From Clarendon Hills Firefighters Association on Facebook:
Congratulations Deputy Chief Godek!
Clarendon Hills FD photo
Clarendon Hills FD photo
Clarendon Hills FD photo
Clarendon Hills FD photo
thanks Scott
Posts Tagged Clarendon Hills Fire Department
Found at firetruckmall.com:
Sold to: Ochelata VFD – Ochelata, Oklahoma
firetruckmall.com photo
firetruckmall.com photo
thanks Martin
From the Pierce Flickr page:
Pierce, Clarendon Hills Fire Department, IL, 38727-1
Pierce composite
thanks Martin
Excerpts from patch.com:
Clarendon Hills is looking to build a new fire station, in part, because public buildings downtown may deter commercial development.
The village has identified the site of the police station and public works department in the 400 block of Park Avenue as a possible place for the new fire station. The site’s impound lot could be used for the new fire station because a third party now handles impounded cars.
Moving the fire department could spur downtown development, and a campus for the three departments could allow them to share rooms for reception, workouts, conferences, and training.
To make the project a reality, the sale of the current fire station’s land alone may be enough to offset the cost of the new building. The village also could use money from the downtown tax district to pay for moving costs.
On Monday, the village board is expected to vote on hiring an architect for $7,500 to do a feasibility study on building a new fire station.
thanks Martin
This from Scott:
Fire Chiefs job posting . Clarendon Hills lending Hinsdale their ladder truck for a month.
Sharing of Services:
- Ongoing automatic aid daily.
- Joint training was attended this week by day duty crews. The crews stated it was a great drill that was put on by Hinsdale FD.
- We finalized a temporary sharing of our Ladder with Hinsdale FD as their Tower will be out of service for approximately one month for maintenance. Joint training will be completed prior to the go-live date of April 16, 2024. Clarendon Hills will be using a Hinsdale Engine for our second engine for POC response. Our Ladder will respond to Clarendon Hills Auto-Aid with the Hinsdale firefighters. Once the Hinsdale Tower is repaired the vehicles will switch back.
Excerpts from patch.com:
An investigation found that Clarendon Hills firefighters violated their department’s callback compensation policy more than 1,500 times over three years, and the inquiry identified tensions between two groups of the department’s members.
On Tuesday, the village released an attorney’s report of a months-long investigation into the compensation system. The problems are believed to have led to the ouster of longtime Fire Chief Brian Leahy earlier this year.
The attorney said the 1,592 violations ended up costing the village $52,000 from 2020 to 2023.
On Jan. 1, 2020, Leahy started staffing the fire department with four personnel at all times, rather than three. The stated intent was to reduce the callbacks of paid-on-call firefighters related to minor alarms and mutual aid calls to Hinsdale lasting less than 15 minutes, which was later extended to Westmont.
In 2020, callback violations made up 8 percent of all calls, which increased to 12 percent in 2021 and 15 percent in 2022. The rate dropped to 10 percent in the first nine months of 2023.
The chief, who was put on leave in November, entered a severance agreement with the village. As part of the pact, he agreed to be interviewed for the investigation.
The report said the tension between part-time firefighter paramedics and paid-on-call firefighters was an issue in every interview during the investigation, and that Leahy acknowledged the tension, but viewed the paramedics as the main complainers. He said the paramedics complained that paid-on-call members abused the callback system.
In an interview late last year, administrative Lt. Jim Weil, who was also put on leave in November, acknowledged the callback policy was not properly followed over the three years, but said it was not abused and that he would question the accuracy of certain callbacks and bring them to Leahy’s attention. Weil said the chief would make the final call on whether they were approved or denied.
When Leahy and Weil were put on leave, the village immediately changed the policy on callbacks.
In a memo to the Village Board on Tuesday, internal controls were put in place for callbacks in November. The village installed a new door system to track attendance, put in place new attendance sheets, and corrected past practices of “rounding up” and pyramiding hours.
The village also installed cameras at all of its buildings, and employees received extended training on proper payroll procedures.
Under state law, the village could have kept the lawyer’s report secret, citing the secrecy of attorney-client communications. But the village resolved some time ago to release it. It was posted on the village’s website.
The 68-year-old Leahy started as chief in 1985 and joined the department in 1971.
He couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.
thanks Scott
click to download
click to download
thanks Scott
Found on eBay:
2008 International 4300 / Medtec Ambulance
(Bidding has ended on this item.)
Up for auction is a 2008 International 4300 / MedTec Ambulance. It was purchased new by the Village of Clarendon Hills and used as a full active service ambulance by the Clarendon Hills FD until early 2015. It was then taken out of full active service in 2015, placed in reserve status through July 2022 and only used when our newer ambulance was out of service for maintenance and/or repairs. This vehicle has a valid safety lane sticker dated 8/22.International4300
Motor: International MaxxForce DT [Original motor]
Transmission:Allison [Original unit]
Air Suspension with rear dump
51 Gallon Diesel fuel tank under passenger step
Clarendon Hills FD photo
Clarendon Hills FD photo
thanks Martin
Excerpts from the patch.com:
Scott Pilafas, who worked as a Clarendon Hills paramedic for 19 years, submitted his resignation April 10. He singled out Fire Chief Brian Leahy for criticism.
“The current leadership in the department has made it unbearable to work,” Pilafas said. “The Chief places value on local department members with minimal experience while undervaluing Firefighter/Paramedics who are needed for the majority of calls… This continues to create a toxic divide in the department.”
In his resignation letter, Pilafas said he was vocal about the fire department not replacing the ladder truck. Leahy and other department leaders strongly favored buying a truck, despite the village manager’s reservations.
“It’s hard to work for leadership that doesn’t respect paramedics and has never had to be a paramedic or walk in our shoes,” Pilafas said in the letter. “You can add me to the list of the over 70 Paramedics that have come through the door in the past 19 years.”
As with all paramedics and firefighters in Clarendon Hills, Pilafas was part time. He is a full-time Chicago firefighter.
Pilafas said the fire department is buying a new ambulance, but may have no one to staff it. He said these staffing problems have occurred while the fire department put its emphasis on a new ladder truck.
In March, Chief Leahy said the village needed paramedics, but said the fire department could cover its ambulance shifts.
Leahy did not return messages for comment left on Monday and Thursday.
thanks Martin
