Orland Fire Protection District
ANNUAL REPORT
2020
Table of Contents
Facilities Board of Trustees Board of Fire Commissioners Command Staff Message from the Fire Chief Administrative Staff Memorials Years of Service Unit Commendation Awards OFPD by the Numbers Incidents by Station Area Apparatus Staffing Significant Incidents Mutual Aid Fire Investigations Emergency Medical Services Training Training Academy 2019 2019 Fire Academy Graduation/Swearing In Specialty Teams: Water Rescue & Recovery Technical Rescue Haz Mat IL Task Force 1—Search & Rescue Communications/Dispatch Support Services Finance Fire Prevention Bureau Fire & Life Safety Education Senior Advisory Council Human Resources/Staffing Promotions Retirements Honor Guard Cadet Program Apparatus
Page 1 2 3 4-5 6 7 8-9 10-11 12-15 16-19 20 21 22-25 25 26-27 28-31 32-35 36-37 38-39 40 41 42-43 44 45 46-52 53-55 56-57 58-61 62-63 64-67 68 69 70 71 72-73
Facilities
Administration 9790 West 151st Street Orland Park, Illinois 60462 (708) 349-0074 Phone (708) 349-0354 Fax www.orlandfire.org
Station 1 9790 West 151st Street
Station 4 16515 South 94th Avenue
Station 2 15100 80th Avenue
Station 3 15101 Wolf Road
Station 5 8851 West 143rd Street
Station 6 17640 Wolf Road
Training Facility 10728 West 163rd Place
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Board of Trustees
L to R: Trustee/President Pro Tem John Brudnak, Trustee James Hickey, Trustee/Board President Christopher Evoy, Trustee/ Treasurer Jayne Schirmacher and Trustee/Secretary Craig Schmidt
As elected officials, the Board of Trustees are the Executives of our District. Trustees meet a minimum of once each month to approve, discuss and direct the Fire Chief in the administration of the District. Through the direction of President Evoy and the Board of Trustees, the Orland Fire Protection District staff is held accountable to the Board of Trustees for delivering the highest quality of services to our residents. The accomplishments of our District in 2020 were the direct result of our Board’s dedication to the Orland Fire Protection District’s mission of serving our residents.
Legal Counsel
Attorney James Roche James J. Roche & Associates Chicago, IL 2
Board of Trustees 2021 Meeting Dates January 26, 2021
July 27, 2021
February 23, 2021
August 24, 2021
March 23, 2021
September 28, 2021
April 27, 2021
October 26, 2021
May 25, 2021
November 16, 2021
June 22, 2021
December 21, 2021
Board of Fire Commissioners The Board of Fire Commissioners are appointed by the Board of Trustees. The function of this Board is to conduct the testing of new Firefighter candidates, promotional processes and potential discipline process.
Board of Fire Commissioners 2019 Meeting Dates January 4, 2021 February 1, 2021 March 1, 2021
Fire Commissioners: Glenn Kraemer, Brian O’Neill, and Chairman Matthew Rafferty
Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer administering the Lieutenant Oath of Office to newlypromoted Lieutenant Doug DePersia on 2/19/20
April 5, 2021
May 3. 2021
Legal Counsel
June 7, 2021 July 12, 2021 August 2, 2021 September 13, 2021 October 4, 2021 November 1, 2021 December 6, 2021
Attorney Eric Stach DelGaldo Law Group, LLC Berwyn, IL 3
Command Staff Fire Chief /Administrator Michael Schofield was appointed by and is held accountable to the Board of Trustees. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer and is the highest-ranking Officer in the Fire District. He is responsible for aligning the entire Fire District with the vision of the Board of Trustees.
Deputy Chief Nicholas Cinquepalmi was appointed by and is held accountable to the Board of Trustees. He serves as the Deputy Chief and as Acting Fire Chief in the Fire Chief’s absence. The Deputy Chief oversees the work of the Administrative and Operations Chiefs, which includes: Training, EMS, Special Ops, Dispatch, Risk Reduction & Life Safety, Physical Resources and Technical Resources Division.
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Command Staff
Administrative Chief Daniel Smith manages the Orland Fire Protection District’s Administrative Services, which include: Fire Prevention, Dispatch, Information Technology and Officer Development.
Operations Chief David Piper manages the Orland Fire Protection District’s Operational Services, which include: Suppression, Emergency Medical Services, Specialty Teams and Training.
Shift Battalion Chiefs Shift Battalion Chiefs are responsible for a shift of Firefighter/Paramedics. Each monitors and manages the day-to-day operations of our six fire stations on his shift. Each station has one Shift Lieutenant who reports directly to the Battalion Chief.
Battalion Chief William Leddin Shift 1— Black Shift
Battalion Chief Robert Stachnik Shift 2— Red Shift
Battalion Chief Joseph Moore Shift 3— Gold Shift
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Message from the Fire Chief Dear Board of Trustees, Commissioners and Residents of the Orland Fire Protection District: I am truly humbled to serve as the Fire Chief/Administrator of the Orland Fire Protection District. I have been a resident of the Fire District for 48 years and a member of the Fire District for over 40 years. In that time, my excitement to serve this District has never diminished. I am pleased to present the 2020 Annual Report. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Commissioners and the members of the Orland Fire Protection District, we wish to thank our community for all their support. 2020 has proven to be the most challenging in my 40+years in the fire service, but has also become my proudest time as a Chief Officer. Early in January, we started to watch Covid-19 spread in China and Europe. We increased our orders for protective equipment only to find out all orders were cancelled due to the government stock piling supplies on a priority basis. By March, it became apparent we were in a worldwide pandemic. Like most people, we found it hard to get accurate information in the beginning. The Orland Fire Protection District had enough masks and safety equipment on hand and we were able to find more equipment throughout the pandemic to keep our Firefighters/ Paramedics safe. Our Command & EMS staff were able to develop new procedures on how to deal with the pandemic on calls and in the fire stations, with the goal of maintaining our service level while keeping our members safe. With significant outbreaks in our nursing homes, we worked closely with them—offering any help we could and did daily checks with them. We provided public service announcements about Covid-19, and our public education meetings were conducted via Zoom video conferencing. As the Fire District dealt with the pandemic, we also had to deal with the possibility of civil unrest. The Orland Fire Protection District trains regularly with our Police, and together we have created Policies & Procedures for joint operations in times of civil unrest and/or active shooter situations. During this pandemic the Orland Fire Protection District has worked closely with the Villages of Orland Park and Orland Hills. We shared resources, Covid-19 procedures and operational policies. Throughout 2020, we continued to provide the same service level to our residents as they expected, and behind the scenes we worked diligently to ensure that there would be no interruption in staffing, equipment and responses.
