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Posts Tagged Huntley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Caudle

Huntley Fire Protection News (more)

Feb 4

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:

Former Huntley Fire Chief Ken Caudle who resigned last year was the subject of an internal investigation for unauthorized moonlighting as a local police officer and for spending tens of thousands of dollars in public funds on items of questionable use to the department, according to records obtained by the Northwest Herald.
 
He was chief of the Huntley Fire Protection District from November 2012 until August and bought a long list of items, including a drone, a $7,000 robot, and an estimated $14,000 engraver. But the district said it does not know the exact cost of 54 flagged items he bought over a period of years. Some items seem to apply to more police-oriented work than others, such as an armor bearing duty vest, ballistics, handcuff restraints, tactical jackets and belts, and a taser recertification course.
 

thanks Dan & Tom

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Huntley Fire Protection News (more)

Jan 27

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the nwherald.com:

Former Huntley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Caudle’s retirement will leave him unable to collect a pension for 11 years. He was put on administrative leave in the summer  and continued to get his $119,240 salary until he retired from the district Jan. 5.

The 49-year-old had 17 years and eight months of credible service with the district, Fire Chief Scott Ravagnie said. According to Illinois pension law, if a firefighter serves less than
20 years, he or she cannot receive a pension until age 60.

Ravagnie said Caudle will not receive any benefits from the district in retirement, and his retirement agreement did not include any financial aspects.

?Before he stepped down, Caudle’s new contract took effect in May and was set to run through April 2020, district documents show. When he resigned as chief and asked to return to the rank of battalion chief, he set a retirement date for Nov. 10, 2019, according to documents.

Former Fire Chief Jim Saletta, who now is a district trustee, previously said the board would vote on Caudle’s retirement contract at its meeting Tuesday. Saletta said he was misled, and the district will not vote on the contract. The district’s attorney said the board is not required to vote on retirements.

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Huntley Fire Protection News (more)

Jan 20

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:

Former Huntley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Caudle, who was put on administrative leave in the summer, has retired from the district.

The former fire chief continued to get his $119,240 salary while on leave until he retired Jan. 5, Fire Chief Scott Ravagnie said, “the case is closed.”.

Caudle resigned as fire chief Aug. 15 and returned to the rank of battalion chief before being placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation. 

Former Fire Chief Jim Saletta, who now is a district trustee, said the fire district’s board is meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the annex building, 11118 Main St., to vote on Caudle’s retirement.

The Northwest Herald submitted a Freedom of Information Act request Thursday seeking all documents regarding the investigation into Caudle.

 

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Huntley Fire Protection Districtnews (more)

Nov 3

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the NorthwestHerald.com:

Trustees of the Huntley Fire Protection District Board approved the promotion of acting Chief Scott Ravagnie to chief at a special meeting Thursday night after the resignation of former Chief Ken Caudle.

Ravagnie has worked for the district since 1992, moving up the ranks over the years. He grew up in Huntley and has lived there since 1986. A promotional ceremony will be held for Ravagnie at the board’s next scheduled meeting, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.

Moving past an ongoing investigation into Caudle is one of Ravagnie’s goals for the district. He also hopes to find a new location for the district’s main station and will be looking at response times.

Caudle continues to earn a salary of $119,240 while on leave. The Huntley Fire Protection District is conducting an ongoing investigation into something officials won’t talk about. He submitted a letter of resignation to the board Aug. 11, returned to his last commissioned rank of battalion chief, and was placed on administrative leave.

thanks Dan

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Huntley Fire Protection District news (more)

Oct 28

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:

Former Fire Chief Ken Caudle continues to earn a salary while the Huntley Fire Protection District conducts an ongoing investigation into something officials won’t talk about.

Huntley Fire Protection District board members did not share any information about Caudle’s status at Tuesday’s board meeting. Trustees met in closed session where attorney Joe Miller gave updates. 

Miller said the board is looking into some matters, and when it is an appropriate time for things to come out, it will be known to the public at that time. He advised the board to not speak about any current or former employees.

Caudle continues to receive a salary of $119,240 while on leave, Acting Chief Scott Ravagnie previously told the Northwest Herald.

Caudle submitted a letter of resignation as chief to the board Aug. 11. He returned to his last commissioned rank of battalion chief and was placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation,” according to Huntley Fire Protection District documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

In Caudle’s letter of resignation, he wrote that after a long discussion with his family, he set a retirement date for Nov. 10, 2019. Caudle’s current contract expires April 30, 2020. Caudle has been with the district since 1998 and served as chief for five years.

Former Trustee Joseph Mahoney of Algonquin asked whether Caudle still was on the payroll, which Miller would not answer.

Former Deputy Chief Keith Mallegni asked whether Caudle was being paid while sitting at home and whether there was an investigation ongoing.

“How long is this process going to take? Because the way I understand it is they are trying to wait for the next two years so he gets his 20-year pension,” Mallegni said.

The next scheduled meeting is Nov. 28.

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Huntley Fire Protection District news (more)

Sep 16

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Excerpts from the NWherald.com:

The Huntley Fire Protection District’s acting fire chief remained tight-lipped on the status of former Fire Chief Ken Caudle after a closed session meeting Tuesday.

