Oak Park trustees receive two conflicting fire‑department studies as board weighs hiring 6–9 firefighters and station upgrades

IAFF Local 95 and an independent consultant gave Oak Park trustees sharply different road maps for the village’s fire operations on Oct. 14, setting the issue up as a major budget decision for fiscal 2026.

The union (IAFF Local 95) presented a study it commissioned through the International Association of Firefighters and argued Oak Park’s current deployment — three firefighters per apparatus and a 16‑person daily minimum — falls short of national safety standards. "To meet the industry standards you should staff all fire apparatus with a minimum of four firefighters," Local 95 President Robert Toth said, citing NFPA 1710 and OSHA 1910, and recommended hiring nine firefighters (three per shift) to reduce overtime, meet OSHA "two‑in/two‑out" safety rules and improve on‑scene capability.

The village’s independent assessment from Baker Tilly urged a more measured, fiscally cautious path. Baker Tilly consultant Steve Tolar told trustees the short‑term cost to raise minimum staffing to four per apparatus would be about $2.3 million in recurring personnel costs; a longer‑term push toward six per apparatus plus a new engine would add several…