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Kankakee fire chief reports staffing shortfalls, higher overtime and $100,419 in monthly bills
Summary
Fire Chief LaRoche reported the department was staffed with 46 personnel against a budgeted 51, with three part-time interns and two staff on alternate duty. June overtime totaled $29,315.60 and the department's monthly bills totaled $100,419.22; the committee approved payment of the bills.
Fire Chief LaRoche told the Kankakee City Public Safety Committee that the fire department remains understrength and that operational costs and overtime were elevated in June.
The chief said the department is staffed with 46 personnel while the budgeted complement is 51, leaving the department short five firefighters. He added there are three part-time interns and two employees working alternate duty because of injury, producing an "active roster of 45" by his accounting.
Why it matters: Staffing shortages contributed to higher overtime and replacement costs during June. Chief LaRoche said overtime for the month was $29,315.60 and attributed much of that to contractual staffing requirements, covering injured staff and school-related training releases. He said the department is reassigning Lieutenant Zacco and Captain Salazar from uptown duties back to shift work to help reduce overtime.
Chief LaRoche reviewed bills and purchases for June, citing several line items: tires for a vehicle at $3,890; an EMS billing contract invoiced at about $7,254; E.O. Solutions software at $6,717.72; five pairs of turnout gear from MES totaling $18,800; and training costs of $1,450 for two firefighters. He reported the month's total bills as $100,419.22; the committee moved and approved payment.
Operational incidents: The chief reported the department responded to 663 calls in June, 415 of which were medical calls. The department responded to one reported structure (garage) fire at 44 South Elm with estimated damage of $5,000; that fire is under investigation as suspicious. For the year to date the chief gave a cumulative fire-damage figure of $192,500 (15 fires year-to-date), and he reported 11 suspected overdose incidents so far this year.
Fire prevention and training: The fire prevention bureau conducted 140 life-safety inspections in June and installed four smoke detectors and one carbon-monoxide detector through outreach work. Training in June included OSHA/ISO standards, hazmat drills, firefighting and water-rescue exercises; the July training calendar was provided to the committee.
Provenance: Staffing, billing and overtime figures are from the chief's report beginning at 00:04:00; detail on bills and the vote to approve the invoice package are at 00:04:37'00:06:06. The structure fire and response counts are from 00:08:01'00:10:09.
