Hinsdale announces DuPage County grants to speed firefighter gear replacement, fund regional social worker

HINSDALE, Ill. — Village President Greg Hart said DuPage County member-initiative grants will allow Hinsdale to accelerate replacement of critical firefighting protective equipment and to join a regional social-worker program serving local police and residents.

Hart said the county funding — secured through advocacy by county board members representing the area — eliminates a planned five-year phase-in for turnout gear and lets the village buy the equipment “immediately.” He said the program also will bring a full-time licensed clinical social worker shared among Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Darien and Willowbrook through a partnership with Northeast DuPage Family and Youth Services Organization.

The grants are part of the county’s member initiative program, Hart told trustees, and he thanked DuPage County board members for their role. “This funding will allow the village to accelerate the replacement of vital gear worn by our firefighters when responding to emergencies including structural fires, traffic collisions and hazardous situations,” Hart said. “It quite literally helps keep our firefighters alive.”

County Board Member Carrie Galassi, who spoke at the meeting, said she sought the funding because of her interest in public safety and personal gratitude for local firefighters. “The ability to bring these dollars back to Hinsdale, my hometown, is really very rewarding,” Galassi said. She also said bringing a social-worker resource closer to this corner of the county matters because the county’s crisis recovery center in Wheaton is a long drive for many residents.

Sabrina Shirley, introduced at the meeting as Hinsdale’s new social worker, said she has experience in police social work and crisis response and that early community feedback has been positive. “I definitely have experience in police social work and serving the community,” Shirley said. “Mental health crisis, domestic violence — those things happen everywhere. So it's been a pleasure getting to know the community.”

Trustees did not vote on the grants themselves during the president’s report; later in the meeting trustees approved a separate intergovernmental agreement to purchase 13 sets of turnout gear using DuPage County member-initiative funding, county reimbursement, and village procurement procedures (see “Votes at a glance” in this file). Officials said the village will make the purchase and the county will reimburse the cost.

Hart framed the social-worker program as a governance shift that will integrate social work with policing so officers have trained support when responding to residents in crisis.

The village said the social-worker position will be coordinated with Chief Brian King and will further integrate services across first responders, schools and senior services. Hart also publicly thanked DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy and county board members from his district for backing the awards.

Ending: Officials said the social-worker hire and the firefighting equipment replacement represent near-term deliverables from the county partnership; trustees approved the related spending authorization on the evening agenda. For more detail on the purchase authorization and the formal vote record, see the actions section below.