The Covid-19 pandemic was one of the biggest challenges ever to affect the Orland Fire District, but we were well prepared because of our continuous training for major disasters, which this was. We have previously trained on H1N1 and have developed a Pharmaceutical Distribution Plan with Orland Park and Orland Hills. Though this pandemic required a different type of vaccination, the ground work and training we had done in the past better enabled us to react in a short time to the pandemic. In 2020 the Orland Fire Protection District still had to respond to fire and EMS calls and we did this with the same passion and training as before. The only difference is we did it wearing Covid-19 protection, and we did all this by holding down costs, and with a minimal increase in property taxes. The safety of our residents remains our primary concern and we will continue to be the leader in fire and EMS in our region through training and quick response times. I want to thank our Board of Fire Commissioners and Firefighters Local 2754 for working with us through the pandemic; our Administrative staff, Command Staff, EMS and Training staff, who put in hundreds of additional hours in 2020 to ensure everyone remained safe and healthy, and our Board of Trustees for supporting us and working with us so that we could maintain the highest level of service possible. Respectfully,
Fire Chief
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Administrative Staff Fire Prevention Bureau
Retired April ‘20
Gerry Strunka Executive Assistant
Joan Pickens Admin. Assistant Support Services
Mike Ercoli
Patrick Collier
Betsy Dine
Fire Prevention Bureau Supervisor
Fire Inspector
Public Life & Safety Educator
Human Resources
Finance
IT
Employment Change Oct. ‘20
Kerry Sullivan Finance Director
Mary Coughlin
Micaela Enriquez
Assistant Finance Assistant Finance Director
Lucy McGlynn Human Resources Director
EMS
Lori Gromala
Communications Director
Dispatch Supervisor
Mike Angel
HR Assistant
IT Technician
Support Services
Dispatch
William Neumann
Stephanie Koenig
Training
Lieutenant Jim Hynes Support Services
Lieutenant Mark Duke EMS Administrator
Mark Koczwara Building Maintenance Technician
Lieutenant Michael Siefert Training Officer
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Memorials Line of Duty In Memory of Battalion Chief William Bonnar, Sr. February 25, 2020, marked the 22nd anniversary of Chief William Bonnar Sr.’s death in the line-of-duty. Bill was born June 4, 1936 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He worked in the trucking industry and moved to Orland Park in the early 1960’s. Bill volunteered for the Orland Fire District and was one of the first Paramedics at Ingalls Memorial Hospital. He joined the Chicago Fire Department and was on some of the busiest ambulances for three years. Bill joined the Orland Fire District full-time in 1977, rose to the rank of Lieutenant in 1981, was Shift Commander in 1989, and then Battalion Chief in 1990. He died in the line-of-duty, doing what he always enjoyed, training with his shift. Bill is survived by his wife Pat, and three children: the late Colleen, William Jr. (the late Sue) and Kathy (Leo) DeLair and eight grandchildren. Bill was known for a desire to learn, a unique passion for excellence and commitment to lead. He was proud of all his education and training, especially his Fire Officer III.
June 4, 1936 to February 25, 1998
Bill was a charter member of Local 2754 and its first President. He saw the district change in his 26 years from rural to urban, from volunteer to full-time. He loved his job, the fire district and the fire service.
In Memory of Lieutenant Raymond Marquardt , Sr. September 14, 2020, marked the 11th anniversary of Lieutenant Raymond C. Marquardt, Sr.’s death due to a line of duty illness. Ray was born in Blue Island Illinois and graduated from Blue Island Community High School in 1957. He married Nancy Bomard at Salem Lutheran Church in Blue Island in 1959. Ray joined the Orland Fire District in 1967, full-time in 1977, rose to the rank of Lieutenant and was in charge of the Fire Prevention Bureau for several years. He retired from the department in 1999. Ray and his late wife Nancy are survived by 4 children Kimberly (Harold) Solley, Judith (Ronald) Brown, Retired Orland Engineer Ray (Linda) Marquardt and Homer Fire Captain Brent (Michelle) Marquardt, along with grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ray was known for his love of Cushman Motor Scooters and fishing, and greatly enjoyed spending time with his family and grandchildren. 8
November 16, 1938 to September 14, 2009
Memorials 9-1-1 Remembrance Memorial On September 11, 2020, the Orland Fire Protection District held its annual Memorial Service to remember those who so tragically lost their lives to terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This year’s ceremony marked the 19th year since the horrific attack on our country.
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Years of Service Sworn Personnel The following employees celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2020:
Battalion Chief Joseph Moore
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Lieutenant Gerald Bohne
Lieutenant James Mazurkiewicz
Lieutenant David Nagel
Lieutenant George Schick
Years of Service
Firefighter Matt Delestowicz
Firefighter Marc DeSardi
Firefighter Jonathan Kendra
Firefighter Shaun McDonald
Firefighter Daniel Fagan
Firefighter Joseph Miller
Firefighter Garrett Flavin
Firefighter Zachary Zweizig
Non-Sworn Personnel
Support Services
Fire Prevention Bureau
The following employees celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2020:
Mike Ercoli
Mark Koczwara
Supervisor
Building Maintenance Technician
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Unit Commendations 01/10/2020 Crew: Firefighter Ryan Bouche, Firefighter Brian Thompson, Lieutenant Bob Winkelman, Engineer Mike Haran, Firefighter Orlando Lopez, Lieutenant Dave Nagel, Engineer Keith Radke, Firefighter Bob Stoltz, Battalion Chief Bill Leddin Crews responded to the scene for a possible diabetic emergency. On arrival the crews found the patient in cardiac arrest and performed high performance CPR. After initiating ALS care, including IO medication administration, the patient regained a pulse and was transported to Silver Cross ER. 01/23/2020 Crew: Firefighter Brandon Klekamp, Firefighter Tim Kirincic, Lieutenant Dave Nagel, Engineer Keith Radke, Firefighter Bob Stoltz, Lieutenant Bob Griffin, Engineer Jason Postma, Firefighter John Kendra Crews responded to the scene for a cardiac arrest. On arrival the patient was assessed and found in Ventricular Fibrillation. High performance CPR was initiated. The patient was defibrillated and ALS care was initiated. After ALS care and CPR the patient regained a pulse and was transported to Palos Community Hospital for further care. 01/27/2020 Crew: Firefighter Chuck Murray, Firefighter John Cortilet, Firefighter Jim Wooten, Engineer Adrian Puente, Firefighter Brian Agle, Lieutenant Keith Fontana, Engineer Doug DePersia, Firefighter Justin Shanklin, Lieutenant John Purtill, Engineer Brian Myhre, Firefighter Joe Miller, Battalion Chief Joe Moore
Crews responded to the scene for a cardiac arrest. On arrival the crews found a 56 year-old female in PEA. The responding crewmembers performed high performance CPR and ALS interventions. The patient obtained ROSC and was transported to Palos Hospital for further care. 01/29/2020 Crew: Firefighter Marc DeSardi, Firefighter Dan Mejdrech, Lieutenant Bob Murphy III, Engineer Nick Pycz, Firefighter Shaun McDonald, Lieutenant Josh Girdick, Engineer Mike Meyrick, Firefighter Jeff Anderson, Battalion Chief RJ Stachnik Crews responded to the scene for a cardiac arrest. On arrival the crews found a 64 year-old male patient in cardiac arrest. The patient had CPR performed and 1 defibrillation given via an AED prior to EMS arrival. The responding crews initiated ALS care and the patient was transported to Palos Hospital ER where the patient regained a pulse. 02/03/2020 Crew: Engineer Brian Agle, Firefighter Justin Shanklin, Lieutenant Carl Jones, Engineer Adrian Puente, Firefighter John Cortilet, Lieutenant Matt Johnson, Engineer Matt Giermala, Firefighter Jim Wooten, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Crews responded to the scene for an unresponsive 57 year-old male patient. While enroute OFPD Dispatch upgraded to a Cardiac Arrest Response. Orland PD was on the scene and performing CPR prior to Orland Fire arrival. ALS care was initiated and advanced procedures were performed including IO medication administration and intubation. After multiple cardiac rhythm changes the patient was transported to Silver Cross ER where he regained a pulse after transfer to ER staff. 02/19/2020 Crew: Firefighter Marc DeSardi, Firefighter Shaun McDonald, Lieutenant Bob Murphy III, Engineer Nick Pycz, Firefighter Dan Mejdrech Crews responded to the scene for an ill person on the racquetball court. Prior to Orland Fire arrival on the scene the facilities staff performed CPR and applied an AED where the device advised to deliver a shock. The shock was delivered and CPR continued. The patient regained a pulse and was treated per ALS protocol by Orland Fire personnel. The patient was treated and transported to Palos Hospital for further care.
