Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Orland Fire Protection District Chief Ken Brucki has been placed on a paid leave of absence, with an interim chief having been appointed, a district spokesman confirmed Thursday. Brucki, the district’s chief since June 2012, asked for and was given a leave for an indefinite time for personal reasons, spokesman Ray Hanania said in an email.
The leave took effect Tuesday. He was selected from three finalists for the chief’s job following the retirement in 2011 of Bryant Krizik, who had been on administrative leave.
Prior to being hired by the Orland fire district, Brucki worked since 1994 for the Pleasantview Fire Protection District, which serves Countryside, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park and portions of Burr Ridge.
He began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Merrionette Park in 1988 and later was a part-time firefighter in Darien-Woodridge before taking a full-time position at Pleasantview.
Excerpts from a previous ChicagoTribune.com article:
Orland Fire Protection District Chief Ken Brucki is the focus of a wide-ranging administrative review into areas such as job performance and financial matters, according to an attorney for the district.
Brucki, chief since June 2012, took a paid personal leave of absence in late August, and the district did not explain the reason for the leave. A district spokesman at the time said only that the leave was for an indefinite time period.
The fire district is conducting “kind of an audit” of the chief, looking at Brucki’s “overall performance, conduct” and finances, attorney Burt Odelson said. His firm handles labor relations for the district and isn’t involved in the chief’s review, Odelson said .
“We (the district) are looking into different records,” he said. “For now, he’s on personal leave, and we are doing an audit.”
The revelation of the review comes after the Daily Southtown, under Illinois’ freedom of information law, requested financial records pertaining to Brucki as well as emails and other correspondence related to his leave. In turning down the request for certain records, Odelson’s office said releasing the information would obstruct “active administrative enforcement proceedings” being conducted by the district.
Battalion Chief Michael Schofield is serving as interim fire chief during Brucki’s absence. Schofield has been with the Orland district since 1978.
