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Franklin Park commission hears police, fire staffing shortfalls; schedules oral interviews
Summary
At an April 6 meeting, commissioners heard that both police and fire departments face vacancies and recent departures tied to pay; oral interviews for candidates were scheduled for April 26 and chiefs said retirements and deployments will deepen short-term staffing pressure.
FRANKLIN PARK — The Village of Franklin Park Fire & Police Commission on April 6 was briefed on recruiting and retention challenges facing both departments and set oral interviews for prospective hires as chiefs warned short-term vacancies will persist.
Chief Tom Ferris told the commission that 21 candidates attended the police physical agility test and 15 passed; of those 15 who took the written exam, eight failed and the remainder will move forward to oral interviews. Ferris said Officer James McCroary will be deployed for one year beginning April 16 and that "Dominick Marrazzo from our prior list has his power on Wednesday, if he passes he will be sworn in sometime before our next meeting." He did not provide a precise timetable for swearing in beyond that statement.
Chief Mark Stewart said the fire department has lost another firefighter to a higher-paying job and currently has three vacancies and three personnel out with injuries. He said a written firefighter exam administered through the National Testing Network closed April 1 with 17 takers; the department reached nine respondents, of whom four are paramedics and five are still in training and expected to finish before hiring decisions are made.
"We will have one more person retire in May and another in June due to age and time," Stewart said, noting retirements will add to staffing pressure. He asked the commission to schedule oral interviews for the nine candidates who responded; Commissioner Irene Herrera set interviews for Sunday, April 26, at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and asked Secretary Dinorah Rangel to notify candidates.
Commissioner Guillermo Rios raised concerns about pay and retention, asking whether the village is losing employees because of salary differences and "can we do something about it." Chief Stewart said compensation is set by the Village Board and that he has been working with the board; he added, "we have had twelve to thirteen people leave due to pay," and said he planned to discuss pay adjustments at a meeting later that night.
Procedural items at the start and end of the roughly nine-minute meeting included approval of the March 2 meeting minutes — a motion by Commissioner Irene Herrera, seconded by Commissioner Guillermo Rios, which passed — and an adjournment motion by Herrera, seconded by Rios, that passed "with all in favor" at 6:09 p.m.
The commission recorded no unfinished business and no public comments during the meeting. The chiefs and commissioners said they will continue recruitment and follow up on candidate notifications and compensation discussions with the Village Board.
