Posts Tagged Bourbonnais Fire Protection District

New ambulance for Bourbonnais FPD

From Harmonic Design Inc Facebook page:

Bourbonnais Fire is ready to serve!
This ambulance was a clean white before it arrived, now it’s striped, lettered, and comes with a chevron! 
 
Gold leaf cut lettering layered on black cut vinyl with reflective red stripes running along the sides. Plus a brand new chevron on the rear with reflective layered paneling. 
Bourbonnais Fire Protection District
#chicagoareafire.com; #ambulance; #BourbonnaisFPD; #HarmonicDesign;

Harmonic Design, Inc. photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #ambulance; #BourbonnaisFPD; #HarmonicDesign;

Harmonic Design, Inc. photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #ambulance; #BourbonnaisFPD; #HarmonicDesign;

Harmonic Design, Inc. photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #ambulance; #BourbonnaisFPD; #HarmonicDesign;

Harmonic Design, Inc. photo

thanks Martin

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Fire districts to seek increase in tax levy

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com

Last fall, the board of trustees for the Bourbonnais, Grant Park, and Limestone fire districts all approved measures for the March 17 primary ballot asking voters to raise the tax levy to the maximum amount allowed by law.

A state law increasing minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 played a major role in all three districts’ decisions to seek additional funding. The wage increase would see each of the three districts paying wages of more than $200,000 per year. Firefighters working full time are paid $9 per hour, with paramedics earning $15. Volunteer firefighters currently receive a flat rate per call but that changes with the minimum wage increase to an hourly rate of $15.

Other mandates include the Federal Drug Administration’s requirement that fire departments replace their current cardiac monitors in ambulances. Bourbonnais has replaced monitors in two of their ambulances at a cost of $37,000. All three departments must replace ambulance stretchers that are 20 years old with electric models that can be operated by one person.

The number of volunteers is dwindling because of the amount of time needed to complete required training and certification. It takes six months (250 hours) to be certified as a firefighter and another six to become an EMT. Then after certification is received, personnel must complete mandatory training each year. Certification that at one time was good for life is being replaced by recertifications per the State Fire Marshal’s Office

For a median house in Bourbonnais valued at $100,000, the owners would see their tax bill go up to $283.33 per year, from $135.33. The Bourbonnais district covers 36 square miles and 36,000 people. Last year, they responded to 4,182 calls — the second-highest call volume in the county behind Kankakee with 6,756 calls. According to numbers run by accountants when researching whether or not to ask voters for a tax rate increase, the district would go in the red by 2021.

Their station is staffed 24/7 with seven people. The goal is to add three more to each shift. The district, which was formed in 1948, used a referendum in 1975 to start its ambulance service.

For a median house in Limestone Township valued at $172,800, the owners would see their bill go up 66 percent to $564 per year, from $338. The tax increase would expire in four years. This is the first time the district has had to seek such an increase since it was founded in 1951.

Currently, firefighters are paid $9 per hour and paramedics $12. In response to the minimum wage increases, they will each increase $1 per hour every year until 2025, when firefighters and paramedics will start at $15 and $18 per hour, respectively. Because of this, the board approved asking voters to approve a property tax increase.

For a median house in Grant Park valued at $180,000, the homeowner would see their bill increase 66 percent to $623 per year from $415. The additional $260,000 in revenue would allow the department to address  apparatus replacement, staffing, and equipment replacement. According to industry guidelines, fire apparatus should be replaced between 20 and 25 years. The average age of Grant Park’s fleet is 27 years. In the past three years, maintenance costs have become a bigger issue. On top of that, the department must replace all its air packs at a cost of $150,000.

Grant Park’s district covers more than 60 square miles and 5,000 people. They have been able to secure grant money to replace some equipment.

thanks Dennis

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Bourbonnais FPD news

From the CAMZ Communications Facebook page:

Bourbonnais FPD chief car

CAMZ Communications photo

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Bradley Fire Department news

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

With the exit of its interim fire chief, the mayor said that Bradley is planning to make changes to improve the fire department, but he did not address questions about who is in charge of the department and what its relationship will be with the neighboring Bourbonnais Fire Protection District. One idea reportedly under consideration is putting Bourbonnais Fire Protection District Chief Ed St. Louis in charge of the Bradley department for the time being.

Six months ago, the village hired Jim Eggert as interim fire chief for six months, telling him he could stay another six months if the village was still searching for a permanent chief. The cost over the six months was $66,000. Eggert’s last day was Friday, yet no new chief has been named. The mayor said the village decided against renewing Eggert’s contract because of its cost.

Throughout the day Tuesday, it was unclear who was in charge of the Bradley Fire Department. At least one member of the department was under the impression that St. Louis had already taken the helm.  Bradley Fire Department Capt. Kevin Goudreau, the union’s president, said he and Capt. Greg Glidewell were in charge until they were told differently. They are the department’s highest-ranking members. On Tuesday night, department employees were scheduled to meet with St. Louis and village officials. Goudreau said St. Louis may well be named the Bradley department’s chief for the time being. He said this may be part of a larger consolidation between the two departments. 

Union members are not opposed to consolidation, but they feel blindsided about the village’s latest actions. If the fire department consolidates with Bourbonnais, it would require a village board vote. With six full-time employees, the department handles 3,000 calls a year, nearly doubling its workload since it became a full-time department 15 years ago. For months, the union has been negotiating with the village for a contract to replace the one that expired April 30.

