Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Less than two months after outsourcing its fire department to Kurtz Paramedic Service, Calumet Park Fire Chief Howard Fisher, who had served as chief since 2014, was let go earlier this month in what the mayor said was primarily a cost-cutting move. He’s hoping to find a replacement for Fisher — who made $82,126 last year — within the next few weeks. The mayor said he doesn’t expect the transition from a full-time chief to a part-timer working about 30 hours a week will have any impact on the department’s operations.
“I wanted a part-time (chief),” he said. “Since Kurtz was going to have their own staff and everything, I didn’t see the need to be paying $80,000-$90,000 for a full-time fire chief when I was gonna also have to be paying for an administrative person that was going to be there administering all the paperwork of that.”
Nicless Malley, a former village firefighter who now works for Kurtz, will serve as Calumet Park’s acting chief until a permanent replacement is found. Once the new fire chief is appointed, he or she and an existing fire office clerk will be the department’s only public employees, at a combined cost of between $80,000 and $90,000 without benefits. Kurtz employs the department’s 12 full-time firefighters, four of whom previously worked part-time for Calumet Park.
The details of Fisher’s separation agreement are still being worked out, but the mayor said he anticipates paying the former chief until Jan. 15, and compensating him for his approximately 40 accumulated sick days and two weeks of vacation.
Kurtz assumed control of Calumet Park’s fire department on Dec. 1, a few weeks after the village board approved a separation agreement with its firefighters union and signed a five-year contract with the private company to provide fire suppression and ambulance services.
Calumet Park will pay Kurtz a maximum of $829,380 in the first year of the contract, with progressive increases each year up to a maximum of $947,392 in the final year of the deal. The price tag does not include the salary of the fire chief and fire office clerk, and costs for building and apparatus maintenance and utilities, but is still expected to produce a significant savings for cash-strapped Calumet Park, officials have said.
The mayor said that he’d had discussions with officials from multiple south suburban towns about parlaying his deal with Kurtz into shared services agreements for fire suppression and ambulance services in their communities. He’s still evaluating whether such a shared services agreement with another municipality would make financial sense for Calumet Park, but that he expects to make a decision one way or another later this year.
“(Some towns) want me to completely take over their fire department,” he said. “If I wanted to do it today, I could sign them up today.”
#1 by austin on January 15, 2019 - 8:16 PM
I agree with MABAS 21. The thing I can’t help but notice is they are all smaller towns, with a relatively lower income bracket. While it looks like it is to save money any where the mayor can, this is a horrible idea. Also with them wanting to take over other departments, when they themselves are in bad financial shape, I can’t help but wonder if there is some sort of kick back for the mayor of Cal Park. Why would he be so eager to do this? The whole thing is going to bite someone in the ass. I just hope it isn’t the citizens.
#2 by The DH on January 15, 2019 - 2:50 PM
The way I read it, the mayor is looking to join forces with other towns to expand his contract, piggyback others onto the contract and potentially save money because he is paying for part of a contract, not the whole contract. Does Kurtz offer a group discount?
#3 by Jim on January 14, 2019 - 10:48 PM
MABAS 21 & John
Summit has 4 on a good day but usually 3, Burbank goes down to 2 in one house and 4 in the other, Bridgeview goes down to one jump company in each house. Staffing is terrible and getting worse in 21. A consolidation should happen. The thing I don’t understand about Cal Park is why would a village contract out to Cal Park rather than just contract with Kurtz directly?
#4 by MABAS 21 on January 14, 2019 - 10:06 PM
John:
Yes you are correct that all of those departments in Division 21 have 4 a station, excluding battalion chiefs or duty chiefs. But as Cal Park’s mayor was quoted, he is exploring the notion of taking over/contracting out fire suppression and EMS to surrounding suburbs while utilizing his existing staffing model. This is not only a dangerous idea, but it is also a disservice to the residents of Cal Park who are paying for barely adequate service as it is.
And mutual aid is not intended to be a bandaid for inadequate staffing. It is intended for extenuating circumstances such as MCI’s, working structure fires, HAZMAT, etc that overwhelm a local jurisdiction beyond their abilities.
There was a department in Division 21 that only staffed ONE ambulance that overburdened it’s neighbors constantly because they would not provide a service that was required. These departments got sick and tired of covering their calls. When “mutual aid” was requested, it stripped these departments from covering their own calls and burdened the area as a trickle effect.
#5 by FFPMTom on January 14, 2019 - 9:15 PM
Hey John did you pay attention to what Mabas21 said? He said with their current situation they have no business try to take over call for another town. He’s right
#6 by John on January 14, 2019 - 5:35 PM
MABAS 21 look around your own division Summit has 4, CS has 4 Roberts Park has 4 each house, Bridgeview has 4 each house, Burbank has 4 each house, That’s why there is mutual aid.
#7 by Cmk420 on January 14, 2019 - 3:30 PM
I wonder what other towns have, supposedly, contacted Cal Park about this?? Totally agree with MABAS 21’s observation of the situation.
#8 by Brad S on January 14, 2019 - 3:20 PM
This is why politics should have no role in the fire service. If you want to pay less, you’re going to get less experience. Kurtz is nothing more than generic firefighters and have no place in the fire service, they should stick to EMS and nothing more. This mayor has screwed the city royally and will soon pay for it.
#9 by MABAS 21 on January 14, 2019 - 2:49 PM
How can Cal Park possibly entertain the idea of providing fire protection and EMS to neighboring suburbs with the skeleton crew that they currently have? Let’s do simple math here; 12 contract employees with 4 assigned a shift to staff a jump company engine/truck and an ambulance, which runs it’s ass off + covering another town = a receipe for disaster since they will only be able to handle 1 run because they do not have any callback personnel coming in for multiple runs. They would have to add atleast 4 more personnel a shift to staff a 2nd ambulance and to have one full suppression crew.
And who else would Cal Park take over services for? Dixmoor, which has horribly failed contracting out to Harvey after abolishing their part-time department, which HAD it’s own ALS ambulance service? Harvey’s illustrious mayor got rid of practically 1/2 of their department forcing closure to one or two of their stations and they haven’t provided EMS since the early 80’s. So let’s make another horrible mistake repeat itself again.