Trustees, along with acting Fire Chief Scott Ravagnie, Deputy Chief Albert Schlick and district lawyers, met for an hour in closed session to talk about the “appointment, employment, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees,” according to the meeting’s agenda. They did not take any action after the closed session.

Ravagnie said he was unable to comment on the status of the investigation, when the district will make a decision regarding Caudle’s employment and what was discussed during Tuesday’s meeting.

Caudle submitted a letter of resignation as chief to the Board of Trustees on Aug. 11, stating that after a long discussion with his family, he set a retirement date for Nov. 10, 2019. Caudle’s current contract expires April 30, 2020.

He returned to his last commissioned rank of battalion chief and was placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation,” according to Huntley Fire Protection District documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Caudle’s contract stipulates giving the department two weeks’ notice, and he wrote that he was willing to stay on as chief until a replacement could be found.

“I assure you that my decision did not come lightly, especially since my tenure as Chief with the District has been both fulfilling and rewarding,” he wrote in the letter. “It has been my greatest honor to serve as Fire Chief to the community, the members and the Board.”

Officials have not said what they are investigating and Caudle continues to receive a salary of $119,240 while on leave. He has been with the district since 1998 and served as chief for five years.

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Huntley Fire Protection District news (more)

Sep 1

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:

The Huntley Fire Protection District has released little information more than a week after Huntley Fire Chief Ken Caudle resigned from the district’s top spot and was put on administrative leave.

Caudle resigned as fire chief Aug. 15 and returned to the rank of battalion chief before being placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation,” according to Huntley Fire Protection District documents received through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Officials have not said what they are investigating.

Caudle continues to receive his $119,240 salary while on leave, acting Fire Chief Scott Ravagnie said in an email. Ravagnie said he had no comment on the length of [Caudle’s] leave.

As fire chief, Caudle’s salary was $149,074 for the 2017-18 budget year.

Ravagnie and trustees have declined to comment further on the personnel matter.

?Caudle, who has been with the district since 1998 and served as chief for five years, declined to comment Tuesday.

A new contract for Caudle in his role as fire chief took effect in May and was set to run through April 2020.

The Northwest Herald filed a FOIA request Aug. 17 for documents regarding Caudle’s leave or resignation. The request was denied by the department because the records relate to the “public body’s adjudication of employee grievances or disciplinary cases.”

thanks Dan

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Huntley Fire Protection news

Aug 17

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the Northwestherald.com:

Ken Caudle resigned as Huntley Fire Protection District chief before being placed on administrative leave in his new position.

The Huntley Fire Protection District board accepted Caudle’s resignation as chief at Tuesday night’s special meeting after discussing the situation in closed session, according to a district news release, but officials did not explain what led to Caudle stepping down.

In accordance with state law, Caudle was returned to the rank of battalion chief and placed on administrative leave. The reason for him being placed on leave and the length of his leave were not immediately clear.

Deputy Chief Scott Ravagnie was appointed as the acting fire chief.

Caudle, who has been with the district since 1998 and served as chief for five years, declined to comment other than to confirm that his resignation was discussed in Tuesday’s closed session.

thanks Dan

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Huntley Fire Protection District news

Jul 2

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the northwest herald.com:

After Charles Harding started building his dream home west of Huntley in the Willow Hill subdivision, he realized he was required to install a home sprinkler system, which could cost upward of $15,000.

Just south of his neighborhood, located north of Harmony Road and west of Seeman Road, newly constructed homes in the Botterman Farms subdivision don’t have the same home sprinkler system requirements, even though they also fall in the Huntley Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction. 

A handful of people who bought lots in the Willow Hill subdivision have asked the district to change the ordinance so homeowners can decide for themselves whether to install sprinkler systems in their new homes. 

However, Huntley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Caudle said the district’s board of trustees sees no compelling evidence to rescind or alter the ordinance. 

The residential sprinkler ordinance was adopted in August 2004, when the Huntley Fire Protection District was experiencing rapid growth. It was difficult to apply the ordinance evenly at first because of multiple residential building projects being in various states of development.  The board made a decision to apply the ordinance to projects and properties that were platted on May 1, 2005, or later. 

Home sprinkler systems have a number of benefits, according to Caudle, the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and the National Fire Protection Association. Sprinklers will extinguish a typical residential fire in less than a minute, and they dramatically improve survival rates. They also use a fraction of the water that fire department hoses do. 

“The current state fire code does not require home sprinklers,” Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez said in a statement. “There is no intention at this time of pursuing a change to require them. Local jurisdictions are best suited to decide if this requirement is right for their community.”

The village of Huntley mandated sprinklers for new homes in 2005, but it repealed the ordinance two years later over concerns regarding the costs and maintenance involved. 

The Huntley Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction does not include the village limits. The district covers more than 60,000 residents in Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Hampshire, Gilberts, and rural territories of Kane and McHenry counties.

Several groups, including developers and real estate agents, have spoken out against requiring home sprinklers.

The Huntley Fire Protection District Board of Trustees’ next meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at 11118 Main St., Huntley. Caudle said there is nothing regarding the sprinkler ordinance on the agenda as the board is not taking any action on it at this time. 

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