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Fire department urges trustees to return holiday light parade to Saturday over staffing and safety concerns
Summary
The village fire department told trustees that a Sunday-night holiday lights parade strains volunteer staffing and risks response capacity; trustees discussed rolling closures, signage and police coordination and agreed to place a resolution to revisit the date on the next agenda.
The village’s fire department told trustees at the May 12 working session that moving the holiday light parade from Saturday to Sunday creates staffing problems that would likely leave the department short-handed and reduce turnout from volunteers and visiting towns.
A fire-department representative (speaker 10) said the department was not contacted before the date change and warned that Sunday night operations conflict with Monday work schedules. “If you guys wanna keep it a Sunday, that’s fine, but I don’t think we could end it here. I’m not gonna have people,” the representative said, describing difficulty staffing trucks and cleaning up decorations after a late-night event.
Trustees discussed alternatives including a rolling closure approach to shorten closures, clearer advance signage, and working with the police department to limit the time streets are closed. Trustee comments noted downtown business impacts and the importance of coordinating volunteer schedules with surrounding villages that send trucks and personnel.
Trustees directed staff to place a resolution on the next agenda to reconsider the parade date and to coordinate with the fire department and police on signage and closure timing.
