Posts Tagged First Fire Protection District of Antioch

First Fire Protection District of Antioch news

Apr 4

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

The First Fire Protection District of Antioch has named Jon Cokefair, who had been serving in an interim capacity, as the first fire chief since merging with the village of Antioch Fire Department.

Cokefair is a 40-year resident of Lake County with nearly 30 years of fire service experience. He was also a two-term member of the Grayslake Community High School District 127 board of education.

Voters Tuesday will head to the polls to vote for the first elected board members of the fire district, which was created through a referendum in November, merging the fire district with the municipal fire department. Previously, the fire district’s board was appointed.

Prior to the merger, the First Fire Protection District of Antioch and its staff of full-time firefighters and paramedics provided services to the village of Antioch and Antioch Township. The Antioch Fire Department provided volunteer firefighters for use by the fire district.

The voter-backed merger means the village of Antioch and the township no longer have to negotiate contracts to provide fire service in the village where property owners are now included in and pay taxes directly to the fire protection district.

While changes at the fire district were mostly operational, property owners in Antioch saw their taxes increase about 15 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation.

thanks Dan

Tags: Antioch FIre Department, fire chief named for First Fire Protection District of Antioch, First Fire Protection District of Antioch, Jon Cokefair

First Fire Protection District of Antioch news

Nov 9

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Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

The village of Antioch will join the First Fire Protection District of Antioch after resounding support Tuesday by village voters. Unofficial totals showed voters approved the measure to join the fire district 3,922 to 2,083.

The approval means Antioch no longer will contract with the district for service. Instead, village property owners will be included in the fire protection district, which also includes Antioch Township, and pay taxes directly to it. The change means a tax rate increase for village residents of about 15 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, or about $90 more in annual property tax for the owner of a home valued at $200,000.

The vote allows for completion of a plan to create one fire and rescue service provider and revamp how fire and rescue decisions are made. The First Fire Protection District of Antioch will continue as the primary fire service provider and the fire district oversight board increases from three to five elected members. Supporters said long term efficiency would be enhanced.

Tags: Antioch FIre Department, Antioch First Fire District, Antioch residents vote to join the fire district, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch Rescue Squad disbands

Jan 24

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 6 Comments

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

The Antioch Rescue Squad has officially disbanded and donated more than $491,000 in remaining funds to the village of Antioch, the First Fire Protection District of Antioch, and various charities and community groups, village officials announced Tuesday.

Antioch and the fire protection district will split a $245,746 donation, while the Antioch Open Arms Mission, the PM&L Theater, the Antioch Historical Society, and the Antioch Area Healthcare Accessibility Alliance will split another $245,746, officials said in a news release.

The donations to the fire protection district and the village would be used to provide emergency medical services handled by the Antioch Fire Department, officials said. The village board and the fire district board will announce plans for how the donated money will be used in the coming weeks.

“We appreciate the intent in which the money was put forth to assist the fire department in continuing its mission of delivering EMS to the community,” Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon said.

The Antioch Rescue Squad, a fixture in the village since 1938, ceased daily operations in May 2014 after a series of ethical and legal controversies raised troubling questions and concerns about the once-venerable volunteer organization.

The village of Antioch pulled out of its contract with the rescue squad in May 2013 and contracted with the Antioch Fire Department for ambulance service. The squad continued to serve township residents for a year until the fire protection district board did not renew its contract in May 2014. The board decided to contract rescue services with the fire department to consolidate all village and township fire and rescue services under one agency.

The Antioch Fire Department now handles fire and rescue services in Antioch and Antioch Township. It is funded by and receives oversight from the village of Antioch, Antioch Township, and the First Fire Protection District of Antioch.

After losing its contract with the fire district, squad officials donated ambulances and other emergency equipment to departments outside the Antioch area. That angered Antioch fire officials who said the equipment was purchased, in part, with funds raised by the community the squad served.

“In winding down the squad’s business, it was important to ARS’s leadership to continue the altruistic spirit of community service that has so motivated ARS’s volunteers for the 75 years they have served the residents of Antioch,” the statement read. “ARS believes this distribution of its funds will benefit the Antioch community and its residents for many years to come.”

Tags: Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon, Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Rescue Squad, Antioch Rescue Squad disbands, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch Rescue Squad donations create controversy at home

Feb 11

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Excerpts from a Daily Herald article:

Stone Park Fire Chief Michael Paige received a gift last year when the Antioch Rescue Squad (ARS) offered to give his department a used ambulance stocked with medical supplies.

