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Posts Tagged Carpentersville Fire Department

Carpentersville Fire Department news

Mar 26

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Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Carpentersville Fire Department is closer to having its first comprehensive strategic plan in place.

The process came as a result of the 100 Day Plan Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling was tasked with when he took the helm of the fire department last June. The initiative’s overall objectives, established through the collaborative efforts of village administration, battalion chiefs, and executive board members of the fire department’s full and part time unions, included improving and/or increasing communication, improving training, safety, and risk management, and increasing personnel collaboration through the creation of various committees.

Strategic planning is not about just producing a document, he said.

“The process is for us more of an improvement of our culture in the fire department. The strategic plan is a vision of our future. It’s a mindset for our personnel to continue to move forward,” Schilling said. “It’s a cycle that should never end and one that continually seeks ways of improvement to do better for our department and our community.”

One goal of the department is to establish a comprehensive community risk reduction program through public education, fire prevention and life safety services, communications, and comprehensive emergency medical services. As the strategic planning process moves forward, so too will the momentum for continuing to improve the culture of the fire department, Schilling said.

“It’s a process going from a rule-based department to one that’s focused on values,” he said. “The rule-based organization sets the standards with rules. And rules incidentally focus on the minimum acceptable behavior for an organization. The minimum. We want to focus on what their values are and establish those values as the department’s values so when they go out they perform at a higher level with a higher value.”

To facilitate that, an anonymous values audit is currently being conducted throughout the department.

“These members write their top 10 values. They take those top 10 values and as a shift they put them together and they come up with a top 10 shift values. Then the three shifts are going to come together and we’re going to create the top 10 values of the department based off of everybody’s input,” he said.

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Jan 11

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

For the second time in less than six months, Carpentersville firefighter-paramedics have been able to save a life with the aid of an automatic CPR device.

Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling told village trustees at a recent meeting that firefighters responded to a person whose cardiac monitor rhythm had flatlined. With the use of the Lucas Chest Compression System, which provides uninterrupted chest compressions in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, the patient was revived.

 The device frees up first-responders firefighters to do other critical life-saving tasks, such as ventilation, drug therapy and defibrillation.

“If you have to move a patient, it still does CPR. In the past, before having this, when you moved the patient, there was a pause in CPR because it’s difficult for somebody to compress a chest when you can’t put an arm behind them,” Schilling said. “But this machine wraps around the torso and continually does compressions.”

The device, which cost about $14,000, was paid for by the village.

Emergency responders Firefighters were field-testing the device in July when they were able to use it to revive a woman in cardiac arrest.

“We try to save lives every day, but sometimes the patient is not physically revivable, whether it’s due to poor condition of their heart or they don’t respond well to the drugs or compressions with the machines,” Schilling said. “But there are patients where, if we can get to them quick enough and they’re in good physiological shape, we can make a difference. This case proves it.”

thanks Dan

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Fire departments to share resources

Dec 4

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Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Carpentersville, East Dundee, Rutland, and West Dundee fire departments have agreed to share expenses for equipment that will be used for incidents involving hazardous materials, water, and technical rescues, and special investigations in all four areas.

Rutland’s decommissioned squad will carry needed equipment and be housed at one of the Carpentersville fire stations.

“Carpentersville is firmly committed to the implementation of interdepartmental cooperation with the possible goal that at a future date we will merge the departments to provide economies of scale through better use of equipment, better use of staff, shared leadership and creative new ideas,” said Carpentersville Village President Ed Ritter.

According to West Dundee Fire Chief Randy Freise, Carpentersville Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling has offered to send personnel as needed for the special-incident teams and will coordinate with all other fire departments.

A committee of representatives from the four departments has met. Their plans include that initial crews from each department will respond to incidents, with the special-teams vehicle used as an additional resource for large incidents when needed,” said Freise.

This is an excellent way to combine resources for the betterment of the community. According to the agreement, the four fire departments involved will be sharing expenses associated with equipping, maintaining, insuring and storing the squad. It will remain titled in the name of Rutland-Dundee.

With smaller communities in the Rutland Dundee Township Fire Protection District like Sleepy Hollow struggling to make ends meet, this agreement could be the start of continuing partnerships with larger municipalities to provide shared services.

thanks Dan

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Oct 25

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Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

When John-Paul Schilling took on the role as head of the Carpentersville Fire Department earlier this summer, he also took on the challenge of completing a 100 Day Plan.

In less two months on the job, he had accomplished seven of his 10 goals. At Tuesday’s Village Board meeting, Schilling said all 10 have been met.

