Mount Prospect officials pressed to add more firefighters

In 2006, Mount Prospect added an engine to its downtown fire station. But then the recession hit, and in 2011 the village slashed personnel by 10 percent across the board, losing six firefighters.

Fire Chief John Malcolm tried using a "jump" company downtown, switching firefighters between Engine 13 and Tower 13, the station's ladder truck.

That policy ended following a 2011 middle-of-the-night extra-alarm fire at the Colonial Greens complex, when firefighters were forced to rush back to the station to retrieve the ladder truck, which was sitting at the station unstaffed.

From that point on, Malcolm decided to retire Engine 13 and run Tower 13 on all calls, including ambulance calls and car fires.

Now, as the village board works out its 2015 budget, trustees are once again talking about the eventual restoration of those six positions.

The head of the village's firefighters union addressed the board this week, calling for trustees to restore the six positions and get Engine 13 back into the rotation.

Dale Steward, president of Mount Prospect Firefighters Union Local 4119 and a Mount Prospect resident, told trustees Tuesday night, "It's time to say YES.

"This budget and your final decision is more than just economics. It's about living up to your oath and your commitment. We can't sacrifice staffing for the whims of the 'bottom line.'

"As a fellow firefighter, I demand you keep my brothers and sisters safe," he said, adding that as a fellow taxpayer, he demands his community be safe as well.

Later in the meeting, Trustee Paul Hoefert asked Deputy Fire Chief Henry Dawson if the department's response time is still within safe parameters. Dawson said it is, saying he thinks the average response time is 4 minutes and 17 seconds.

Hoefert emphasized, "The fact is, the way we're manned today, we're safe. The citizens are safe."

During his department's budget presentation, Dawson said the department is asking for $13.1 million, up 1.56 percent. He also provided information on use of Tower 13.

Dawson said Tower 13 tripled its responses with the elimination of Engine 13 and is the department's busiest vehicle, with 1,947 responses in 2014.

"In fact in a national survey, out of 202 fire departments reporting, Tower 13 is the 63rd busiest tower ladder in the country," he said.

He brought up what he called an ironic statistic, pointing out that half the time the department receives a call for service, it gets another call almost simultaneously.

"That adds to the need to keep the tower on the street," he said.

Board members expressed a willingness to examine the issue.

Mayor Arlene Juracek said the village should look at the break-even point between the extra wear and tear on the tower ladder versus hiring extra personnel. "Let's run the numbers and make sure that we're doing what makes sense by the numbers."

Trustee John Matuszak said the village has talked about devoting a committee-of-the-whole meeting to a discussion of staffing. "I hope we can have that discussion and figure out what the cost is and how we could fund those six positions."

Chief Malcolm said that the department has by far the lowest staffing of surrounding departments of comparable size. "We're obviously more efficient having that engine downtown," he said.

"Every day, because we only have two engines in town, when one goes out of town for mutual aid ... that means I only have one engine left in this town."