In all, the squad gave three ambulances to agencies outside its home base in Antioch and Antioch Township, yet denied a request for a similar donation to the nearby Antioch Fire Department. Rescue squad leaders initially approved the request in March 2014 but rescinded it a month later, Antioch fire officials said, and forced them to spend $69,000 in taxpayer money to buy and equip a used ambulance.

Those squad ambulances and lifesaving equipment were originally purchased, in part, with donations from Antioch-area residents and groups, Antioch Fire Department Chief John Nixon said, and they should have been made available to benefit rescue services close to home.”Because we didn’t see one dime from (the ARS), we had to spend taxpayer money to bring in ambulances and equipment to operate and protect the residents of Antioch and Antioch Township.”

Antioch Rescue Squad Chief Brian DeKind and President Todd Thommes did not respond to numerous requests for interviews on the matter.

However, officials with the First Fire Protection District of Antioch think the reason behind the choice of ambulance recipients may stem from the 75-year-old volunteer organization not being offered a contract to provide rescue services — a job now being handled by the Antioch Fire Department.

The Antioch Fire Department handles fire and rescue services in Antioch and Antioch Township. It is funded by and receives oversight from the village of Antioch, Antioch Township, and the First Fire Protection District of Antioch.

DeKind never provided a specific reason for rejecting the donation request, fire district Administrator Ted Jozefiak said, but he believes it’s because the squad was “upset for not having them as a service provider. I asked him if we could have an ambulance, and he said ‘yes … he called later and said the membership of the rescue squad voted against it. They didn’t give us anything.”

Antioch-area fire and rescue relationships began to sour in 2012 after three female Antioch Rescue Squad members named several squad members and high-ranking officials in a sexual harassment lawsuit. A subsequent Illinois Department of Public Health investigation found squad members mistreated patients, abused medications and allowed employees to begin shifts within hours of excessively drinking alcohol.

A short time later, a former squad treasurer was charged with theft of more than $10,000 and pleaded guilty. Former Antioch Rescue Squad Chief Wayne Sobczak retired, and squad President Steve Smouse stepped down soon after.

DeKind and Thommes took over, but the squad parted ways with the village of Antioch in May 2013 when the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a long-term contract. The fire department initially hired an ambulance contractor to handle emergency calls, Nixon said, but it started purchasing ambulances and supplies to bring ambulance service in house.

The squad continued to serve township residents for a year until the fire protection district board did not renew its contract in May 2014. The board decided to contract rescue services with the fire department in order to consolidate all village and township fire and rescue services under one agency.

No longer needed, the squad ambulances and equipment were donated to the Lake County High Schools Technology Campus in Grayslake and the Newport Township Fire Protection District in Wadsworth, in addition to Stone Park’s fire department in Cook County.

Derrick Burress, principal of the tech campus, said squad leaders offered a used ambulance worth $15,000 for teaching purposes April 17. It was approved by the tech campus board May 2, Burress said. “It’s truly a great educational tool for students here,” Burress said. “It’s used every day to train EMS students in Lake County, including students from Antioch.”

Stone Park’s Paige said his department received the former squad ambulance in late spring or early summer through a Stone Park commander and a lieutenant, who also were Antioch Rescue Squad volunteers. Paige said the $10,000 ambulance had more than 100,000 miles on it, but was stocked with emergency supplies, including health service packs and a cot.

Mark Kirschhoffer, chief of Newport fire district, said he was contacted by a squad member and asked if he “could use another ambulance.” Kirschhoffer said the 2007 Road Rescue ambulance — worth about $15,000 — is a back up to the district fleet of ambulances. “I told Chief Nixon in Antioch they can certainly use it should anything happen and they need one,” Kirschhoffer said.

Nixon said it takes about four ambulances to serve residents in Antioch and Antioch Township. Three serve as primary rescue vehicles and one is used as a reserve.

The fire department purchased and stocked two ambulances for use in the village of Antioch in 2013. A used ambulance was donated by the Antioch Firefighters Association in February 2014, and another used ambulance was purchased in May.

Nixon said the Antioch village board and fire district paid about $157,000 to buy and stock all four ambulances to get the rescue service up and running. The overall cost was $232,000, minus the $20,000 firefighters association donation and $55,000 from a state-controlled insurance fund.

“You have to stock it with supplies like life packs and defibrillators and things like that. Had the ARS donated their ambulances to us, we wouldn’t have needed to spend the money to get the vintage ones up and running. As a result of the ARS’ decision, we had to use taxpayer money to purchase and stock a fourth ambulance,” Nixon said. “They had the opportunity to donate items to us, but they chose not to.”

