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Skokie fire chief outlines FY27 requests and pilots fourth ambulance amid rising call volumes
Summary
Fire Chief Nick Eshner told trustees the department answered 11,033 calls in 2025 and proposed piloting a fourth ambulance during daily 'power hours' (8 a.m.–6 p.m.) three days a week using overtime; staff warned permanently staffing a seventh-day ambulance and building a new station would add substantial annual costs.
Chief Nick Eshner and his command staff presented the Fire Department’s 2025 operational statistics and FY27 funding requests, telling the board the department responded to 11,033 calls in calendar year 2025 and averages roughly 30 calls per day. Chief Eshner said station 18 handled the greatest share—about 46–48%—and that engine 18 and ambulance 18 were the busiest units.
Eshner described recent investments in training, accreditation and apparatus upgrades (moving to ALS-capable rigs across the fleet) and summarized FY27 staffing and program requests: a community-risk-reduction intern to analyze data and drive prevention outreach; continued…
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