The plan was established through the collaborative efforts of the village administration, battalion chiefs, and executive board members of the fire department’s full- and part-time firefighters’ unions.

Overall objectives included increasing communication; improving training, safety and risk management; and increasing personnel collaboration through the creation of various committees.

Other goals included developing a criteria process and procedures for the recruitment and hiring of part-time firefighters, researching and determining the cost-effectiveness of a project management software tool, and conducting periodic meetings with battalion chiefs and lieutenants, as well as labor management officials.

“And what happens next is we enter into probably about a yearlong strategic planning process that will include internal and external stakeholders as we move along,” he said. “But (the plan), with the assistance of the manager and the participation of the unions, has really come together and given us a really good launch into a good, successful program.”

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Sep 9

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Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Nearly a year after securing a grant to outfit two ambulances with new power-load cot fastener systems, Carpentersville Fire Department officials recently learned more federal funding is on the way.

The department has been awarded $238,637 through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

The funding will be used to replace the department’s aging self-contained breathing apparatus. The village’s required 10 percent match of $23,863, for a total of $262,500, will be used to help purchase 35 new air packs. The fire department’s equipment has reached its lifespan.

Last year, the Carpentersville Fire Department received $61,819 in Assistance to Firefighters Grants, funding the Stryker Power-LOAD systems and cots. The battery-operated systems allow medics to lift and lower patients to ambulances with the touch of a button, helping to reduce the risk of back injuries.

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Aug 21

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from theDailyHerald.com:

The Carpentersville Fire Department’s new chief has a list of 10 objectives expected to be completed by mid-October — dubbed the “100 Day Plan” — to improve communication, training, risk management and personnel collaboration, said Chief John-Paul Schilling, who started his new position June 28.

 Since launching the initiative July 13, the fire department has tackled seven goals on the list. Village administrators, fire officials and executive board members from the full-time and part-time firefighters unions were in the midst of developing the plan before Schilling officially started, he said, making it easy for him to contribute ideas and jump headfirst into his leadership role.

The plan largely centers around the creation of committees — such as a safety committee, a training committee and an interdepartmental budget team — that will focus on reviewing past practices, revising guidelines and recommending improvements for specific areas within the fire department. With a large number of firefighters interested in being involved, Schilling said, committees will be re-evaluated annually.

Other objectives include establishing new procedures for recruiting and hiring part-time firefighters, as well as researching the feasibility of a project management software to improve efficiency and transparency — a process that could be implemented villagewide, Schilling said.

Additionally, Schilling has already begun holding regular labor-management meetings, as well as periodic meetings with battalion chiefs and lieutenants. Those sessions, he said, have prompted comments, concerns, suggestions and necessary discussions between staff members at all levels.

“Chief Schilling has done an excellent job reaching out to members and instilling the confidence in them that he will do everything in his power to ensure the most positive outcome,” Rick Nieves, president of the Carpentersville Professional Firefighters Union, IAFF Local 4790, said in a statement.

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Jul 27

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Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

After months of negotiating, the Carpentersville firefighters union and village officials have reached a new collective bargaining agreement extending through 2019.

The village board and the Carpentersville Professional Firefighters Union, IAFF Local 4790, voted this month to ratify the contract, which is retroactive to May 1. Negotiations had been ongoing since February, and the two parties were able to reach an agreement without arbitration.

The deal includes a 1.75 percent wage increase for the first eight months and a 2.25 percent raise in 2017. Mirroring a recent contract with Carpentersville police officers, firefighters’ salaries for 2018 and 2019 have not yet been determined and will be negotiated toward the end of 2017.

The union also agreed to a reduced pay rate for off-duty firefighters performing certain activities that fall outside the scope of fighting fires and responding to calls, union President Rick Nieves said. Examples include off-duty meetings, CPR instructional courses, maintenance work and public education — activities that make up about 20 percent of the department’s overtime, … which is expected to save the village roughly $11,496 in overtime costs

The contract also includes an established work schedule of 24 hours on-duty and 48 hours off-duty, and firefighters’ spouses are now included in an outcome-based incentive wellness program. The agreement also prohibits firefighters from wearing shorts when they’re not on personal time.

thanks Dan

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Jun 6

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 2 Comments

Excerpts from the wcfcourier.com:

Fire Chief John Schilling, Cedar Falls’ (WI IA) fire chief since January 2009, is resigning effective June 23 to become fire chief in Carpentersville, Ill., a city of almost 37,000 people in Kane County.

