other service areas.

“We have a responsibility to spend the revenue that comes into this village wisely,” Darch said.

But many residents in the board room audience expressed concern that the level and quality of emergency services will suffer after the separation.

“Without a doubt, putting money before safety is a horrible choice,” said Barrington resident Carrie Raia, expressing concern about longer response times.

Residents also expressed concern about first responders getting caught behind trains that run through town. Darch, however, said Barrington has a cooperative relationship with Lake Zurich Rural Fire Protection District, which supports Barrington operations when needed.

But residents remained undeterred in criticizing the board for the proposed reductions in personnel.

“This is a catastrophe now and I don’t know if we can stop it or not,” said Barrington resident Char McLear, who served as assistant to the Barrington fire chief before retiring.

Balling explained that his report was based on incident coverage, station availability and location, operational staffing, apparatus and mobile equipment, infrastructure, and automatic and mutual aid agreements and special response times.

“There are a lot of moving parts,” he said.

Also on Monday night, the Fire Protection District’s board approved a new contract with the private firm Paramedic Services of Illinois to provide emergency personnel in 2014.

The district board also discussed the possibility of levying a new tax to fund pensions applied to career firefighters furloughed from the village. The levy could appear on the March 2014 primary ballot at the earliest.

“The district has to put that question to the voters,” said Robert Buhs, a consultant and executive director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

Our last post can be viewed HERE.

Tags: Barrington & Countryside Fire Protection District, Barrington & Countryside FPD, Barrington Fire Department, Barrington Fire Department staffing, Barrington FPD terminates their contract with the Village of Barrington, Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler, Barrington Village President Karen Darch, fire district and village may split in Barrington, fire district and village split in Barrington, former New Lenox fire chief Jeff Swanson, from WRB Consultants, Lake Zurich Rural Fire Protection District, Paramedic Services of Illinois, pensions and disability liabilities that could cost taxpayers millions, tax levy referendum to fund pensions and health care costs for the firefighters, William Balling

Barrington Countryside FPD update

Jun 22

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Fire Service News | 4 Comments

Barrington officials Friday said they didn’t believe a proposal from the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District to lease 18 firefighters for two years really addressed the village’s concerns over the long-term pension and disability costs for these employees.

Such an arrangement would keep these firefighters village employees and such costs a village responsibility, Village President Karen Darch said.

“They don’t really define what they mean by ‘lease,'” she said of the district’s proposal.

The offer has added another step to what had seemed the intended end of the village and fire district’s long-standing contractual relationship on Jan. 1.

The district covers a 48-square-mile area outside of Barrington, but has always contracted its fire protection and paramedic services from the village’s fire department.

The district’s expansion plans — which include hiring seven more firefighters and planning for yet a further station — have brought what could be seen as a natural end to the cost-effective relationship the two agencies once had, Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler said.

The village provides twice as many employees to the district as the village’s own jurisdiction requires. Though the district pays its share of these employees’ costs, it is the village that remains on the hook for pension and disability payments whenever the district ends the contract.

Darch said village taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for more than the costs of the employees the village needs.

Even under the two-year lease arrangement the district is proposing, there’s a potential risk of $160 million to the village if all 18 firefighters became catastrophically injured, Darch said.

This is based on a combination of their ages and future earning potentials. A catastrophic injury to a 26-year-old firefighter could cost the village $11.5 million in disability payments, she said.

District board President Tom Rowan said further discussion was intended all along. He added that the proposal was necessarily sketchy as many details would need to be worked out mutually.

The firefighters union is supporting the district’s proposal, even if it requires further discussion, union President Eric Brouilette said.

The district opened bids from five private firefighter-paramedic firms this week, offering a first year of service for amounts ranging from $2.6 million to $3.9 million.

But these prices are based on the firms’ costs and don’t take into consideration the higher experience levels the district would like to retain from the firefighters it currently receives from the village.

This week’s proposal seeks to combine 18 of them — who would otherwise be laid off by the village — with firefighters provided by the private firms.

“We spent a lot of money on training,” Rowan said of the Barrington firefighters. “We know how good they are. And they know the area.”

But district trustees are considering a tax-hike referendum to provide such pensions, which could appear on ballots as early as March 2014.

The district’s jurisdiction includes parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Inverness and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

Barrington, meanwhile, has hired a consultant to recommend a new structure for its fire department after the anticipated expiration of its contract with the district.