IL Fire Department Adding Staff to Trim OT

July 12 -- On July 21, Mundelein will conduct candidate testing for three new firefighter positions created last month as part of an ongoing series of changes in the department.

In the last few months, village trustees have approved the hiring of a deputy fire chief, the elimination of the public safety director position in favor of a dedicated fire chief, the sale of a 100-foot ladder truck and a reduction in the number of lieutenants.

One new firefighter was approved in February as part of the decision to eliminate a lieutenant position. The previous total of 15 full-time firefighters now rises to 19 after trustees approved adding three more positions on June 25. In addition to the “career firefighters,” the department also uses six contract firefighters from a private firm.

Fire Chief Bill Lark made the request and gave a brief explanation during the June 25 board meeting.

“We believe there will be many benefits that will come out of this — improved service to the residents and visitors of the village, also a reduction in the amount of overtime that we’re using to cover our shifts,” Lark said.

Lark said some employees are out of the rotation due to injuries, military deployment or paid time off.

“Equally important is the well being of the fire department personnel,” Lark said. “Their physical and mental health, as well as their home lives, we believe will improve, and thusly increase the morale of the department itself.”

Mayor Steve Lentz asked Lark to explain how the three firefighters would be paid for. Village Administrator John Lobaito answered the question.

“This is something that, as we are all well aware of, played out on the front page of the paper some time back, and part of that was on the overtime,” Lobaito said. “What we knew then but couldn’t say at that time was that this was part of what we had been looking at all along.”

Pioneer Press in mid-February published a story that outlined rising tensions at the fire department between the village and Mundelein Professional Fire Fighters Local 4786.

A letter sent by the union to trustees referenced an internal memo that allegedly informed employees of a plan to eliminate three of the department’s six lieutenant positions through attrition. The union expressed concerns over safety and urged trustees to vote against the plan.

Union leaders filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Illinois Labor Relations Board against the village of Mundelein in late January.

Following a lengthy public debate, trustees on Feb. 26 voted to eliminate one lieutenant position and transfer duties previously listed under a vacant fire prevention job into the building department, while creating one new firefighter position.

At that time, Lark said the longterm goal was to eventually have four lieutenants instead of six and to hire two new firefighters this summer. He said one lieutenant would staff each 24-hour shift — instead of one at each station — and an administrative lieutenant would then substitute when other employees are injured or on vacation.

The eliminated lieutenant and fire prevention bureau job were vacant. Mundelein officials on numerous occasions said they had no intention of laying off employees.

Pioneer Press also published a story outlining Mundelein’s steadily rising overtime spending in recent years. Overtime spending reached more than $800,000 in 2017.

“Those (staffing) changes along with overtime savings will ultimately pay for these firefighters,” Lobaito said on June 25. “They are not specifically budgeted in this year’s budget, but we expect the savings in overtime to cover the cost.”

Now having committed to four new firefighter positions, Mundelein has gone beyond its previously disclosed plan.

Lark said the village still has five lieutenants and the Village Board has not formally voted to eliminate any other positions.

Brett Clark, president of Mundelein’s firefighter union, responded to the move in a statement.

“Adding three (firefighters) is definitely a step in the right direction,” Clark said. “It will help to keep progressing the services that we can give to the growing community, and will help relieve some work load from having four people out on injury. Hopefully we can maintain the extra needed manpower.”

Clark said the labor charge relating to Mundelein’s lieutenant staffing plan is still ongoing. He declined to comment on the case’s status.

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