Posts Tagged Oak Lawn FIre Department

Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from the oaklawnleaf.com:

Oak Lawn Fire Chief George Sheets, who has pulled double duty as chief of neighboring Chicago Ridge, is out as the fire chief of Oak Lawn. The specifics of how, why, when, and where are being sorted out but the who in the story so far is Sheets. Chicago Ridge’s Mayor sent a letter to Oak Lawn’s Village Manager Larry Deetjen last Thursday informing him that Chicago Ridge was ending the arrangement that has been in place since July of 2014 and which allowed both village leaders to pat themselves on the back for thinking outside the box. Tokar’s letter did not have an explanation although according to Chicago Ridge sources, Tokar met with Sheets and another employee of the village last week. Shortly thereafter, Sheets met with Oak Lawn’s village manager. Sheets has been chief in Oak Lawn for nine years and has 36 years of fire service in various fire departments.

Sheets appeared in a controversial piece of literature paid for by Mayor Sandra Bury’s campaign in 2017 and is considered a favorite of Deetjen. However, Sheets dropped the other shoe and announced to the fire department that he is retiring as of July 2018. But wait, there’s more because on Tuesday the village manager is asking the board to approve an agreement that removes Sheets as chief but places him in some kind of advisory role that doesn’t exist in the Illinois Municipal Code for a fire department employee. That’s a very long transition period and not standard operating procedure. If you’re confused, stay tuned because the village board will be asked to vote for this agreement even though it isn’t on the agenda for Tuesday. If you look at the agenda, it states, Action on Executive Session Items.  Who’s hiding what and where are they hiding it?

thanks Keith

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Oak Lawn Fire Department history

This from Mike Summa:

Here is a picture of Oak Lawn Truck 12, a 1970’s rear mount aerial.  This was built by American Fire Apparatus of Battle Creek, Michigan. I believe this was built on a low-profile Oshkosh chassis.  Enjoy and comment.
Mike Summa

 

Oak Lawn FD Truck 2 vintage photo

Mike Summa photo

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Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from the oaklawnleaf.com:

The Oak Lawn Leaf has learned that the Village of Oak Lawn has offered the firefighter/paramedics a buyout of $5.3 million dollars in exchange for the union dropping the minimum manning provision from its contract. The $5.3 million dollars would apparently be split among the current firefighters and paramedics although details of how that money would be divided was not provided to the Oak Lawn Leaf by our sources, who asked that they not be identified.

Minimum manning has been a controversial sticking point between the union’s membership and the village manager who has pursued litigation in an attempt to rude the number of employees in the department.

The village board recently changed attorneys for negotiating the next labor contract with the firefighters in perhaps a sign that the village was considering an alternative strategy to the one that has been unsuccessful for almost a decade.

The village, which currently pays approximately two million dollars to the firefighters in overtime every year, would recoup the money through the elimination of overtime. The union has previously contended that the village’s failure to hire enough firefighters and paramedics has made the overtime necessary.

In January of 2017, only months before the mayoral election, Arbitrator Steven M. Bierig, issued a 195 page decision that found in favor of the union on minimum manning and six other issues, while finding in favor of the village on two issues and allowing the court to determine the final issue regarding out of state residency.

Despite the village arguing during the arbitration hearing that the minimum manning number was in excess of what is necessary to protect the village, the arbitrator applied three factors from case law to uphold the number. He said the minimum manning number has worked as intended. He noted that it was uncontested that the village has been fighting fires with 21 employees on a shift. The village argued that the number should be reduced to 19 members per shift and that the number was imminently reasonable. The village presented an expert witness who testified that the they could function with three rather than four per engine. The firefighter’s union countered the argument noting that the system of having 21 employees has worked well for the village’s safety.

The union contended evidence shows that by implementing the plan that the village requested would be counter intuitive. According to the union’s argument, “It would actually impede the ability of the village to effectively respond to fires.” The union also presented an expert witness who testified that four employees on an engine is far preferable to three in terms of fighting fires. 

