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Oak Lawn Fire Department wins 10th Mission Lifeline Gold Award; new deputy chief sworn in and personnel promotions approved
Summary
The Village of Oak Lawn honored the fire department’s 10th Mission Lifeline Gold Award and held a swearing-in for Deputy Chief Patrick Kehoe Jr.; the board also approved several personnel actions for fire and police during the consent agenda.
The Village of Oak Lawn on Aug. 26 recognized the Oak Lawn Fire Department’s tenth consecutive Mission Lifeline Gold Award from the American Heart Association and swore in Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Kehoe Jr., while the board approved related personnel actions in the consent agenda.
The award presentation, delivered by Dr. Jessica Sennet, identified the recognition as honoring “rigorous standards, maintaining fast response times, and executing highly coordinated life saving interventions.” The board then conducted an in-person oath and badge-pinning for Deputy Chief Patrick Kehoe Jr.; Kehoe introduced family members who attended the ceremony.
Why this matters: The Mission Lifeline Gold Award marks sustained performance in prehospital cardiac and stroke care, a public-safety metric the board highlighted as evidence of the department’s capability. The personnel items approved by the board will fill operational vacancies created by the departmental promotions.
In the consent agenda, the board approved the Fire and Police Commission’s recommendations to promote one bureau chief of fire prevention, one captain, one lieutenant and one fire engineer to fill vacancies generated by the deputy chief appointment, and to hire one firefighter-paramedic from the eligibility list. The board also approved the appointment of Myra Olavara to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.
Discussion vs. action: The award and the swearing-in were ceremonial and informational; the promotions, hiring and the commission appointment were approved as formal actions under the consent agenda. The consent motion was moved and seconded and the board voted unanimously in favor (Trustees Stalker, Sock, Pembroke, Olynychak and Malo voted yes), producing formal approval of those items.
Officials and attributions: Dr. Jessica Sennet, identified herself as the EMS medical director at Advocate Christ and delivered the Mission Lifeline remarks, saying the recognition “represents life saved and a deep commitment to putting the health and safety of this community first.” During the badge ceremony, Deputy Chief Patrick Kehoe Jr. thanked the board and family members and said he looked forward to serving the village in his new role.
Operational detail: The promotions were described in the consent agenda as intended to fill vacancies created by the deputy chief appointment; the hire of a firefighter-paramedic was from an existing eligibility list. The board did not provide additional implementation dates or personnel start dates during the meeting.
Ending: The board placed the personnel items on the consent agenda and approved them without separate discussion; the village will implement the promotions and hiring through the usual human-resources and commission procedures.