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Unit Commendations 03/27/2020 Crew: Engineer Brian Agle, Firefighter Jeff Sheldon, Lieutenant Dan Ritchie, Engineer Brian Paliga, Firefighter Justin Dublin, Lieutenant Doug DePersia, Engineer Adrian Puente, Firefighter Dan Fagan, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Protection Paramedics responded to the nursing home for a cardiac arrest. On arrival the crews found a 91 year-old female in cardiac arrest with nursing staff performing CPR. The crews took over CPR and initiated ALS care including IO medication administration, intubation, and defibrillation. The patient achieved ROSC and was transported to Palos Hospital ER for further treatment. 03/29/2020 Crew: Firefighter Shaun McDonald, Firefighter Marc DeSardi, Lieutenant Erick Johnson, Engineer Jim Strzechowski, Firefighter Brian Nanak Crews responded to the scene for a person down for an unknown cause. On arrival the crew found a 56 year old female patient who had multiple sycopal episodes. The patient experienced several cardiac rhythm changes that required ALS care and synchronized cardioversion multiple times. The patient went into cardiac arrest for a short duration and achieved ROSC prior to arriving at Silver Cross ER for further care. 04/10/2020 Crew: Firefighter Brian Thompson, Firefighter Charlie Duer, Lieutenant Josh Girdick, Engineer Travis Herrin, Firefighter Kory Tuburan, Lieutenant George Schick, Engineer Matt Giermala, Firefighter Jeff Ruchniewicz, Battalion Chief RJ Stachnik
Crews responded to the scene for a cardiac arrest victim at a nursing facility. On arrival the responding paramedics found nursing staff performing CPR on a 71 year-old patient. The crewmembers took over CPR and performed ALS care including defibrillation. The patient regained a pulse after transport to Palos Hospital. 04/26/2020 Crew: Firefighter Jason Smith, Firefighter Jim Schultz, Lieutenant Doug DePersia, Engineer Dan Koenig, Firefighter Jim Wooten, Lieutenant Eric Zielinski, Engineer Adrian Puente, Firefighter Justin Shanklin, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for an 88-year-old cardiac arrest victim. Responding personnel performed ALS interventions and high performance CPR. Prior to leaving the scene the patient regained a pulse and was transported to Silver Cross ER without a change in the patients condition. 06/04/2020 Crew: Firefighter Tim Sierazy, Firefighter Andrew Hiller, Lieutenant John Purtill, Engineer Brian Myhre, Firefighter Sergio Navarro, Lieutenant Eric Zielinski, Engineer Brian Paliga, Firefighter Justin Dublin, Firefighter Anthony Kaskadden, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a 98 year-old female who was in cardiac arrest. The responding personnel performed ALS interventions including IO medication administration, and intubation. The patient regained a pulse after approximately 18 minutes of care and was transported to Palos Hospital for further care
06/29/2020 Crew: Firefighter Dan Fagan, Firefighter Austin Childers, Lieutenant Steve Kovats, Engineer Matt Burke, Firefighter Jim Pape, Lieutenant Dave Popp, Engineer Dan Koenig, Firefighter Mike Pericht, Battalion Chief Bill Leddin Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a 48 year old in cardiac arrest. Responding crews performed high performance CPR and initiated ALS protocol including IO medication administration and intubation. The patient regained a pulse prior to arrival of Palos Hospital ER where patient care was transferred and continued.
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Unit Commendations 07/17/2020 Crew: Firefighter Marty Majda, Firefighter William Patterson, Lieutenant Tom Panzica, Engineer Brian Agle, Firefighter Brandon Toth, Lieutenant Dave Popp, Engineer Matt Giermala, Firefighter Mike Pericht, Battalion Chief Bill Leddin Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a seizure. On their arrival they found a 33 year old in cardiac arrest. The patient was treated with high performance CPR along with ALS interventions and regained a pulse prior to transport to Palos Hospital ER for further care.
07/27/2020 Crew: Firefighter Don Andersen, Firefighter Bryan Kluever, Lieutenant Erick Johnson, Engineer Jim Strzechowski, Firefighter Jeff Anderson, Lieutenant George Schick, Engineer Joe Mandekich, Firefighter Jeff Ruchniewicz, Firefighter Brian Nanak, Battalion Chief RJ Stachnik Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the nursing facility for a cardiac arrest. On arrival responding crews found a 60 year-old in cardiac arrest with CPR in progress by nursing facility staff. ALS care was initiated with IO medication administration and intubation being performed. The patient obtained ROSC on the scene after three rounds of medications and was transported to Palos Hospital for further care. 08/06/2020 Crew: Firefighter Sergio Navarro, Firefighter Anthony Kaskadden, Lieutenant Dan Ritchie, Engineer Brian Myhre, Firefighter Joe Miller, Lieutenant Tom Panzica, Engineer Brian Paliga, Firefighter Justin Dublin, Battalion Chief Dave Piper Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene of a medical facility for a 58 year-old patient in cardiac arrest. Prior to EMS arrival nursing staff performed CPR and provided one defibrillation. Orland EMS found the patient still unresponsive but with a pulse. Orland EMS continued ALS protocol and supported the patient with IO medication administration and intubation. The patient was transported without change in condition to Palos Hospital for further care. 08/24/2020 Crew: Firefighter Shaun McDonald, Firefighter Rosendo Rodriguez, Lieutenant Bob Murphy III, Engineer Nick Pycz, Firefighter Dan Mejdrech, Lieutenant Josh Girdick, Engineer Mike Meyrick, Firefighter Kory Tuburan, Battalion Chief RJ Stachnik
Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a 55 year-old cardiac arrest victim. The patient was treated per ALS Protocol that included IO medications and multiple defibrillations. After ALS care was given, the patient obtained ROSC and was transported to Palos Hospital for further care. 09/03/2020 Crew: Firefighter Brandon Klekamp, Firefighter Tim Kirincic, Lieutenant Wally Rafacz, Engineer Keith Radke, Firefighter Bob Stoltz, Lieutenant Bob Winkelman, Engineer Mike Haran, Firefighter Mike Neubauer, Battalion Chief Bill Leddin Orland Fire Paramedics responded to a nursing facility for a 59 year-old cardiac arrest patient. Responding personnel found nursing staff performing CPR on the patient. The crew took over CPR and continued ALS care. The crew found the patient to have a pulse after continued ALS care. The patient was transported, without change in condition, to Silver Cross Hospital for further care.
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Unit Commendations 10/05/2020 Crew: Lieutenant Eric Zielinski, Firefighter Charlie Duer, Lieutenant John Purtill, Engineer Brian Myhre, Firefighter Marty Majda, Lieutenant Doug DePesia, Engineer Brian Paliga, Firefighter Justin Dublin, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a 25 year-old cardiac arrest victim. The responding crews found the patient in cardiac arrest and initiated ALS protocols including high performance CPR, IO medication administration and intubation. The patient achieved ROSC on the scene and was transported to Palos Hospital for further care. 10/23/2020 Crew: Firefighter Chuck Murray, Firefighter John Cortilet, Lieutenant Eric Zielinski, Firefighter Jim Wooten, Firefighter Jonathan Egan, Lieutenant Dan Ritchie, Engineer Brian Paliga, Firefighter Justin Shanklin, Firefighter Mike Pericht, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to a nursing facility for a 76 year-old cardiac arrest victim. On arrival the responding crew found the nursing staff performing CPR on the patient. The crew took over CPR and initiated ALS care and procedures including IO medication administration, ventilations via a trach, and continued CPR. The patient obtained ROSC prior to the ambulance leaving the scene. The patient was transported to emergency room without any change in condition and the patient’s care was continued at Silver Cross ER. 11/01/2020 Crew: Firefighter John Cortilet, Firefighter Justin Shanklin, Lieutenant Carl Jones, Firefighter Don Andersen, Firefighter Mike Pericht, Lieutenant Doug DePersia, Engineer Matt Burke, Firefighter Anthony Kaskadden, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a 91 year-old cardiac arrest victim. Crews established ALS Protocol along with high performance CPR. ALS interventions included intubation, IO medication administration, and defibrillation. The patient was transported to Silver Cross Hospital where the patient regained a pulse in the ER. 11/14/2020 Crew: Firefighter Gary Flavin, Firefighter Austin Childers, Lieutenant Wally Rafacz, Engineer Vince Piatak, Firefighter Jim Pape, Lieutenant Doug DePersia, Engineer Travis Herrin, Firefighter Mike Pericht, Battalion Chief RJ Stachnik Orland Fire Paramedics were dispatched for a 56 year-old patient having a heart attack. While en route Orland Dispatch upgraded the alarm to a cardiac arrest response. On arrival the responding crews found the patient in cardiac arrest and initiated high performance CPR and ALS protocols and procedures including IO medication administration, defibrillation, and intubation. The patient achieved ROSC on the scene and the patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further care. 11/16/2020 Crew: Firefighter Chuck Murray, Firefighter John Cortilet, Lieutenant Eric Zielinski, Engineer Dan Koenig, Firefighter Jim Wooten, Lieutenant Carl Jones, Engineer Adrian Puente, Firefighter William Patterson, Battalion Chief Joe Moore Orland Fire Paramedics responded to the scene for a syncopal episode. On arrival the responding crews found a 63 year-old patient in cardiac arrest. The crews initiated CPR and ALS protocol and procedures including IO medication administration, and intubation. The patient regained a pulse on the scene and was transported to Silver Cross ER. While en route the patient lost their pulse but ROSC was achieved again while at Silver Cross’s emergency room.
