Glenview Professional Firefighters Association Local 4186

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Glenview Fire Department news (more)

Mar 10

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Glenview Fire Station 13 will remain in operation after village trustees directed the fire chief and village manager to change course and operate the fire department with a five-station footprint at a special village board meeting Monday.

The change came after a crowd of about 300 rallied in front of the fire station last Saturday, yard signs saying “Save Fire Station 13” began cropping up all over town, and more than 50 people called into Monday’s Zoom-based village board meeting.

Residents, mostly from the east side, and firefighters not only from Glenview but other communities, called into the meeting, many with heartfelt personal stories of calling 911 and having firefighters respond to medical emergencies and even house fires. Several residents living near Station 13 pleading for the station to remain open recounted how they called 911 and could hear the sirens blaring as crews left the station before they got off the phone.

After the public comment period, village trustees agreed to move forward with a five-station plan. Several trustees then supported the use of jump companies village-wide.

On the expanded use of jump companies, Glenview Professional Firefighters Association Local 4186 Union President Jesse Gallagher said he had concerns. Most Glenview firefighters are also certified paramedics, but he said how fire crews gear up to respond to a fire or medical call are different.

“The challenge is the next call,” Gallagher said. “What we leave with is what we have. We often go straight from one call to another.” He said when a first call is a medical call and the second is a structure fire, that can create difficulties. He said paramedics would bring fire turnout gear with them on an ambulance run, but would not return to the station to swap vehicles.

Many callers were critical of what they said was a lack of transparency in making such an important decision.

Village President Jim Patterson said the decision made on closing Station 13 at the Tuesday, Feb. 2 meeting could be made without village board approval as it was an operational decision, but said the issue was posted on that board meeting’s agenda. The issue was posted as a discussion of a consultant’s report on fire department operations. Trustees acknowledged shortcomings in the area of transparency and communication on the issue.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Chicagoareafire.com/blog, Glenview FD Fire Station 13, Glenview Fire Department, Glenview Professional Firefighters Association Local 4186, Glenview to close Fire Station 13, Rally scheduled to oppose closing of Glenview Fire Station 13

State legislation concerns local municipalities (more)

May 13

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

The Chicago Tribune has more on the controversy surround Illinois House Bill 5485:

For much of the year, three Glenview firefighters work on each engine company — despite a federal standard that calls for at least four, according to Glenview fire Chief Wayne Globerger. Globerger said the village tries to follow suggestions from the National Fire Protection Association, but it also has to watch spending. “In the suburbs, it’s a different story,” he said. “Our fires are fewer and far between, and we have mutual aid. We rely on our neighbors a lot more.”

But Globerger and some other fire chiefs and elected officials in suburbs like Highland Park and Wilmette fear a bill in Springfield could force them to hire more firefighters, resulting in increased property taxes or cuts to other public services.

Supporters of the bill, currently in a Senate committee, that would amend state law to let unions negotiate staffing levels in contract talks say firefighters should have that right, given the often dangerous nature of the job. The bill, they say, will prevent lawsuits.

“As they reduce manpower, my co-workers are put at higher and higher risk,” said Eamon O’Dowd, a Glenview firefighter for 18 years and president of the Glenview Professional Firefighters Association Local 4186.

Under state law, firefighters have collective bargaining rights. When issues of wages, hours or working conditions are unresolved, they can be subject to binding arbitration. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, adds staffing to the list.

“We’ve been able to negotiate manning and arbitrators have had jurisdiction to rule on this for almost three decades,” said Pat Devaney, president of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois and advocate for the bill.

This bill just clarifies that minimum staffing can be negotiated, he said. That explanation hasn’t reassured municipal leaders, who say they should have the final word on keeping residents safe while balancing the local budget.

At a recent Highland Park City Council meeting, Mayor Nancy Rotering asked residents to urge their local senator to oppose the bill.

“If more money has to go to supplying unnecessary labor, or employees, that’s money that’s been removed from our budget for other public safety or public works needs,” Rotering said.

Wilmette fire Chief Jim Dominik said the legislation was unnecessary and contrary to efforts to keep costs low by partnering with other communities. “When you look at a fire department independently, you might say we don’t have enough people,” Dominik said. “But it’s different when you look at how we work with our neighbors.”

Highland Park fire Lt. Steve Horne was one of the first firefighters on the scene of a house fire in December. On that cold morning, firefighters risked their lives rescuing an unconscious man in the basement. “Every day, we work in an environment that could lead to our death,” Horne said. “We should have the ability to say how our job can be done safely.”