As an example, the union noted that with four on an engine, one company can arrive at a fire and immediately begin to fight it. “If the village’s proposal was implemented, it would require two pieces of equipment in order to begin to fight a fire, which is not the most efficient approach to fire fighting. By having to rely more heavily on mutual aid, it places the citizens of the village in a vulnerable position in which, at times, it must rely upon the willingness of a neighboring community to assist. This is not feasible and should be rejected.”

The village’s argument that the change in minimum manning was a minor change was discarded by the arbitrator finding that the proposal to reduce the minimum manning number was a major modification.

The arbitrator referred to previous arbitration disputes between the parties and noted that Arbitrator Benn was confronted with the same issue in the prior case between these parties. Bierig wrote, “In rejecting the same issue, he held: The village seeks a sea change to the manning system – specifically, the ability to reduce minimum manning from four to three employees on an engine, i.e., a 25% reduction – when the system has been in place for 20 years and was formulated with the mutual intent ” … for purposes of efficient response to emergency situations and for reasons of employee safety… ” with a mandate that if those agreed upon levels are not met, ” … employees shall be hired back pursuant to Section 6.4. ‘Overtime Distribution’” as expressed in Section 7.9(a) of the Firefighter Agreement [emphasis added]. The village does not seek this sea change because the manning system is operationally broken. Rather, the village seeks this sea change because the manning system is costly. That is not a basis for an interest arbitrator to change such a safety provision as important as minimum manning. Where one party (here, the Union) seeks to maintain the status quo and there is no demonstration by the party seeking the change (here, the village) that the system is broken, that kind of change must come through the bargaining process.”

thanks Dan

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Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from an editorial at the ChicagoTribune.com:

I have come to expect the Village of Oak Lawn administration to twist any local challenge into an indictment of the firefighters who protect the citizens in the community. 

It’s become a predictable pattern due to Village Manager Larry Deetjen’s unhealthy obsession to slash the fire department staffing levels at any cost.

However, I must admit the latest maneuver by Deetjen did catch me by surprise because it flies in the face of common sense and sound financial stewardship. He recently announced the village might choose to walk away from the grant if he’s unsuccessful in extorting concessions from the Oak Lawn Firefighter’s Union.

First — kudos to the Oak Lawn Fire Department Administration for taking the initiative and being awarded a $1.35 million SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant from the federal government. The grant to hire seven full-time firefighters was awarded in response to the department’s application for assistance to maintain nationally recognized staffing levels to best provide emergency services.

However, the real winners here are the Oak Lawn taxpayers. Despite Deetjen’s spin, the SAFER grant will save the village over $1.5 million dollars in existing overtime costs over the next three years. Period.

Despite what Deetjen might have you believe, the seven firefighters who stand to be hired using the grant will not be used to increase the daily fire department staffing at an additional cost. Instead, they will be used to backfill daily vacancies caused by a significant decrease in personnel over the past decade — an unfortunate result of Deetjen’s quest to reduce public safety levels in the village.

The only real decision is to pay for personnel using Oak Lawn taxpayer dollars or by bringing federal dollars back to Illinois. It’s that simple.

Although I would normally disagree with Deetjen’s recent statement to the village board that decisions regarding staffing a fire department are business and not about public safety, in this case it can be both.

I hope the village manager and mayor can temporarily set aside their animosity and take a win for the fire department, the village and its taxpayers.

Either way the Oak Lawn firefighters will continue to provide the exceptional emergency services you’ve come to know and expect.

Pat Devaney, president of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois

thanks Dan

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As seen around … Oak Lawn

From Dennis McGuire, Jr.