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OFPD By the Numbers The performance of emergency responders is often measured by the time it takes personnel to arrive on the scene of the emergency call. Many steps take place prior to the arrival of a Paramedic at your side or a Firefighter with a hose full of water. The steps include call processing time in the dispatch center, notification to the appropriate fire station, crews suit up and mount apparatus, response of apparatus from fire station to scene, arrival of personnel and assembling of equipment, and then intervention. Orland Fire District uses a national guideline as our benchmark of performance. The benchmark (NFPA 1710) is used throughout the country to measure performance of career fire departments. NFPA 1710 requires four-person companies on fire apparatus responding in a timely-manner to both fire and EMS calls.
NFPA 1710 Response Guidelines:
One minute (60 seconds) for dispatch
One minute (60 seconds) for turnout time for EMS; one-minute, twenty seconds (80 seconds) for FIRE
Four minutes (240 seconds) or less travel time for the arrival of the first-due engine company at a fire suppression incident and 8 minutes (480 seconds) or less travel time for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident (15-17 firefighters)
Four minutes (240 seconds) or less travel time for the arrival of a unit with first responder or higher level capability at an emergency medical incident (with 5 personnel). *Note: all Orland Fire Companies and Ambulances are Paramedic/ALS equipped.
The fire department shall establish a performance objective of not less than 90% for the achievement of each response time objective.
Three Segments of Response Time Call Processing:
Turn Out:
Travel:
Dispatch
Unit Notification to Responding
Active Driving to the Scene
911 Call to Unit Notification
Response time is a measure of how quickly we can respond to your emergency. Our goal is to be on the scene of an ambulance call in under 6 minutes and a fire call in under 6:20 minutes for 90% of all incidents
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OFPD By the Numbers The Orland Fire District has continued to see an increase in the number of incidents to which it responds over the past 10 years. Incident volume has increased 22% from 2010 to 2020.
10 Year Incident History
Incidents Per Month
Calls Per Hour
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OFPD By the Numbers 2020 EMS and Fire Calls Per Station
2020 Incident Type
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OFPD By the Numbers 2020 Incident by Property Use Other Outside or Special Property Storage Manufacturing, Processing Industrial, Utility, Defense, Agriculture Mercantile, Business Residential Healthcare, Detention & Correctional Educational Assembly
2020 Unit Response
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Incidents By Station Area
The density charts below depict the locations of Fire, EMS and Other incidents throughout the District. Areas shaded in yellow and red represent an increase in call volume in that area of the District. The red shaded areas had the greatest number of emergency calls during the past year.
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2020 EMS Calls
2020 Fire Calls
2020 Other Calls
2020 All Calls
Apparatus Staffing Why Do We Send an Ambulance and a Fire Truck to Medical Emergencies
The Orland Fire Protection District utilizes a Computer-Aided Dispatch system that identifies the closest available unit in order to respond as quickly as possible to each emergency. All of our units are staffed with Paramedics and equipped to provide Advanced Life Support. This flexibility on response provides the best medical care to those in need.
The dynamic response platform may result in a fire truck arriving before or in conjunction with an ambulance for medical emergencies. Regardless who arrives first, the combination of units brings up to five Paramedics to each emergency. If the emergency does not warrant all of the Paramedics, the extra Paramedics return, leaving the appropriate amount of help needed to address the situation.
Currently the Orland Fire Protection District staffs a minimum of five ambulance crews, four engine companies and two truck companies daily, all staffed by Paramedics with Advanced Life Support equipment.
Ambulance
Fire Truck
Fire Engine
Staffed by 2 Paramedics Advanced Life Support 12 Lead Cardiac Monitor
Staffed by 3 Firefighter/ Paramedics Advanced Life Support Carries Manpower Ladders, Fire Pump, Water, Tools
Provide Advanced Life Support medical service Life saving medications Transportation to hospital
Rescues Ventilation Support the Fire Engine Crew
Apparatus
Service Provided
Primary Function
Staffed by 3 Firefighter/ Paramedics Advanced Life Support Carries Manpower Fire Pump, Hose, Water, Tools Extinguish the fire Vehicle Extrication Advanced Life Support
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Significant Incidents 01-27-20 Horton Plaza Fire—14400 Block of John Humphry Drive On January 27, 2020 at 8:15 p.m., the Orland Fire Protection District received a fire alarm for Horton Plaza on John Humphrey Dr. While responding, a 9-1-1 call was received for a fire inside the pet store at 14412 John Humphrey Dr. Engine 5 arrived on scene to find a small fire near the front door and activation of the sprinkler system. The call was upgraded to a commercial fire response. Engine 5 made entry, extinguished the small fire and begun ventilation of the unit. Additional companies arrived and assisted with removal of smoke from inside the pet store units. After a few minutes the smoke was removed from the store and surrounding businesses. The owner of Chicago Fish and Coral / Chicago Bird House arrived and all animals were assessed and found in good condition. No removal of animals was needed and a board up company sealed one broken window used for ventilation. The sprinkler system will be fully repaired in the morning by the building owner. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The quick activation of the sprinkler system kept the fire in check and allowed companies to protect the pets inside of the business.
Two accidents involving vehicles crashing into Orland Park buildings On February 7, 2020 at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Orland Fire District responded to a crash into the Dunkin Donuts Restaurant on 157th & Harlem Avenue. The driver of an SUV was leaving a car wash at 157th and Harlem Avenue in Orland Park when it was "cut-off" by another unknown vehicle, fire officials said. The SUV then plunged into the side of a Dunkin Donuts, crashing through a plate glass window and two brick columns, fully entering the restaurant. Fortunately, the area of the restaurant that the car struck was under construction. The driver was not injured and declined medical treatment or treatment at a local hospital. The main part of the Dunkin Donuts remained operational as the damaged area was sectioned off. No one was injured. In another accident about 10 hours later at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning February 8, 2020, a young man was driving his car southbound on Poplar Road heading towards at "T-intersection" at 147th Street when he failed to stop, crossed the main road and then struck a home. Poplar road stops at 147th Street and then continues 600 feet to the east southbound from 147th Street requiring cars to make two turns in order to continue on the road. The car struck the front door of the home, which faces the oncoming street, and wedge itself through the brick facing entering one-third of vehicle's length into the family room. The driver, identified only as a 21 year-old male, was transported to Palos Hospital with minor injuries. The owners of the home—a husband and wife, were upstairs sleeping when the crash occurred and no one from the family was injured.
