Excerpts from patch.com:

The Clarendon Hills Fire Department has a new policy largely keeping off-duty members out of the station.

The village manager said that Fire Chief Dave Godek sets policy and has determined that off-duty members were a distraction for the on-duty crew and was causing more infighting than it was worth. The chief considered it distracting when training classes were being held in the station and people were coming and going.

The friction has been described as petty in-house stuff like arguing over stealing food from the shift and taking up recliners in the dayroom.

The village is issuing many policies for the fire department, as it did a few years ago for the police, being about 65% through implementation, with a ton of new policies.

Under the new policy, off-duty members can only come in for legitimate operational purposes such as callbacks, training, meetings, and extra work. Other types of visits must have the chief’s permission. Off-duty members must maintain a respectful presence, not use the dayroom unless authorized by those on duty, and not enter the rear living quarters. Additionally, off-duty members cannot consume meals, snacks and beverages prepared or bought by on-duty crew unless invited to do so.

Things have been changing at the fire department since the village last year entered a severance agreement for the resignation of longtime Chief Brian Leahy, who took the helm nearly four decades earlier.

The village is moving away from the paid-on-call model in favor of contracted paramedics.

thanks Dan

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Clarendon Hills Fire Department, Fire Chief Dave Godek