Excerpts from a Southtown Star article about changes in Chicago Ridge:
For the first time in many years, the Lombard Avenue fire station in Chicago Ridge soon will be staffed with full-time firefighters and also will provide ambulance service, now that the village and fire union have agreed to hire several part-time firefighters.
The agreement means the station, 10658 Lombard Ave., will be staffed at all times by two full-time firefighter/paramedics, starting in about three weeks, along with a yet to be determined number of part-timers, who also must be certified as paramedics. Sheets said response times for calls east of Ridgeland Avenue will be shorter through the new staffing at the Lombard Avenue station, which for years has not been manned.
Fire Chief George Sheets said using part-timers will enable the village to provide better fire and emergency medical services that it otherwise could not afford while also give the fire department more flexibility in handling multiple calls.
Chicago Ridge has 13 full-time firefighter/paramedics with a median salary of $65,000, and using part-timers will be much more cost-effective because of reduced overtime and … not paying health benefits and pensions.
The staffing of the Lombard Avenue station means the fire department will have two stations operating. The other station, 10063 Virginia Ave., opened in 2009.
thanks Dan