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Significant Incidents 03/07/20 Forest Preserve Fire On March 7, 2020 at approximately 9 p.m., the Orland Fire District responded to the area of 17500 104 th, to investigate an outside fire. Engine 6 found a fire about a half-mile into the Forest Preserve East of 104th Ave. Approximately 2 acres had burned with fire was spreading North and East in the tall grass due to the strong southerly winds. Firefighters were able to contain it using grass paddles and water they carried in. Additional crews responded from Orland’s Station 3, 4, and 1 along with a brush truck from Tinley Park. The fire was contained in about 30 minutes with crews remaining on scene for an hour to assure it was out. The cause was undetermined and confined to about 3 acres overall.
04/03/20 Kitchen Fire On April 3, 2020 just after 1 p.m., Orland Dispatch received a 911 call reporting an oven fire in the 8700 block of Golden Rose in Orland Park. Initial units arrived to a smoke filled townhome. The homeowner and a neighbor met the Firefighters outside saying they had used a fire extinguisher on it. Orland Firefighters entered finding a small amount of fire yet burning and extinguished with a small amount of water. The fire was confined to the area around the oven, damaging the microwave above and the adjacent cabinets. That unit and the neighbor’s unit were checked to assure there was no extension of the fire. Orland Firefighters remained on scene about a half hour to ventilate the townhome. There were no injuries and the cause was determined to be combustibles stored to close to the oven. There were no injuries.
04/12/20 House Fire On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Orland Fire District received a report of a house fire in the 13600 block of Howe Drive in Orland Park by a neighbor who reported seeing heavy smoke in the area. The residents were not at home at the time, but the fire took the lives of 3 dogs and 2 cats. Two cats and two ferrets were able to be rescued. Arriving units of Battalion 6 of the Orland Fire Protection District found the single-family, single story frame home engulfed in smoke and the fire in the living room. Multiple fire crews from the Orland Fire District arrived on the scene and assisted with fire control, search and rescue and overhaul of the structure. A full still alarm was called to provide additional manpower and equipment to the scene and to back fill Orland stations. Firefighters said the fire began in the living room of the home but the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. The home is currently uninhabitable.
07/13/20 Kitchen Fire On July 13, 2020 at 4:00 p.m., the Orland Fire Protection District received a call for a possible kitchen fire in the Hunter Ridge Apartments. Companies arrived to find a flash fire had ignited and burned out from an oven. While damage was limited to the oven, two people were evaluated and one transported with injuries. Companies checked for and found no further damage from fire in the unit or surrounding apartments. While the fire is under investigation, the Fire District would like to remind individual to be careful with cleaning products around gas appliances. 23
Significant Incidents 07/29/20 Fire at Don’s Hotdogs On July 29, 2020 in the early morning, Orland Fire crews responded to a report of a structure fire at Don's Hot Dogs, 7245 W. 151st St, Orland Park. Upon arrival, Firefighters found heavy fire showing through the roof. Crews began an aggressive attack and the fire was brought under control within an hour. The fire started in the rear of the building and the cause is under investigation. While the building sustained considerable damage, no injuries were reported.
09/05/20 House Fire On September 5, 2020 at 2:50 p.m., Firefighters at the Orland Fire Protection District’s Station 5 were conducting their afternoon exercise routines inside the firehouse when they smelled something burning outside. The Firefighters rushed outside the firehouse to observe smoke coming from a home less than one block west of the firehouse located across 143rd Street. Engine 5 and an ambulance were immediately dispatched and arrived at the one and one-half story residential home in the 9000 block of Kathy Court, just as the homeowner was calling 911 to report the fire in his home. Firefighters arriving at the scene could see fire coming from the home’s attached garage. All of the occupants of the home, including all of their family pets, were able to escape to safety, with treatment for smoke inhalation provided to three of the family members. All three declined transport to a local hospital and were reported in good condition. The fire was brought under control within minutes and a search of the house revealed everyone was able to get out of the house. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
10/04/20 House Fire On October 4, 2020 at approximately 11:30 p.m., the Orland Fire District responded to a 911 fire emergency call in the 15500 block of 117th Court. A fire blazed, burning and destroying the home. Crews faced heavy fire coming from the one-story frame property and responded quickly to advance a line and extinguish the fire. The house was in a rural area without a hydrant nearby Mutual aid was also provided by fire companies from neighboring communities. The fire was put out quickly and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time. No injuries were reported.
Remember not to use water on grease fires. Use a proper extinguisher or lid for a pot on the stove and call 9-1-1
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Significant Incidents 10/8/20 Kitchen Fire On October 8, 2020 at 12:35 the Orland Fire District received a 9-1-1 call for a kitchen fire in the 16900 block of 88th Court in Orland Hills. The neighbor across the street answered calls for help and used a fire extinguisher to control the fire. Orland companies arrived on scene to finish fire control, check for extension and ventilate the structure. Damage was limited to the kitchen and some smoke damage in the house. The quick action by the neighbor using the correct extinguisher helped save further damage in the home.
10/23/20 Electrical Burning Smell from Store Sign On October 23, 2020 at 1:30pm the Orland Fire District was called to the 9100 block of 151st Street for the smell of burning electric. Caller on the scene reported the electrical burning smell began 20 minutes after the signs were turned on. The signs were turned off and 9-1-1 was called. While investigating the source inside and outside of the structure, the business' sign started on fire. Companies evacuated the building, initiated fire extinguishment, overhaul and salvage activities. Additional companies were called to the scene to assist. The fire was quickly extinguished, damages was limited to the sign and the area it was attached to the building. Cause was determined to be electrical. Orland Fire Protection District was assisted by Palos Fire Protection District, and Tinley Park Fire Department.
Mutual Aid Orland Fire Protection District provides mutual aid to and receives mutual aid from other fire departments. Along with handling incidents within our own jurisdiction, Orland Fire is regularly-requested to assist surrounding agencies with their incidents. The request may be to cover a fire station for subsequent incidents or to assist with personnel and equipment on the scene. A single incident can be taxing to the resources of any fire department, which has resulted in mutual-aid agreements pre-arranging the assistance prior to an incident and specifying who responds with what personnel, apparatus and equipment. The Orland Fire Protection District is a member of MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 19.
2020 Mutual Aid Aid Received 70
Aid Given 317
Mutual Aid Given Bedford Park Blue Island Bradley FPD Bridgeview Burbank
Calumet City Calumet Park Channahon Chicago Ridge Country Club Hills
Dolton Fire East Joliet Elwood FPD Frankfort FPD Grant Park
Homer Twp FPD Lemont Fire Lockport Fire Midlothian Fire Mokena
Morris New Lenox North Palos Oak Forest Oak Lawn
Palos Fire Palos Heights Richton Park Robbins South Holland Tinley Park
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Fire Investigations
Fire Investigations
Battalion Chief Bill Leddin
The Orland Fire District Origin and Cause Team is responsible for investigating all fires that occur within the jurisdiction of the Orland Fire Protection District. The District is mandated to investigate all fires and determine whether these fires were accidental or incendiary in nature. These fires include structures (whether occupied or vacant), vehicle fires, and all other types of fires. The OFPD partners with our local police departments (Orland Park, Orland Hills, and Cook County), when a fire is determined to be suspicious or incendiary in nature. Intentionally set fires are criminal in nature and are set for a variety of reasons, such as personal or financial gain, as well as crimes against a person. We also work with our law enforcement partners on fires that are determined to be accidental.