“He’s been a good fire chief, and we hate to see him leave,” said Public Safety Director Jeff Olson, also the city’s police chief. He noted Schilling has been extensively involved in an overhaul of Black Hawk County’s public safety radio communication system.

Schilling, with nearly 30 years in the fire safety profession, came to Cedar Falls from Ankeny, where he had worked for a decade as deputy chief and interim chief for a time. He had previously worked eight years as a lieutenant in the Eufala Fire Department in Eufala, Ala.

thanks Dan

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Carpentersville Fire Department news (more)

May 5

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Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

After working out a deal with the Carpentersville firefighters union, village officials agreed to rescind the layoffs of two full-time firefighters.

In turn, the Carpentersville Professional Firefighters Union, IAFF Local 4790, is dropping all pending grievances amid ongoing contract negotiations, Union President Rick Nieves said.

Layoff notices for the two firefighters went into effect April 22, after which union representatives voiced their intent to take the issue to an arbitrator. Not more than two weeks later, the two parties were able come to an understanding “without a costly legal battle,” Nieves said.

The firefighters will return to work Friday and Saturday. Collective bargaining negotiations continue Thursday.

“We sincerely hope that this will be the first step toward a more harmonious relationship between the union and the village,” Nieves said. “We are hopeful we can get to work and address the concerns that affect our members and the community.”

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Carpentersville Fire Department news (more)

May 2

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Carpentersville officials are hitting back at claims made by the firefighters union that the layoffs of two full-time firefighters by the village is illegal.

Members of the Carpentersville International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4790 had just begun contract negotiations on March 23 with village officials when they were notified of the layoffs, that took effect April 22, said Union president Lt. Rick Nieves in a press release.

The union immediately filed a grievance, contending the layoffs were illegal under the terms of the current contract with the village, Nieves said. Both village and union officials met April 7 but were unable to come to a resolution.

Carpentersville Village Manager Mark Rooney said that in 2014 the village and union signed a side letter agreeing to the creation of swing shift employees, where firefighters were moved from their regularly assigned shifts to another to fill vacancies created by other employees’ vacations and authorized time off. The agreement also called for the village not to lay off any firefighters during the duration of the contract, as long as the swing shift structure saved $75,000 annually, Rooney said.

“The swing shift was supposed to save money. It did not save it for two years in a row,” he said, adding that instead, overtime costs increased from $103,634 in 2014 to $132,648 in 2015.

“We were willing to grant the Union’s claims that the math would work. It sounded a little aggressive at the time but we were willing to save people’s jobs two years ago but it just hasn’t worked,” he said. “But they signed onto that contract two years ago with the side letter that if they didn’t make the savings they projected with this novel swingshift concept the village would be authorized to layoff the two firefighters with the least seniority. So really we’re back to square one from two years ago regarding the issue of layoffs.”

Nieves acknowledges the side letter of agreement.

“Manager Rooney is saying it didn’t work. Our contention is it did work but only when you have proper staffing levels in the first place,” he said. “The model was designed around 32 firefighters working. Ideally, 33 would have stopped almost all overtime except in extreme circumstances.”

Rooney said the two firefighter layoffs will result in a net savings of about $75,000 the first year and $85,000 the second year, including salary, benefits and pension.

Rooney said the village doesn’t have this type of acrimonious conflict with any of the other five unions.

“You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Why is the (International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4790) the only one? If I’ve got such an anti-union animus, why is it only displayed at the firefighters? It’s frustrating to be accused of a multitude of unsubstantiated charges by the Union and demanding my termination,” he said.

Rooney said village officials have to “make the revenues and expenditures balanced for the entire village, not just the fire department.”

But Nieves said he and his fellow union members do not feel the village has a bona fide economic reason to let the firefighters go.

“We feel strongly the villages financial situation is healthy along with the fact that other revenue streams will be coming in very soon,” he said. “It’s disappointing to hear when recently we were told there would be no layoffs since Wal-Mart would likely be moving in town.”

Nieves said he feels the fire department is being singled out.

“We have been through four chiefs in the last five years and as we sit have no deputy, a chief retiring and no administrative assistant,” he said. “This will be the third time we have been threatened with layoffs during or after negotiations.”

Union members believe the two firefighters will get their jobs back through arbitration.

“I’m still hopeful the village will retract the layoffs and avoid the liability from high overtime costs that will come with the staffing reduction and use of part-time guys to backfill,” Nieves said. “We are arguing over less than $20,000. It just doesn’t make sense from our perspective.”

“The village is confident that we acted within our contractual rights at all times, and we look forward to the board’s ruling which will vindicate our decision,” Rooney said.

thanks Dan

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