Archive for October 10th, 2016

Algonquin-Lake in the Hills FPD news

Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:

A referendum to add a new property tax for the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District will be back on the ballot in November after it failed in the March election.

Fire Chief Peter Van Dorpe said the referendum hasn’t changed, asking for a 0.1 percent emergency and rescue tax, which would add about $65 on the property tax bill of the owner of a $200,000 house.

District officials have said the money is needed because of a loss of revenue from the commercial fire alarm business and added costs from the Affordable Care Act.

Without more funds, the estimated 40,000 residents the department serves in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills will see reduced service, Van Dorpe said.

In March, the referendum was rejected by 53.2 percent of voters. If the tax is passed, it would generate about $800,000 a year, Van Dorpe said.

To keep a balanced budget, Van Dorpe said he’s already had to cut administrative staff in half and reduce equipment. The department also is not setting aside any extra money, he said, and has 15 on-duty personnel, lower than the National Fire Protection Association’s recommendation of 17.

Because the district is not a municipal department, adding a property tax is the only option it has to add revenue. The only other option the district has is to make more cuts.

Norm Bemis is leading efforts to spread the word about the referendum through Friends of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District. As an Algonquin resident and Palatine firefighter, Bemis said he realizes the importance of having timely emergency response intervention.

Information sessions on the referendum will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21, Oct. 27 and Nov. 2 at the fire department, 1020 W. Algonquin Road, Lake in the Hills. For information, visit http://www.alfpd.org/.

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Coal City Fire Protection District news

Excerpts from the HeraldNews.com:

Retired Coal City Police Chief and Coal City Fire Protection District Capt. Dennis Neary always wanted to have fun, watch the Chicago Cubs and make sure everyone around him was OK.

On Oct. 2 at the Joliet Area Community Hospice Home, Neary lost his battle with advanced stage lung cancer. He was 66.

Neary spent his life in public service. He started as a part-time member of the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department before he was hired in 1972 as a full-time patrol officer in Coal City. After patrolling for several years Neary was named the police chief, a role he served in for the next 30 years.

Neary didn’t just serve as the chief of police though – his desire to help others also took him to the Coal City Fire Protection District, which he joined in 1978. He served as a firefighter and emergency medical technician, and retired in 2014 with the rank of captain.

Funeral services were held Friday at the First Baptist Church in Coal City.

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Skokie Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:

A body was found in a burning car Saturday evening in Skokie. Someone called 911 to report a car fire at 5:24 p.m. in the 9100 block of Lawler Avenue, according to Skokie police.

Officers discovered a car engulfed in flames and firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze. A person in the driver’s seat was dead at the scene. The name, age and gender have not been released.

Anyone with information is asked to call Skokie police at (847) 982-5900 or the crime tip hotline at (847) 933-8477.

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Sticky Fire Department open house

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