In 2020, the Orland Fire District Origin and Cause Team investigated all fires within the Orland Fire District. These fires are not only structure fires, but also include vehicle, vegetation, and other free standing structures. In 2020, there were six intentionally set fires, which included structures, vehicles, and other fires. Many of these fires are still under investigation at this time. Unlike other crimes, there is no statute of limitations on arson cases, and they are not closed until a conclusion to the case is achieved. Many of these cases are closed with the help of information received from citizens or informants. The Orland Fire District works closely with many local police jurisdictions within the fire district. Depending on where the suspicious fire occurs within the Fire District, the team works closely with the Orland Park Police Department, the Orland Hills Police Department, or Cook County Sheriffs Police Department. The Orland Fire District also partners with the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Cook County Bomb Squad, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). We are also members of the MABAS 19 Origin and Cause Team, as well as the Will-Cook-Grundy Fire Investigation Task Force. We responded to 25 mutual aid fire investigations.
Fire Investigator Battalion Chief Bill Leddin investigating a house fire that started on the exterior and quickly spread to the interior of the home. Discarded smoking materials was determined to be the cause of the fire
The Orland Fire District has eleven certified fire investigators and one certified arson investigator on the team. Our investigators are state certified through the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office. Our investigators must re-certify every four years and must participate in team trainings throughout the year. We conduct monthly fire investigation team training as well as monthly task force/ MABAS training. The Orland Fire District Origin and Cause Team trains to stay current on the latest techniques as well as staying on top of recalls and safety alerts that we pass on to our residents. We participated in and helped coordinate the Will-Cook-Grundy Fire Investigation Task Force Annual Seminar held in March. This was the last formalized in-person training the team participated in in 2020 due to COVID-19. The seminar was attended by over 150 students from throughout the State. The very next week, in-person training was suspended for the rest of 2020. Training was restored later in the fall under a new format. We began conducting training via Zoom video conferencing. It took a while to get it running smoothly, but this format allowed us to get together remotely. The last Zoom training involved over 50 Fire Investigators. We hope to be able to resume some hands-on training later in 2021 — hopefully by June or July. This training could be held outdoors, with limited contact. 26
Fire Investigations In 2020, careless use of fireworks, clothes dryers, and electrical failures continue to be the major causes of fire we see in the Orland Fire District. We work closely with our Public Education Department to get the word out on these frequent hazards. A devastating fire loss in one of our local restaurants was caused by an electrical failure that destroyed the building. Illegal fireworks that were launched on the Fourth of July landed on a cedar -shake roof causing a fire that cost thousands of dollars in damage. An electrical short caused the 2020 fire at Don’s Hotdogs that destroyed Fireworks can travel great distances, causing unsuspecting fires that can go the entire building unnoticed for a long time. Appliances that are not maintained properly continue to cause residential fires. That is why we caution homeowners not to run an appliance and leave the home. When you go out, turn off the appliances until you return to prevent fires. We continue to be a liaison to our residents and ensure that we work for them in helping them get their lives back together. Our investigative team works with homeowners from the moment we respond to their incident until they are ready to move back into their home. We strive to make sure that our residents are able to get on with their lives.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) On Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Battalion Chief William Leddin distributed Community Emergency Response Team ("CERT") Certificates of Completion for the 8 week training program held this previous fall/winter. This program is a nationally-recognized CERT Program which educates district residents about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area. CERT instruction trains attendees in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Thanks to all who stepped up to take this course: Mary Bobor, Kathleen Crotty, Valerie Grellner, Kathleen Johnson, Charles Krezwick, Heather Slack, Mark Ruder, Mary E Lee Faupel and Michael McKevitt. You are an asset to your community!
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Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medical Services Administrator
Lieutenant Mark Duke
March 2020 will forever be remembered as the month that life as we once knew it was changed. Orland Fire District became laser-focused on providing continued exceptional service to our public, while protecting them and our Paramedics from the pandemic. In the EMS realm, multiple training events were canceled as all activities were shut down for many months of the year. Canceled training included Public and Healthcare Provider CPR, Stop the Bleed for the public and teachers, Advanced Airway classes for healthcare and paramedic students, and Rescue Task Force classes for police, fire, and EMS agencies. Countless days and hours were spent procuring protective equipment and developing plans, guides, and training to address the approach, assessment, treatment, and transportation of patients and decontamination of Paramedics and equipment.
New technology and equipment that was in transition pre-COVID-19, moved to top priority. Daily briefings were conducted between Administration and all of the fire stations via ZOOM. The ZOOM technology helped to limit contact between responders and allowed them to remain available to respond. There were several pieces of new equipment purchased that were reviewed for implementation prior to COVID-19. Electrostatic decontamination sprayer units were placed in service and became a gold standard for disinfecting ambulances, apparatus, and stations.
Personnel disinfecting an ambulance with an electrostatic decontamination sprayer
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Administration office being fully treated from top to bottom to help stop the spread of COVID-19
Emergency Medical Services Isolation Pods or ISOPOD's were purchased that could be utilized to contain and transport patients that are sick or contaminated from a hazardous material. The ISOPOD is a negative pressure containment system equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air filters or HEPA filters that afford protection from viral or hazardous agents. The units were seen on the news being used in New York City during the height of the pandemic crisis. Fortunately, in Orland, we did not have to deploy them.
Power Air Purifying Respirators, or PAPR’s, supply a continuous flow of HEPA filtered air allowing the user to breathe and work comfortably for an extended period of time. These type units were often seen on the news, as well as in NYC and in many hospitals where staff worked entire shifts around severely ill COVID-19 positive patients. Fortunately, again for Orland Fire, we did not have to deploy them, but all Paramedics are trained in the use of the PAPR's.
Orland Fire has always strived to be prepared for any event we may encounter. Being confronted by a pandemic unified us all as a team and brought us to higher level of preparedness. 29
Emergency Medical Services COVID-19 By the Numbers
The numbers in the graph help to paint the picture of how COVD19 impacted Orland Fire in 2020. Call volume in 2020 was down over 500 calls in comparison to 2019. The calls were more acute as people waited longer to ask for help whether COVID19 related or not. Some paramedics contracted COVID19 and as a result even more were quarantined that placed a strain on staffing.
The Orland Fire Protection District thanks all the many local residents, volunteer groups, etc. who dropped off masks for our personnel to help in keeping them safe in the workplace. It was much appreciated!
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Emergency Medical Services The Challenge A 2019 report from the American Heart Association suggests the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is 356,461 annually. Of those treated by emergency medical services, only 10% survived.
Orland Fire District has a 2020 save rate of 41% for patients found in VF Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can be defined as cessation of cardiac mechanical activity, as confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation. Approximately 18.7% of SCA victims present with an initial rhythm of Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) or Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) that is an unorganized heartbeat. Survival rates of over 50% can be obtained with early chest compressions (CPR) and electrical shock (defibrillation) of VF or VT. Every minute that CPR is not being performed and no defibrillator is available decreases the victims’ chance of survival by 10%. Nearly 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home where no defibrillator is available but CPR can be initiated while help is on the way. The median age for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is 66 years of age. In 2013-2017 Census Bureau statistics indicate 21.9% of the Orland Park Community was over 65 years of age or older. Over the next 15 years, it is estimated that the over 65 population will make up over 30% of the Orland Park population. The Community Cardiac Arrest Rescue Enterprise (CARE) addresses the emerging trend, saving lives by engaging the entire community.
Chain of Survival What we know for certain is that successful treatment of cardiac arrest and particularly VF is associated with quick delivery of care. The chain of survival with its 5 links of early 9-1-1 access, early CPR, early defibrillation, early advanced care and early post resuscitative care illustrates the most critical elements of addressing sudden cardiac arrest.
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Training Introduction The Training and Safety Officer of the Orland Fire Protection District is responsible for the delivery of emergency response training and education programs for members of the department, other outside agencies, and the members of the community.
Training & Life Safety Officer
Lieutenant Mike Siefert
The goal of the Training Division is to ensure that the men and women of the Orland Fire Protection District are well-trained and prepared to respond to any emergency. To achieve our training goals, the Orland Fire Protection District staffs a Lieutenant to work Monday-Friday as the Training and Safety Officer for the District. This day assignment allows for a more consistent approach in
the management and delivery of our training program. The focus of the Orland Fire Protection District’s training program for our personnel, is to provide a realistic, pertinent and safe training environment for members of our organization and our guests. The Orland Fire Protection District will continue to strive towards the growth and development of our personnel, while maintaining a state-of-the-art training facility for our Firefighters and Paramedics.
