Naperville Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The recent retirements and turnover in the Naperville Police and Fire Departments are a ripple effect from the building boom three and four decades ago when the city hired additional police officers and firefighters to match the growing population.

Since 2016, the police department has hired 79 new officers as a result of retirements or resignations. The department is authorized for 169 sworn officers. In the last five years, the fire department has hired 50 to 70 new firefighters. The department has 193 full-time firefighter positions.

While the city’s Police and Fire Commission maintains a list of candidates to fill the spots when an employee retires, it can take months before a candidate goes from the list to working the streets as a police officer. New recruits go through 14 weeks of police academy followed by 20 weeks of field training. On average it takes 10 months before a recruit is ready to ride solo in the city, which means the latest batch of officers won’t be hitting the streets for several more months. The police department overall is getting younger as some officers retire and are replaced by new hires. In the past year alone, the department has seen 20 retirements, 14 sworn officers and six civilians. In recent years, five of the eight commanders were replaced as well as a deputy chief. Hiring new officers is constant at this time and the turnover should be complete in five years.

In the fire department, the turnover of fire retirees should be finished in three to five years. Once that happens, staffing levels should remain stable for another 20 years until the retirement cycle begins again. In the meantime, the department expects to hire 15 to 20 personnel over the next two years. About 30 firefighters have enough service time to retire or have reached the age to retire. The department has filled the vacated retiree positions, and is currently only short one person.

Before being considered by the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, an applicant must take a written exam, provide a valid paramedic license and show proof of a valid Candidate Physical Ability Test, or CPAT, card with ladder certification.

Because Naperville is recognized as a high-caliber and destination department, the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners does not have trouble maintaining a list of candidates.

A $1.3 million federal grant is helping pay for the city’s fire recruitment efforts.

This entry was posted on June 6, 2019, 8:00 PM and is filed under Fire Department News. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.