Tags: Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Fire Department Chief John Nixon, Antioch Rescue Squad, Antioch Rescue Squad Chief Brian DeKind, Antioch Rescue Squad gives equipment to area departments outside Antioch, First Fire Protection District of Antioch, Newport Township Fire Protection District, Stone Park Fire Chief Michael Paige, Stone Park Fire Department

Antioch makes cuts to fund EMS

Feb 1

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 3 Comments

Excerpts from the Lake County News-Sun about Antioch EMS costs requiring budget cuts throughout the village.

The cost of funding emergency ambulance services in Antioch without dedicated tax revenue has resulted in deep budget cuts across the village’s departments, services and programs.

On the public safety side, trustees agreed to reduce police overtime spending by $50,000 and the fire department will close its station on Grass Lake Road, officials said. Downsizing to two fire stations is projected to save Antioch $87,900, officials said.

In addition to putting all road improvement projects and equipment purchases on hold, the budget cuts will take $24,450 from the Public Works Department, $8,865 from the clerk’s office, $38,470 from community development and $1,200 from finance. The Village Board also removed $50,000 from the budget that previously was granted to the senior center.

According to village leaders, the budget cuts are directly tied to voters rejecting a referendum in November that would have set an ambulance tax.

“There’s only so much money coming in,” Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson said. [He] explained that the village and the First Fire Protection District are trying to make up for the $1.5 million it costs annually for ambulance services in the village and unincorporated areas.

Another tax request referendum is planned for April and village leaders are prepared to cut another $92,410 if that measure fails. Hanson said those savings would come from administration, police, community development and finance departments. Another $100,000 will be saved by cutting employees, he said. There were 103 village employees (in 2009). Now there are 67.

Hanson said the village had a $2 million deficit when he took over as mayor in 2009. Since then, he said, the Village Board has been focused on bringing spending and revenues in line.

But that was before the village was hit by the added cost for ambulance services, created when the Antioch Rescue Squad folded.

The Fire Department previously staffed 11 firefighters on duty at all times. The cuts will reduce that number to eight — four manning each station — in covering the 36-square-mile service area.

thanks Dan

Tags: Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Fire Department to provide EMS to village residents, Antioch First Fire District, Antioch loses request for ambulance tax, Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson, Antioch tax levy for EMS, Antioch to close fire station, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch to reduce staffing

Dec 3

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From the Antioch FD website:

Beginning with work shifts on Monday December 1st, the Antioch Fire Department has reduced the number of personnel from 11 to 8 personnel on duty. This staffing reduction is in line with necessary budget adjustments in the wake of the failed ambulance service referendum in the Village of Antioch and the unincorporated area of the First Fire District. The immediate impact of this action is that Fire Station #3 will not have a duty crew on duty. Residents are instructed to call 911 in an emergency and avoid driving to a nearby fire station for assistance. The 8 person assignment consists of 4 duty crew members at Station #1 located at 835 Holbek Drive and 4 duty crew members located at Station #2 at 700 Deep Lake Road. Each station will respond with a fire engine or an ambulance to cover the 36 square mile service area as required by the nature of the emergency. Call back personnel will be requested to report back to duty for larger scale incidents or multiple call situations.

thanks Dan

Tags: Antioch FD to reduce staffing, Antioch FIre Department, Antioch First Fire District, Antioch loses request for ambulance tax, Antioch tax levy for EMS, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch ballot initiative to fund EMS

Oct 8

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 6 Comments

The Daily Herald has an article about a referendum in Antioch:

Antioch fire officials have said publicly since May that a new funding method is needed for ambulance and rescue services in Antioch and Antioch Township.

The Antioch Fire Department and the First Fire Protection District of Antioch are losing money under the current system of spending cash reserves to pay for those services for the area’s 27,000 residents, said Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon. The solution, Nixon said, is to create a new property tax rate dedicated to ambulance and emergency medical services that mirrors the amount collected annually to pay for fire services.

“If we do not come up with a way to collect for EMS service, we would either have to find alternative ways to fund it or scale back response,” he said, adding the fire department fields about 2,000 rescue calls a year at its three fire stations.

Antioch-area voters will make that decision through targeted referendum questions on the Nov. 4 ballot — one for village residents and one for those outside of the village in Antioch Township. The referendums will ask voters to create a new property tax rate of 25 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation to pay for ambulance and rescue services. The tax would cost the owner of a property valued at $100,000 about $83 in the first year.