2020 Training Overview The Orland Fire Protection District certifies our personnel to the standards set forth by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall. The certification and recertification program established by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall manages a program of training and certification that has developed standards, utilizing input from State Certification Advisory Committee members for training, testing, and certifying all levels of firefighting. In 2020, members of the Orland Fire Protection District earned 70 certifications through the Office of the State Fire Marshall. The certifications achieved in 2020 range from firefightingrelated courses to fire prevention and technical rescue certifications.
The Orland Fire Protection District Training Division Members of the Orland Fire Protection District participated in 26,405 training hours for our members in 2020. Our members' 26,405 hours of training consist of daily training topics or "quick drills" that the company officer conducts daily with their company. In addition to daily training, company-level training is done with multiple companies or fire stations participating in various topics at our training facility or other locations.
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Traditionally, company-level training is done with three-six companies or fire stations practicing a wide range of skills from Emergency Medical Services, Firefighting, and Special Rescue Operations. In 2020, the global pandemic forced the Training Division to become creative in delivering training to our members. In previous years company-level training with multiple stations and groups was the "norm" we adapted in many cases to provide training via Zoom, one-on-one training sessions, or limiting class sizes to less than six people while maintaining physical distancing. 2020 proved to be a challenging year to ensure that our members receive the necessary and mandatory training so they are prepared to respond to any incident. The Training Division is proud of our members for adhering to safety guidelines and maintaining their mission to be ready to handle any emergency incident.
Training
Vision The Orland Fire Protection District Training Division has a vision to develop a training organization that provides the highest quality training for the Orland Fire Protection District, as well as other departments throughout the region and state that utilize our campus/classes. Our training is structured to identify standard conditions, deploy standard actions, to deliver standard outcomes. Our state-of-the-art training props and facilities, virtual reality and scenario-based simulation centers, and quality instructors will provide training and certification.
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Training Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security (CCDEMRS) The partnership with Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security, the Orland Fire Protection District, and outside training agencies entered its fourth year. Our collective efforts between these three agencies have enabled the Orland Fire Protection District to host numerous Office of the State Fire Marshall courses for our personnel. The delivery of these courses at our facilities allows the Orland Fire Protection District to certify our staff in many State fire certifications at a fraction of the cost due to this grant funding. Grant funding from the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security has also enabled fire departments in Cook County to send their personnel to training courses hosted here at our Training Facility. In 2020, 802 people were trained, resulting in 19,106 hours of training. 552 firefighters trained, 93 Law Enforcement Personnel trained, 15 medical personnel trained, 28 teachers trained, 35 emergency managers trained, and 82 First Responders trained. The partnership and funding from Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security also allow for our members and outside personnel to utilize a tool and equipment cache purchased through the Department of Homeland Security funding for classes and refresher training. In 2020, we were excited to start utilizing our Driving Simulator. This simulator was purchased with grant funding from CCDEMRS and used to help train our new and existing apparatus drivers.
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Training MABAS 19 Training The Orland Fire Protection District and our surrounding departments continue to train together to improve interoperability. Training officers from each of our neighboring departments meet every month to discuss relevant training topics, issues, challenges facing each agency, and future training events. The MABAS 19 training officers have collaborated to revamp our existing three-year training plan and update the training plan to a four-year training plan. Given the amount of training required by the Office of the State Fire Marshall, it was necessary to ensure each department can capture all of the required training to re-certify several Office of the State Fire Marshall courses in an appropriate timeframe. The MABAS 19 Training Officers also plan at least two Light and Fight sessions annually. These live fire scenarios typically are a more extensive scale event that involves multi-agency and multicompany operations. In 2020, the MABAS 19 Training group focused on Collapse training scenarios. Collapse-type calls and incidents are rare occurrences. However, our firefighters are prepared to respond to any incident.
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Training Academy 2020 On February 28, 2020, 9 new firefighters began their careers with the Orland Fire Protection District. The candidates were placed in a 10-week training academy that provides the candidates with the knowledge and skills necessary to function at a high level with the Orland Fire Protection District. The 10-week academy encompasses all aspects of their job; 4-weeks of EMS training, 4-weeks of firefighting training, and 2-weeks of shift preparation skills that included driving and district familiarization. In March of 2020, as everyone was faced with the global pandemic's difficulties, the 2020 candidates and instructors pressed on with their training. The training they completed was an intense program designed to place each of them in stressful and real-life scenarios. The Orland Fire Protection District and its training staff are committed to providing the very BEST Firefighter/Paramedic to our residents. Upon completing their 10-week training academy, candidates were placed on shift and completed monthly evaluations with their crew members before moving to another station. Candidates were rotated between our busier fire stations during their probationary period to get them as much experience. The 2020 candidate class completed its probationary period on February 28, 2021. The 2020 class faced challenges and uncertainties of 2020 and proved they can handle any incident or situation.
Jonathan Egan
Michael Dorencz
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Brian Schick
Andrew Hiller
William Patterson
Andrew Kasules
Rosendo Rodriguez
Brian Steele
Austin Childers
Training Academy 2020
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Swearing In of Probationary Firefighters The Orland Fire Protection District hired 10 new Firefighter/Paramedics for our 2019 Training Academy. The group began its orientation in March, 2019 with an intense 9-week academy to provide them with all of the skills necessary to be successful with the Orland Fire Protection District. All the candidates successfully passed the Academy and were released as probationary Firefighters, functioning under the direction of a Company Officer, as they worked to complete their one-year probationary period. All 10 candidates successfully completed the probationary period and were sworn in on March 11, 2020. The Oaths of Office were administered by Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer. The Board of Trustees, the Board of Fire Commissioners and the OFPD Command Staff are proud to welcome our 10 newest Firefighter/Paramedics to the Orland Fire Protection District family!
L to R: Michael Pericht, Anthony Kaskadden, Eric Petravich, Justin Shanklin, James Schultz, Orlando Lopez, Brandon Toth, Sergio Navarro, Jason Smith, Brian Nanak
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Swearing In of Probationary Firefighters
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Water Rescue & Recovery MABAS 19 Dive Team
Water Rescue & Recovery
The Orland Fire District has 18 members that are part of the MABAS 19/22 Water Rescue and Recovery Team. Our team responds to all water related incidents involving rescue or recovery within the MABAS 19/22 jurisdiction and beyond, on an as-needed basis. This response area covers about 450 square miles, which includes a variety of water ranging from numerous retention ponds, rivers and navigational waterways.
Lieutenant Dan Ritchie
Team training was conducted twice a month which consisted of:
Annual Swim Test and SCUBA skills review Ice Diver Training Scenario-based training (surface and subsurface) Surface Supplied Air training Swift Water Technician Training Sonar Training Underwater Evidence Recovery Training Water Craft Training
Boat Operations on the Cal Sag
Even with COVID 19 interrupting our typical training schedule, our members were able to remain current in their skills. Our members put in over 380 training hours this past year. Some of our newer members were also able to obtain their Illinois State Fire Marshall certificate for Water Operations and Water Craft Technician. Our team is looking forward to more training opportunities in 2021 to further advance our skills and abilities.
Our team responded to 5 incidents in 2020. These incidents included calls for cars into ponds and for people missing in various rivers.