Oak Lawn FD Squad 1

Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

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New ambulances for Oak Lawn (more)

From the Fire Service, Inc. Facebook page:

Congratulations and Thank You to Chief George Sheets and the Oak Lawn Fire Department on their recent delivery of two (2) 2017 Wheeled Coach Type I, F450 Ambulances. These brand new units feature custom interior and exterior cabinetry, patented COOLBAR HVAC System, Liquid Spring Suspension System, plus many other custom features that make these units perfect additions to the OLFD Fleet. Oak Lawn has been a loyal RevGroup customer for many years and we appreciate their continued trust in both our E-One and Wheeled Coach products.

new ambulance for the Oak Lawn Fire Department

Fire Service, Inc. photo

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Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Accepting a $1.35 million federal grant to hire seven firefighters might seem like a no-brainer for a municipality, but in Oak Lawn, where a rift between the village administration and its firefighters’ union has derailed contract negotiations in recent years, the decision isn’t so simple.

While the village board voted unanimously last week to accept the $1,347,952 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant — with the support of both the village manager and the firefighters union president — it’s far from a done deal.

Because the three-year grant requires the village pick up 25 percent of the new hires’ cost for the first two years and 65 percent of the cost in the third year, Oak Lawn would be on the hook for more than $930,000 if it appointed the seven additional firefighters.

For that reason, the village manager said he would recommend aborting the grant, which the village still has the ability to cancel, if the administration is unable to come to some agreement with the union on certain economic issues in the coming months.

Village officials declined to say what specifically they sought from the union in contract negotiations outside of a way to reduce overtime costs, which have ballooned to nearly $3 million per year.

The steep overtime price tag is driven by reduced staffing levels, which have been shrinking for years and are down more than 30 percent since the early 2000s, union president Vince Griffin said.

The village administration still considers the department bloated, despite its reduced manpower, and would like to see additional downsizing through attrition as firefighters retire in the coming years.

In spite of those sentiments, the village manager supported accepting the SAFER grant and increasing staff levels by seven because it’s expected to allow the village to significantly reduce overtime costs at a discount. The village is under no obligation to retain the seven new hires after the grant expires in three years if doing so is not financially prudent, officials said.

“This is about business, not public safety,” the village manager said at the Sept. 12 board meeting. “There’s no public safety be enhanced by accepting this grant. It’s to reduce overtime, stop hemorrhaging of the budget.”

A white paper authored by Fire Chief George Sheets estimates that to break even on the village’s $933,436 outlay, the department would need to reduce overtime by 710 work days over the next three years.

By Sheets’ calculations, the addition of seven firefighters would generate 700 extra work days per fiscal year, or 2,100 over the three-year lifespan of the grant.

Any additional savings beyond the $933,436 would be put toward the department’s long-term pension liabilities, officials said.

He would not say how much savings he anticipates realizing by accepting the grant and appointing additional firefighters, but made clear that simply breaking even —saving just enough to pay off the village’s $933,436 obligation but no more — was not sufficient.

Two factors that could impact the village’s savings are the pace of future retirements and the amount of time off firefighters request.

Even if the department gains seven new firefighters initially, as older firefighters retire — at least seven will be eligible to do so within the next three years — staffing could return to pre-grant levels or even lower in the coming years since the village does not intend to backfill all departures, officials said. For every firefighter who retires and is not replaced, Oak Lawn realizes less overtime savings from the new hires brought on through the grant.

Another uncertainty involves how firefighters respond to an increase in manpower.

If the larger staff size results in firefighters changing their sick leave and vacation habits in a way that increases the need for overtime, it could also put a dent in the savings, village officials said.

Griffin, the union president, said he believes that while technically possible, it is “highly improbable” that firefighters would change their sick leave and vacation habits as a result of staffing increases.

Griffin said that while he strongly supports Oak Lawn’s acceptance of the SAFER grant, he was not aware the village did not intend to replace all firefighters who retired.

Griffin added that the union views the grant and the successive collective bargaining agreement as mutually exclusive, and that he was not aware the village expected the union to compromise in some fashion as a condition of appointing additional firefighters.

He said he considered the SAFER grant a standalone — a mutually beneficial arrangement that would decrease overtime costs for the village and enhance firefighter life safety by reducing wear and tear on the department — and insisted the union had conveyed that to the village administration in previous discussions.

The upcoming contract negotiations, he said, were an entirely separate issue.

