A post on the village of North Riverside’s web site offers a rebuttal from the mayor to a recent article on the privatization of the North Riverside FD:
A recent article in the Landmark, which was focused on the firefighters’ union, left out some important facts that North Riverside residents should know about the Village’s proposal to continue providing safe and responsive fire protection services through a new model using a private company.
First of all, you all know this company very well. For the past 28 years, Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) has provided privatized ambulance and emergency response services to local residents and businesses, saving lives and working side-by-side with the Village’s firefighters.
PSI, whose paramedics are certified as firefighters as well, has been asked to develop a proposal that will offer employment to all 16 of the Village’s current firefighters. Firefighters will maintain their current base salaries, earned pension benefits, health insurance and a new 401(k) plan through PSI. All will get their earned pensions to date. The savings to the Village will come in the form of no future pension obligations and significant reductions in overtime.
To suggest that PSI firefighters will somehow be sub-par is a direct hit on your current firefighters as, again, all will be offered to stay on in North Riverside. And, as new firefighters/paramedics are needed, all PSI employees are trained through the same programs, at the same fire academies, to pass the same state standards that your current firefighters meet.
Even if none of the firefighters decide to stay with North Riverside, PSI has experienced firefighters and paramedics on staff who will move to North Riverside, providing comparable and experienced protective services. PSI firefighters, who are also paramedics, train at the same academies and are held to the same standards as every licensed firefighter in the state of Illinois.
It was raised that the North Riverside fire department will be a revolving door if privatized … that firefighters will leave seeking more lucrative future pensions in other communities. That does not bear out in fact. Lincolnwood Fire Department, which PSI has run for 25 years, has terrific longevity, with the average length of service for its 10 officers at 23.8 years on the job, and more than 15 years on average for its firefighters.
Is North Riverside in bad financial shape, and being called before the state because of underfunding its pensions? Yes, and we currently project a FY 15 deficit of $1.9 million – $1.8 million of which results directly from public pension obligations. We have been drawing from our general reserves to continue providing vital services to the Village – clearly not a feasible long-term strategy. Unfortunately, even if the pensions were paid IN FULL each year, the Village would still be in arrears by more than $1 million and needing to look for ways to staunch the continuation of a growing pension obligation.
North Riverside firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our community, and deserve a good wage. But, our firefighters make over $200,000 with salary and benefits, and our Lieutenants make even more. It is not sustainable. Those salaries are higher than a lot of other firefighters — more than Orland Park Fire Protection District employees earn who protect over 75,000 residents – and I daresay, a lot more than our average residents make.
As your elected Mayor, I will always put residents’ and businesses’ needs first. I can’t in good conscience continue to kick this problem down the road. Tough issues require thoughtful and bold action, and privatization is an excellent solution. I urge all residents to keep informed of the facts on this important topic through our website at northriverside-il.org.
Thank you,
Mayor Hubert E. Hermanek, Jr.
thanks Dan
#1 by 0.03 on August 2, 2014 - 7:46 AM
With this being a municipal department several things like fuel and vehicles come out of a different budget. The fire department is pretty much personnel.
As far as the pension, there was never any funding enforcement because there was no law. Now there is a law, I think it’s safe to say someone filed a complaint and it is being addressed now. Hence the DOI, stepping in.
Yes I am an advocate for a 2 man ambo and a 3 man engine. That would actually be a reduction in personnel from 6 to 5 but would actually increase the amount of firefighters. It is my understanding that the PSI personnel are strictly EMS, and if the village eliminated PSI and hired full time firemen they could have 5 on the fireground.
As taxpayers we should fight any type of privatization of public safety services. It’s just not a good thing.
#2 by Chris W on August 1, 2014 - 9:14 PM
To 0.03,
I never said they should lose their jobs. In fact my final paragraph supports them to maintain a sworn department. Yes, some of my numbers may not be “perfect”, but my point was, salary is not the total end cost to a department or village. There is also the operational cost day to day. Building maintenance, vehicle maintenanc, gas, water, electricity, fuel, equipment upgrades and so on for hundreds of line items. Too many times public sector jobs only like to talk about salary, however, from a village budgetary stand point the cost per FF is usually twice that of the salary of an individual.
