Public Safety Committees

‭Village Board Fire Public Safety Committee‬ ‭~ Regular Meeting ~‬ ‭MINUTES‬ ‭~ Thursday, December 14, 2023 ~‬ ‭CALL TO ORDER‬ ‭Trustee Nero called the meeting to order at 1631 hours.‬ ‭PRESENT‬ ‭Mayor Gunter, Deputy Clerk Richards, Village Manager May, Assistant Village Manager‬ ‭Parker, Trustee Barker, Trustee Brady, Trustee Guzzo, Trustee Liddle, Trustee Nero, and‬ ‭Trustee Simonovich.‬ ‭ALSO PRESENT‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley, D/C Fitzgerald, B/C Blaskovich, FPB Director Berkowitz, Police Chief‬ ‭Gunther, Community Development Director Hennerfeind, Public Works Director Reis,‬ ‭Supervisor of Administrative Services Mielcarski, Human Resources Director Brainerd,‬ ‭Interim Finance Director Narducci, Administrative Assistant Hoxha, Administrative‬ ‭Assistant Olsson, Administrative Assistant Saldivar and Communications Specialist‬ ‭McIntyre.‬ ‭ABSENT -‬‭Clerk Szymski‬ ‭PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE‬ ‭The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.‬ ‭PUBLIC COMMENT‬ ‭No public comment was received.‬ ‭APPROVAL OF JUNE 1, 2023 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES‬ ‭Trustee Liddle made a motion, seconded by Trustee Barker, to approve June 1, 2023, Public‬ ‭Safety Committee Minutes as submitted. Motion carried unanimously.‬ ‭New Fire Department Administrative Assistant II - Denisa Hoxha‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley introduced Administrative Assistant Denisa Hoxha as the new administrative‬ ‭assistant for the Fire Prevention Bureau. He also stated that Administrative Assistant Hoxha has‬ ‭started cross-training in payroll and billing services with Administrative Assistant Saldivar.‬ ‭NEW BUSINESS‬ ‭Fire Prevention Updates‬ ‭FPB Director Berkowitz gave updates on two properties in Westmont. He advised that at 41 N.‬ ‭Cass, the sprinkler system has been installed and the underground work is complete. All that is‬ ‭needed now is a hydro test. He also advised that at 6410 S. Cass, the sprinkler plans have‬ ‭been approved and the sprinkler pipe is being manufactured. They are also working with‬ ‭community development to obtain an underground permit.‬ ‭Fines vs. Violations‬ ‭FPB Director Berkowitz said the Fire Department is restructuring how they issue fines to be‬ ‭more in line with Community Development. The Department will issue a $100.00 fee to‬ ‭occupants and/or properties for every re-inspection for non-compliance of the Annual Fire and‬ ‭Life Safety Inspection after two inspections. He also said that they will be fined for false/trouble‬ ‭alarms if there are more than two over a six-month period. If they have a fire alarm system or‬ l‭ife safety system that they don’t get repaired within 72 hours, they will be issued a citation to‬ ‭appear at adjudication rather than immediately issuing fees. Currently, there have been many‬ ‭false/trouble alarms at Eagle Creek Apartments due to a non-compliant system.‬ ‭EMS Billing Update - Explore Switching Companies‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley has advised that Andres Medical Billing has been sold to EMS|MC and that they‬ ‭are lowering the fees that the Fire Department receives. Therefore, the Department is exploring‬ ‭other options before deciding to continue with EMS|MC or to switch companies.‬ ‭Deputy Chief Opening‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley said that Police Chief Gunther and Human Resources Director Brainerd have‬ ‭been working to bring D/C Fitzgerald as a full-time Deputy Chief after retiring from the Chicago‬ ‭Fire Department. After January 1st, Police Chief Gunther and Fire Chief Riley will start working‬ ‭on an internal process to choose a second Deputy Chief. This process will be run by the Human‬ ‭Resources Department and will eventually be brought to Village Manager May and the Village‬ ‭Board for approval.‬ ‭Annual Compliance Report (ACR)‬ ‭D/C Fitzgerald stated that for Accreditation, the Fire Department must submit an Annual‬ ‭Compliance Report. A Fire Chief in Wisconsin evaluated the compliance report submitted. Per‬ ‭his recommendation, this was the first time the Department split the types of calls and the‬ ‭statistics look differently. He went on to give an update on the number of calls for the year.‬ ‭Overall, the total number of calls is up 5% and EMS calls are up 3.06%, making it the highest‬ ‭call volume the Fire Department has had.‬ ‭Staffing Update‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley shared that there are currently 67 members and 30 paramedics in the Fire‬ ‭Department, which is the lowest number of paramedics in the last 27 years. Five candidates just‬ ‭graduated from the fire academy and two of those will be attending EMT school. There are also‬ ‭three members on leave of absence. D/C Fitzgerald is taking over the hiring process and the‬ ‭Department is taking paramedics first. D/C Fitzgerald said there will be more paramedics soon‬ ‭because there are several members close to graduating paramedic school or are waiting for‬ ‭their license in the mail. He hopes to keep any new paramedics on board for at least a year and‬ ‭a half to two years, but they can be gone within nine months to work at full-time departments‬ ‭due to the demand from other villages.‬ ‭ISO Class 1‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley advised that the Fire Department has remained ISO Class 1 and is waiting for‬ ‭the certificate at this time.‬ ‭New Engine Committee‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley said that the timeframe for a new engine is currently 45 - 49 months. The‬ ‭Department was due to replace an engine in 2025 but now it’s more likely to be replaced in‬ ‭2027. The last engine was purchased for $657,000 and the new engine is priced at $1.172‬ ‭million. Currently, the entire fleet is from Pierce. However, the Department will be looking at‬ ‭other vendors in order to attempt to bring the price and/or the timeframe down.‬ ‭HQ Fire Station Update‬ ‭Public Works Director Reis had a meeting with representatives from Leopardo Construction at‬ ‭the Fire Department Headquarters along with D/C Fitzgerald, Police Chief Gunther and Virgil‬ ‭Viscuso of Public Works to discuss the next steps of either updating, remodeling, adding an‬ ‭addition to the current building or constructing a new building. Public Works Director Reis stated‬ ‭that they will do a space analysis first which takes about 6 months to complete. She also stated‬ ‭that once a decision has been made, the design documents take about 6 months or more and‬ ‭that construction can take anywhere from 9 - 12 months or longer if they could only work on‬ ‭parts of the building at a time. She advised that the next step is an RFQ for a space needs‬ ‭study. Trustee Barker recommends hiring a forensic investigator to see if it’s worthwhile adding‬ ‭to the old building.‬ ‭Emergency Management Agency (EMA)‬ ‭Fire Chief Riley has replaced David Weiss as the new EMA Director. There are currently 21‬ ‭members in EMA, 2 of which have zero hours of volunteer time, therefore, they will be released.‬ ‭This will bring the total members down to 19 from the highest number of 35 and the number‬ ‭keeps decreasing. The volunteers contributed 837 volunteer hours which is the most hours in‬ ‭the last 10 years, saving the Village about $25,000 had they been paid. Fire Chief Riley advised‬ ‭that EMA is continuing to look for more volunteers and he would like to create more incentives‬ i‭n order to attract more volunteers.‬ ‭There being no other business to discuss, Trustee Nero motioned to adjourn, to which Trustee‬ ‭Liddle seconded. The meeting subsequently adjourned at 1720 hours.‬ ‭Respectfully submitted,‬ ‭Jacqueline Saldivar‬ ‭Recording Secretary‬