The administration takes a different view. By appointing seven new firefighters at a cost of $933,436 without the guarantee of recouping that money, it bears all the risk, officials said. The village therefore hopes to rectify that perceived imbalance with the union through compromise.

The parties are currently scheduled to begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement on Nov. 29 with two subsequent meeting dates planned for December. The department’s current contract, which was arbitrated earlier this year after negotiations stalled, ends on Dec. 31.

It remains to be seen whether the parties can work out a mutually agreeable deal that will allow the village to feel comfortable appointing seven new firefighters, but both sides said they had been encouraged by recent informal discussions about the SAFER grant and would bargain in good faith.

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Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from the Oaklawnleaf.com:

Three Oak Lawn firefighters and their union are once again celebrating a Cook County judge’s decision to issue a judgment that the village cannot force union members living in Indiana to move into Illinois.

The contentious battle between organized labor and the administration culminated in the Oak Lawn firefighters’ union filing a lawsuit almost a year to the date of judgment in Cook County Circuit Court after the administration notified the union of proposed contract language.

The administration exchanged final offers with the union on June 1, 2016 and at that time notified the union that it intended to include a new provision in its labor contract addressing residency that states:

All bargaining unit members hired before the issuance of Arbitrator Bierig’s award are required to establish residency within the State of Illinois within six months of the issuance of his decision. All bargaining unit members hired on or after the issuance of the Arbitrator Bierig’s award are required to establish residency within (50) miles of village hall….within six months…

The union’s lawsuit sought an order from the court stating that the village is precluded from imposing residency requirements on bargaining unit employees hired prior to the Arbitrator’s award.

The union had cited Illinois statutes that state residency requirements cannot be made more restrictive for employees after they are already serving in the department. The union, in its filing, noted that the Village of Oak Lawn has not had a residency requirement on any of the current employees and therefore any new rule would be more restrictive and in violation of Illinois law and contrary to its authority under the Illinois constitution.

In addition to the union, the named plaintiffs are fire Captain William Roser, Engineer Timothy Radke, and Firefighter/Paramedic Todd Stanford.

Roser has served the village since April of 1992 and has lived in Munster, Indiana for 24 years in a home he owns. Radke, has served the village since May of 1993 and also lives in a home in Munster he owns for the past 21 years. Stanford has served the village since May of 1997 and has lived in Crown Point, Indiana in a home he has owned for the past 19 years.

Under the Village of Oak Lawn’s proposal, those employees would have to sell their homes and move back into Illinois. The village has the right to answer the allegations or make a motion to dismiss the complaint within 28 days of service. Village officials are expected to discuss the lawsuit in executive session.

The village relied on the same arguments it had made before the Illinois Labor Relations Board Arbitrator who  ruled that the Village of Oak Lawn could talk with the union representing its firefighters about establishing a rule requiring the village’s firefighters to live within 50 miles of Oak Lawn. At the time of the arbitrator’s decision, several firefighters privately expressed confidence that the court would overrule the arbitrator.

The Village of Oak Lawn Board of Trustees could vote to appeal the decision to the Illinois Appellate Court. In some cases, the homes in Indiana may be closer in traveling time to the Village of Oak Lawn than where other firefighters in the department live.

thanks Scott

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As seen around … Maryland

The former Oak Lawn aerial that went to the Brooklyn Park Fire Department in Anne Arundel County, Maryland was spotted at a fire recently

Brooklyn Park Volunteer Fire Department Truck 31 at work

Anne Arundel County Fire Department, from the Truck 31, Brooklyn Park Volunteer Fire Department. Hungrybus photo

thanks Dennis

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New ambulances for Oak Lawn (more)

From the Fire Service, Inc. Facebook page:

Oak Lawn FD Med-2 new delivery

Oak Lawn FD Med 2 ambulance

Oak Lawn FD Med 2. Fire Service, Inc. photo

Oak Lawn FD Med 2 ambulance

Fire Service, Inc. photo

Oak Lawn FD Med 2 ambulance

Fire Service, Inc. photo

Oak Lawn FD Med 2 ambulance

Fire Service, Inc. photo

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