An article from the Oak Lawn Leaf
A proposal to seek a SAFER Grant in order to fully fund the salaries of two new firefighters for the next two to three years faced pushback, even though the Village of Oak Lawn is on track to fall short of its contractual firefighter staffing requirements due to upcoming retirements.
Trustee Robert Streit urged the mayor and village board to apply for the SAFER Grant as soon as possible. The village currently has 76 firefighters, but that number will drop to 72 by July 1st. Since 2007, no new firefighters have been hired, and the force has dwindled from a peak of 108 due to attrition and lack of replacement.
The village has been locked in a legal dispute with the Oak Lawn Professional Firefighters Association Local 3405 over minimum manning standards. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the village after it refused to negotiate on the issue, and the Illinois Labor Relations Board ruled against the village. That decision was later upheld by the Illinois Appellate Court in 2011.
Phillip Kazanjian, an administrative law judge who issued an opinion in August 2010, was one of two judges who reviewed the minimum manning case. He also presided over an unfair labor charge related to the village’s decision to lay off firefighters. The current village board majority continues to push for changes to the minimum manning law, blaming the fire department for service cuts caused by excessive overtime.
The purpose of a SAFER Grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response) is to help restore and enhance fire department staffing so they can better respond to emergencies. Streit brought up the idea of applying for the grant, citing statistics such as Fire Chief George Sheets’ statement that this year was the deadliest on record for fire-related deaths in Oak Lawn.
Deetjen mentioned that the village is working on an application, but it would require cooperation from the union—implying that concessions might be necessary for the village to move forward. According to sources within the fire department, Deetjen still opposes hiring more firefighters unless the union agrees to lower the minimum manning requirement. Firefighters were recently told by Fire Chief Sheets that the village won’t pursue the SAFER Grant to add more personnel unless the union gives in to Deetjen’s demands.
If the village fails to meet its contractual obligations, it could face further legal action from the firefighters, including another unfair labor practice claim. The village has already accumulated over $1 million in legal costs from previous disputes with the fire department.
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