Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Kankakee fire chief reports aging apparatus, delayed replacements and $122,659 in bills
Summary
Fire Chief LaRoche told the Public Safety Committee the department is short four sworn firefighters, plans to add interns, reported major vehicle repairs and a 1998 aerial ladder taken out of service, and said a new aerial won’t arrive until 2027 while a grant-funded engine is expected in late 2026.
Fire Chief LaRoche updated the Kankakee City Public Safety Committee on staffing and equipment on the department's April report. “We have 47 sworn firefighters. We were down we're short 4 personnel,” LaRoche said, noting a budgeted strength of 51 and describing two part‑time interns and plans to hire an additional intern.
LaRoche reviewed bills for the month and said the fire department's bills totaled $122,658.97, which the committee approved by roll call. “We ended the fiscal year, last week. We did pretty well for our budget,” he said. The committee approved the bills by voice/roll call with aye votes recorded from Aldermen Pruf, O'Brien, Swanson, Jones and the chair.
LaRoche said the department spent substantially on vehicle…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