My second comment would be this. How long has the union “The Local” known that the village was underfunding the pension????? By law, you would have at least one retiree and one current bargaining unit member on the pension board. That is an argument that in no way, you can argue. At some point in the past five years, the local has known the village was under funding the pension. What did the local do? I can’t say I attend every pension meeting as a retiree, but I can honestly say I attend five out of six per year. I crunch the figures at home, I know the solvency of my monthly check. I don’t rely on a village accountant to tell me every thing is fine. Did the local ignore this issue? Did the local file paper work to the village to address the issue prior to the privatization talks. Did the local in any way try to get rid of PSI through attrition or the use of the silver spanner program as did Berwyn?
Personally I don’t know much beyond what the articles on this site have stated, but it seems as if North Riverside is very small and only 7 fires in the village in the past two years? You sound as if you should be a five man minimum with two on the box and three on the engine.
The other question is what concessions has the local offered as a solution to the village? Usually that’s the first thing on the table when the talks of layoffs occur, or in this case, the outright replacement.
At the end of the day, it is the mayor and village managers responsibility to provide the best coverage for the village. Only until you’ve been on both sides of the fence can you objectively look at this scenario and realize the local needs to start throwing items on the table as solutions. If the village does privatize the department,they have every right under managements to do so as they see fit. That is boiler plate wording in most every contract.
I would hope the leadership of the local and the district VP are trying to counsel them on making honest concessions and financial ideas to close the gap.
And as a final note. How many of the current members can withhold NOT taking the job offered to them by PSI? I know if I was in that situation with a non working spouse and three kids at home, I would do what it takes to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, not to mention the fact of not having to buy insurance for my family through this current Obama Care crap.
#3 by 0.03 on August 1, 2014 - 7:46 PM
skippy, not to hurt your feelings, but your numbers are wrong. You’re off on your salary by about 9 grand a year. Also they’re not hiring back on overtime everyday. Along with the fact that the bunker gear isn’t replaced every year, usually it’s replaced every 5 – 10 years so the expense is minimal. Why should these guys have their careers taken away from them because the village decided to use them as a way out of funding the pension.
#4 by Chris Wolf on August 1, 2014 - 4:06 PM
Average FF salary is $90,000
Required village contribution to FF pension plan %20 = $18,000
FF health insurance coverage $1000 per month %90 paid by village = $10,800 per year
Workmans comp insurance at $1200 per year per FF
Kelly Day, vacation time, sick time total for the year per FF 20+ days at standard rate of pay = $1,700 per day X 20 = $34,000
Turnout gear per FF custom fit and made $2,000
Add it all up and it may not be $200,000 for salary and benefits but it’s sure is close to it at $167,000. Add in a couple more over time days at time and a half or holiday pay at double time and the cost per FF will easily reach $200,000.
You’ve got to remember all the cost involved with ownership of your own personnel. It’s just not the salary.
Plus, the mayor is %100 correct in his statements. Every full time member will be offered the chance to stay. Why would a member be a “Professional on Monday, but NOT a Professional on Tuesday”? The simple answer is “A Union Card”. There is no difference in state testing processes or requirements for Professional or non-professional. State testing is standardized and even throughout the state. It’s a very weak argument for the union to use.
In the interest of fairness, I believe the Union would be better equipped to handle this fight if they used the “testing process” as a major factor in keeping the union in North Riverside, rather than attacking credentials that are standard to every FF and paramedic in the state. The union should use the CPAT physical testing process, along with the written exam and oral interview process as ways the Union has eliminated potentially harmful candidates from becoming fire fighters for the village. This alone can justify the need for candidates who successfully completed a rigorous process to be physically, mentally and personally competent in performing the job functions required by the villages UNIONIZED members.
This is my two cents. I personally feel a village is always better with their own employees, but those employees need to realize there is a cost to their bargaining power and need to use it wisely and understand the reprocussions of their actions down the line.
#5 by max o on July 25, 2014 - 4:48 PM
Why are politicians spending more money on pet projects instead of Public safety? What’s next private security guards replacing Police Officers?
#6 by Jim on July 25, 2014 - 9:40 AM
Is this mayor on the crack pipe? $200K in total benefits for a FF?? I’m one of the most senior Lt’s on the CFD and don’t make anywhere near that. Somebody in NRFD should call him out on that if it’s bogus and have him show the public on paper where he gets that figure.
#7 by Mark on July 25, 2014 - 7:31 AM
Those are just minor details Tom. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Besides, it isn’t polite to confuse politicians with facts.
#8 by Tom on July 24, 2014 - 9:55 PM
http://mobile.rblandmark.com/News/Articles/3-14-2013/Costco-buys-North-Riverside-land/ 6.8 million so the developer doesn’t lose money in the deal? But the village is 1.9 million in the hole?