If approved, Nixon said, the new tax rate would generate about $1.5 million in the first year. The new revenue would mostly fund personnel and equipment maintenance, he said, but some money would be put aside for a capital replacement program.

The need for the referendum surfaced in May after the Antioch Rescue Squad was not offered a contract to continue serving township residents after 75 years of operations. The volunteer rescue squad operated without a tax rate and received most of its operating funds from donations.

Fire district officials decided to place all rescue and ambulance calls in the village and township under one, unified command of the Antioch Fire Department.

Two-thirds of the fire district’s cash reserves have been spent to cover the cost for ambulance and EMS since taking over district rescue calls, Nixon said. Reports show it costs about $35,000 a month to fund those operations.

Minor adjustments could be noticed in the current service if voters approve both ballot measures, Nixon said. More significant changes would be needed if voters in the village or the township reject the measure.

If village residents reject the question, Antioch Trustee Dennis Crosby said, leaders will have to cut back on other village services to pay for ambulance and EMS. The money would have to come from the village’s general fund, and trustees would have to weigh options against the cost of “keeping village residents safe,” Crosby said.

If the question fails at the township level, it would most likely result in cuts to the ambulance and rescue services, officials said. “You can’t run an ambulance (and rescue) service if there isn’t any money,” Antioch Township Supervisor Steve Smouse said. “So, if it doesn’t pass, they’ll just have to find away to run it for less money.”

Nixon said township residents would most likely see fewer paramedics at fire district stations, resulting in longer wait times for ambulances. It could also mean the fire district would have to hire a more costly outside private agency to handle ambulance calls, he said.

“We would still send paramedics to all calls, but it means that they may need to use a private ambulance service for transport to a hospital,” he said. “That cost would need to be picked up by the user.”

Tags: Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon, Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Rescue Squad, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch Fire Department assumes full EMS for district

May 13

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The Daily Herald has an article about the Antioch Fire Department initiating EMS for the town and unincorporated areas of Antioch:

For the first time since 1938, the Antioch Rescue Squad (ARS) is not contracted to provide ambulance service on fire or rescue calls in the Antioch area.

The contract between the controversial volunteer rescue squad and the First Fire Protection District of Antioch ended at 5 a.m. Friday, officials said. Ambulance calls for all 27,000 residents in Antioch and Antioch Township were switched to the Antioch Fire Department, officials said.

“We had an extremely peaceful transition at 5 a.m. and have now established ourselves throughout the district,” Fire Chief John Nixon said. “The crews are hard at work moving into fire station 3 (on Grass Lake Road), and 11 fire department employees are staffed at the three fire station buildings.”

Nixon said required fire service computer programs were uploaded to dispatch centers and ambulances to make for a smooth transition. He said people in need should not see any change in the calls.

The change in service came after the First Fire Protection District of Antioch decided this year not to renew its contract with the Antioch Rescue Squad in order to consolidate fire and rescue services in the village and township under one fire department. The village made a similar decision one year earlier.

ARS President Todd Thommes said the rescue squad is reviewing its options. “We do not have a future plan in place right now,” he said. “I wish I could say what the future is, but as of right now, we just don’t know. We still need to sit down and go over all of that.”

thanks Dan

Tags: Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon, Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Fire Department to provide EMS to township residents, Antioch Fire Department to provide EMS to village residents, Antioch First Fire District, Antioch Rescue Squad, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch seeks tax levy

Apr 16

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The Lake-County NewsSun has an article about the Antioch Fire Department seeking a tax levy for EMS.

Facing a budget shortfall of almost $800,000 for emergency medical services, Antioch village officials will ask voters to approve a 25-cent tax levy in November.

Last month, Antioch Township officials also agreed to put the same referendum question to unincorporated Antioch voters. If approved, the levy would increase taxes paid by the owner of a home with a fair market value $140,000 by $101.67 annually and of a home valued at $225,000 by $172.50, said Village Administrator James Keim. Keim said authorizing a tax levy to make up the reimbursement shortfall for ambulance service is a necessary step in improving emergency medical services for Antioch, which until last year were provided by the not-for-profit Antioch Rescue Squad.

While the Antioch Fire Department serves both village and township, ambulance services have been contracted separately for the village and the unincorporated area. The First Fire District, which severs its contract with ARS next month, oversees the unincorporated area of Antioch.

Beginning in May, the village and township will work together and coordinate both fire and ambulance services under the direction of Fire Chief John Nixon.

