An article published in the Oak Lawn Leaf highlights a growing concern within the Village of Oak Lawn regarding its fire department staffing. A proposal to seek a SAFER Grant—designed to fully fund the salaries of two new firefighters for two to three years—has faced pushback, even though the village is on track to fall short of its contractual firefighter requirements due to upcoming retirements.
Trustee Robert Streit urged the mayor and trustees to apply for the grant without delay. The village currently has 76 firefighters, but that number is expected to drop to 72 by July 1st. Since 2007, no new firefighters have been hired, leading to a significant decline from a peak of 108 in recent years. This reduction has occurred through attrition and a lack of replacement efforts.
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 claim after the village refused to negotiate on the issue. In 2011, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld a previous ruling against the village by the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
Phillip Kazanjian, an administrative law judge who reviewed the minimum manning issue in 2010, was one of two judges who heard testimony on the matter. He also presided over a case involving the village’s decision to lay off firefighters. Despite this, the current board majority continues to push for changes to the minimum manning laws, blaming the fire department for service cuts caused by excessive overtime.
The SAFER Grant aims to enhance and restore fire department staffing so that it can better respond to emergencies. Trustee 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 in Oak Lawn’s history for fire-related deaths.
Village Administrator Deetjen mentioned that the village is working on a grant application, but it would require cooperation from the union. Sources within the fire department suggest that Deetjen is not willing to hire more firefighters unless the union agrees to reduce the minimum manning requirement. Firefighters were recently informed that the village will not pursue the SAFER Grant unless the union complies with 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 complaint. The village has already spent over $1 million in legal fees due to its ongoing disputes with the fire department.
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