Excerpts from the AltonDailyNews.com:
The state legislature approved a bill that requires fire chiefs to have specific qualifications over a veto from the governor and objections from municipal management groups.
Senate Bill 2619 establishes requirements for the fire chief post that local governments must follow.
“We’re just making sure that the men and women that run these departments are trained personnel … They could have firefighter officer training, they could have a certification from the International Fire Association or they could have ten years experience as a firefighter.”
The Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, the Associated Firefighters of Illinois and the Illinois Association of Firefighters supported the measure.
The measure was opposed by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, Northwest Municipal Conference, Barrington Area Council of Governments and other municipalities with home rule status.“… I can tell you as we continue down the path of privatization of fire departments, it’s just a tragedy waiting to happen – having administrators or bookkeepers in charge of fire departments instead of trained fire personnel,” State Rep. Kathleen Willis said.
State Rep. Mark Batinick said, “that’s an exaggeration of what this bill does.”
“I have a village in my district that has a public safety director that is a police chief that came through the police ranks that’s running both,” Batinick said.
The measure is now law.