Recommendations by the Illinois Firefighters Association, which assessed the department in 2005, included a significant increase in staffing, an addition of a second fire station, close cooperation with other fire departments, and improvement of software to measure performance.

Area fire departments help each other with calls. Bradley needs a lot of assistance because of its small staff, so the village appreciates Bourbonnais as a partner. But Bourbonnais wants an agreement where it would handle all calls north of Armour Road which  include a higher percentage of privately insured customers, which mean higher reimbursements.

“We don’t want to turn those calls over because we would be losing revenue,” Goudreau said, and that it would be better if Bourbonnais backed up on calls regardless of the neighborhood.

thanks Dennis

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Where are they now …

This from Martin Nowak: more X-Illinois fire trucks in Indiana

1976 Sutphen Pumper; purchased from Bourbonnais IL in 1990 by the Shirley Vol FD

1983 PemFab/E-one 95ft Aerial Ladder was purchased by Cambridge City Vol FD in 2002 from Gurnee, IL

Pump 101 2000 HME/Smeal; was purchased by Poe FD from Coal City IL. All rigs at Poe carry the orange color that Coal City carries

Truck 23; 1972 American LaFrance Aero Chief 90′ Snorkel served Mattoon, IL, then St. John, IN, and now Shelby Vol FD

Engine 5812; 1975 Mack CF685 pumper served Winfield FPD IL before the Lake Dalecarlia Vol FD

Rescue 862; 1994 Freightliner FL60/Wheeled Coach was a former Evanston Ambulance that was purchased in 2004 by Kingsbury Volunteer FD

East Chicago has two of the six units that were ordered by the City of Chicago in 2001 ( 2001 American LaFrance Eagle/3D Pumpers) They serve as Engine-1 and Engine-4 Only one stayed in Chicago as E-23. The other three were repainted and went to Baltimore County, Maryland where they served as Engine-2, Engine-4, and Engine-6.

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The color of fire trucks (part 9) Division 7

This next installment (our 9th) in our series highlighting The Color of Fire Trucks, comes again from Bill Friedrich and looks at MABAS Division 7. This MABAS division covers Kankakee County and part of Iroquois County.

Essex Fire Protection District

Essex ran Squad 1974, a 1974 Dodge Power wagon that was modified by the department. Bill Friedrich archives

This was the only white vehicle in the Essex FD fleet.
Kankakee Fire Department Mack CF Pirsch ladder

The City of Kankakee had two units on CF Mack chassis that were white over lime-green. One was this 1983 Mack CF600 with a 100′ Pirsch aerial ladder, a 1,250-GPM pump and 200 gallons of water. This was Ladder 6. Bill Friedrich archives

In Kankakee, this was one of two lime-green Macks in the fleet, both of which had white roofs. The other was a Mack-CF engine. Both are now gone from the roster.
Kankakee Township Fire Department

The Kankakee Township FPD had this 1975 IHC Cargostar 1910 with an Alexis body, 1,000-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water. It ran as Engine 84. Bill Friedrich archives

The Kankakee Township FD was all lime-green at one time. All subsequent vehicles are painted red.
Pembroke Fire Protection District

Pembroke FPD Engine 139 was a 1972 IHC Loadstar 1800 built by Central with a 500-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water. Bill Friedrich archives

The Pembroke FPD had a few lime green rigs. Now they are all red.
Otto Township Fire Protection District

Otto Township Engine 38 was this 1986 IHC S1900/Luverne with a 750-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water. Bill Friedrich archives

The Otto Township FPD had lime green at one point. Now they too area all red.
Papineau Fire Protection District

This X-Glenside FPD engine is now running as Engine 1533 for the Papineau FPD. It is a 1981 Pierce Arrow with 750 gallons of water and a 1,250-GPM pump. Bill Friedrich photo

This is the only yellow rig in the Papineau FPD fleet. It was purchased last year from the Glenside FPD in MABAS Division 12.
Bourbonnais Fire Protection District

Bourbonnais Engine 63 was a 1976 was built by Howe on a Hendrickson 1871 with 800 gallons of water and a 1,000-GPM pump. Bill Friedrich archives

The Bourbonnais FPD  had a few yellow rigs. All the others were red.
Grant Park Fire Protection District

Engine 112 for the Grant park FPD was this 1963 IHC/Central with 1,000 gallons of water and a 1,000-GPM pump. Bill Friedrich archives

This was the only lime-green rig in the Grant Park Fire District fleet. Everything else has always been red.
Chebanse Township Fire Protection District tanker

Chebanse Township FPD Tanker 2871 was a 1994/2001 Peterbilt 379 built by Midstate Tank. It carried 3,000 gallons of water with no pump. Bill Friedrich photo

The Chebanse Township FPD, in Clifton, had two white rigs, all the rest are red.
Salina Township Fire Protection District

Salina Township FPD ran Tanker 164 which was built on a 1985 GMC F-7000 chassis by Midstate Tank. There was no pump alongside the 2,000-gallon tank. Bill Friedrich archives

Salina Township still has this white rig.  At one point they had a white brush truck. Everything else is red.
St. Anne Fire Department

Rescue 10 saw service with the St. Anne Fire Department. It was a 1967 Chevy Step Van. Bill Friedrich archive

St.Anne FD had the blue rescue truck. This was repainted white/red. Everything else has always been red.

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