The levy, which Fire Chief John Nixon considers a key factor in the success of the joint venture, would provide an estimated $1.6 million for EMS services for the village and township. “The purpose of the referendum is to find a stable funding source for ambulance services for the village and First Fire District,” said Nixon.

Nixon pointed out ARS was not providing free service during its 72-year history with the village. “After insurance revenue was collected, ARS still had their own costs of equipment and personnel paid for by benefactors and donations, but that is a unsustainable model today,” said Nixon, explaining that Antioch was one of the last communities in Lake County to rely on a volunteer rescue squad. “Every other community levies taxes to pay for fire and rescue services. We are a little behind the eight-ball in that process. I know these are tough times, but we have to stabilize our revenue to provide services without going into debt.”

“The success of this referendum is highly significant for the well being of our life safety services,” said Keim, explaining that even when ambulance service was provided by Antioch Rescue Squad, the service was partially funded by tax dollars.

“There is a misconception that tax money hasn’t been involved or that the ARS provided a free service,” said Keim. “The reality is that if people want high quality EMS services, there has to be a sustainable way to pay for it. Most communities have already taken the route of a tax levy which provides a solid basis for funding and takes EMS services out of the competition for general tax dollars.”

Tags: Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon, Antioch FIre Department, Antioch Rescue Squad, Antioch seeks tax levy for EMS, First Fire Protection District of Antioch

Antioch looking at tax referendum for EMS

Mar 29

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

The Daily Herald has an article about a new tax levy to fund EMS operations in Antioch.

Antioch-area officials say they will streamline the area’s emergency services by creating a new unified fire and rescue operation and ask residents to help fund it. The proposal, which could be launched within two months, would put the Antioch Fire Department in charge of all fire and rescue services covering the village of Antioch and Antioch Township. It would be overseen by a new five-member emergency services board.

A key component is creating the area’s first tax levy for emergency services. Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon said members of the area’s fire safety commission are beginning to meet with village and township leaders about placing a 25-cent property tax rate referendum on the November ballot. If the referendum lands on the ballot and is approved by voters, the owner of a $150,000 home would pay about $140 annually to fund the new operation, Nixon said.

The measure would include separate questions for village and township voters, and approval of both would generate about $1.6 million annually for the fire department, he said.

The proposal from the fire safety commission — made up of township and village officials — would overhaul the confusing system of fire and rescue services in the Antioch area. Currently, the First Fire Protection District of Antioch, the Antioch Rescue Squad and the Antioch Fire Department share responsibility for providing emergency medical service in the 37-square-mile area.

The fire district covers fire calls in the village and the unincorporated areas of the township. Rescue calls are split between the fire department in the village and Antioch Rescue Squad in the unincorporated areas.

Next steps call for village and township boards to sign an intergovernmental agreement naming the Antioch Fire Department as the sole provider of fire and rescue service in the area. The five-member emergency services board would replace the current three-member First Fire Protection District board, Nixon said. That new board — made up of appointed representatives from the village and township — would oversee the fire department operation.

The same intergovernmental agreement would require the village and township to provide any additional funding needed above and beyond the tax levy proceeds.

The fire department would staff three stations to create an overlap of coverage, officials said. Two stations are in the village, which generates 65 percent of the fire calls. The third station on Grass Lake Road would serve unincorporated areas in Antioch Township.

Currently, the village, township, insurance companies and private fundraising donations cover operating costs for the three emergency agencies serving the area. Nixon said it’s impossible to continue funding fire and rescue operations that way.

Antioch Village Administrator Jim Keim said the village pays about $66,000 a month to Metro Paramedic Service to staff village-owned ambulances at the Antioch Fire Department and to handle rescue calls. The village recoups about 50 percent of the total cost from the patients or insurance reimbursements, he said. The difference, he said, falls on the local government to fund.

“We need to find a way to fund this,” Keim said. “Until then, it will put stress on the village’s general fund and a shortfall will exist.” One casualty of the overhaul was the Antioch Rescue Squad (ARS). The First Fire District announced last week it would not renew a contract with Antioch Rescue Squad, ending their partnership. The contract expires in May.

It’s the latest loss for the 75-year-old volunteer-based group beset by problems that have undermined its influence and importance since May 2012. Nixon said the rescue squad operated as a subcontractor for the fire district, and the service wasn’t renewed. ARS Chief Brian DeKind said Friday the group will now shift its focus to community paramedicine, including wellness checks and home health care.