Incident in Bradley, IL on the Kankakee River
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Surface Ice Rescue training with on duty companies
Technical Rescue Team
Technical Rescue Team
Lieutenant Tom Panzica
The Orland Technical Rescue team consists of 24 members with 20 members trained as Technicians in Trench Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Collapse Rescue, Cell Tower Rescue, Grain Bin Rescue, Heavy Machinery Rescue and Rope Rescue. The other 4 members are on the training roster working towards their deployable technician status. The team has been going through some exciting changes as members retire and new members take their place. Orland Technical Rescue Team is part of the MABAS 19 CART Blue team which consists of 10 other departments rostering over 60 members. As a team, we have to maintain our skills and continuing education to stay proficient in each discipline, not knowing when a specialized emergency will arrive. The team trains twice a month for four hours to assure safety and proficiency.
The Orland Fire Technical Rescue Team faced many challenges in 2020. The team was limited in hands-on training with individuals getting the virus and others being quarantined. The virus had a lot of unknowns, which caused department heads to restrict training. As a team we had to come up with other ways to insure our members could review the skills to practice individually. This wasn’t ideal, but it was all we had - given the fact that specialized emergencies still may occur. I commend every Orland member as they found ways to review and practice the skills of each discipline in-house. When in-person training was given the green light, every member was excited to get back to work to perfect their skills as a team.
January 8, 2020 Manteno Technical Rescue
The Technical Rescue team faces a challenge every year with CART Central Board having developed a standard training program to assure that all Central Board Technical Rescue Teams stay proficient in all disciplines at the Technician Level. This 4-year training program is based on achieving approximately 25 hours per year of training within each of the 10 disciplines. This is a very difficult challenge considering training for any discipline or department is financially driven. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is changing a lot of their curriculum for the disciplines to keep each certification active. With this change, they are adding continuing education to maintain individual certifications. Research has proven that if a skill is not practiced within a 90-day period, the individual begins to lose proficiency. We as a team have been creative with our training and work with the District to increase our budget to achieve these requirements. As weather becomes more devastating, the greater the need will be for Technical Rescue teams. A well-trained team means a more efficient rapid search and rescue of a victim. The Orland Fire Protection District's Technical Rescue Team and its members continue to be leaders of Technical Rescue throughout the State of Illinois and the Chicagoland area. As a member of the MABAS 19 Cart Blue, consisting of over 60 members and growing, we continue to be the only deployable team in this area. We are dedicated to assuring the skills of our members remain proficient. We also focus on recruiting more members and getting them trained and deployable in a timely manner. As stated, 2020 was challenging as we did set up our Western Shelter for hospitals during the pandemic. The team remained in a state of readiness and is so excited to be able to train in person in 2021. 41
HazMat
HazMat
Lt. Jim Mazurkiewicz
The Hazardous Materials Team is responsible for mitigating and stabilizing any hazardous material incident within the fire district's response area. The team has a cache of equipment, including hazardous gas meters, radiation detectors, and railroad tank car leak kits. Our HazMat team is responsible for a large variety of potential issues involving hazardous materials. There are underground pipe lines, industrial chemicals, and radiological medical equipment all within our response area. We also have a large amount of vehicle traffic in the Orland area that has the potential to involve hazardous materials.
The team spent 2020 training for various incidents that may occur within our boundaries. A new recruit class of candidate firefighters were also trained to the Hazardous Materials Operations level during their fire academy. Team training consisted of quarterly drills in which the members would complete various training objectives to meet the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal training requirements for the Hazardous Materials Technician certification. The Orland HazMat team also has several members who are part of the Southwest Hazardous Materials Response Team. The SWHMRT is comprised of members from other area fire departments and is part of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. Our members associated with this team can be deployed to assist in mitigating an incident that the SWHMRT may respond to. Members on this team must also complete additional monthly training sessions in conjunction with Orland’s HazMat team required training. The Orland HazMat team will continue to complete our training sessions so we can be up to date on all the current trends in hazardous materials response. We also have been incorporating various levels of newer technology into our HazMat team during the last year. This new technology will allow us to be increasingly prepared to mitigate any hazardous materials events that may occur.
2020 Hazardous Materials Incidents:
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128 natural gas leaks
114 carbon monoxide leaks
3 chemical spill or leak
6 Gasoline or other flammable liquid spill
HazMat Hazardous Materials Skills Drill Members of the Orland Hazardous Materials Team must be able to work in adverse environments while wearing multiple layers of personal protective gear. The gear protects the wearer from the hazardous atmosphere while in the ‘hot zone” but it becomes very hot inside the suit. The multiple layers of gloves and the encapsulated suit affects one’s ability to see, hear and move about in dangerous atmospheres. These pictures were taken during a hazardous materials skill drill. The drill reinforces the tasks that all members must be able to perform while wearing the full protective ensemble. Such tasks include: moving a leaking 55-gallon drum into an over-pack container, connecting hoses so that pumps can be used to off-load hazardous products, and using hand tools to secure flanges, and tighten valves, nuts and bolts.
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IL Task Force 1—Urban Search & Rescue Team 2020 IL-TF1 is a state team formed for first responders and specialists from around the State of Illinois. The Orland Fire Protection District currently has 6 members on the team. The team has 200 plus members divided into three teams of up to 70 personnel. The team follows the organization guidelines and equipment requirements of a FEMA USAR team. Members of OFPD currently on the team are: Lieutenant John Purtill - Safety Officer, Battalion Chief Joe Moore - Planning Team Manager, Lieutenant Keith Fontana - Medical Specialist, Lieutenant Daniel Ritchie Structures Specialist, Lieutenant Chad Erickson and Firefighter Mark Hogan - Rescue Specialist. Each members attends drills during the year, in addition to department training for nearly 100 hours of training. 2020 Training was reduced due to COVID and included team training in the beginning and end of the year. In March, IL-TF1 was asked to represent MABAS at a Blackhawks game. From the months of March to November, IL-TF1 assisted MABAS, IEMA and hospitals with tent deployment at Chicago and downstate hospitals. The tents were deployed to help with surge capacity during the beginning of COVID. Additional taskings were done to retrieve, clean and inspect the tents. Team training with new procedures started back up in June for a deployment drill to Dwight and training at LACARTA. The team continues to adjust to COVID protocols for training and deployment.
From March November, 2020 IL-TF1 assisted MABAS, IEMA and hospitals with tent deployment to Chicago and downstate hospitals to help with surge capacity of COVID
In March, 2020 IL-TF1 was asked to represent MABAS at a Blackhawks game
Team training with new procedures started back up in June, 2020 for a deployment drill to Dwight and training at LACARTA
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Communications/Dispatch
Communications Director Bill (“Stuey”) Neumann
The Orland Fire Protection District operates a Fire & EMS only Communications/Dispatch Center that provides 911 EMS and Fire service to the residents of the Orland Fire Protection District. Under contract, Orland Central Dispatch (OCD) also provides the same services to residents of Oak Forest, Lemont FPD, Palos FPD, Calumet City, Country Club Hills, Blue Island, Merrionette Park and Garden Homes. Our Dispatch team consists of a Director, Supervisor and 12 full-time Telecommunicators. The Center is staffed with 3 Telecommunicators 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In 2020, Orland Central processed over 36,000 calls for service. Besides the departments contracted with the Center, Orland Central is the Mutual Aid Box Alarm (MABAS) Dispatch Center for Division 19, which covers 12 Southwest Suburban communities. Some departments require assistance for incidents beyond their resources and capabilities. MABAS was systematically designed to provide speed of response and resources to these stricken communities during such an emergency. In 2020, Orland Central handled 29 requests through the MABAS Division 19 System. Orland Central is also the back-up Communications Center for RED Center in Northbrook. RED Center serves as the primary dispatch center for the State of Illinois when a coordinated statewide response of firefighting and EMS personnel and equipment is needed. Orland Central is responsible for the coordination of any suburban response needed for an assist to the Chicago Fire Department for incidents south of 22 nd Street in Chicago. Orland Telecommunicators participate in ongoing Continuous Education provided by APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers) and the Silver Cross EMS System on a monthly basis. The Telecommunicators also participate in Incident Command, MABAS, and Blue Card Simulator training with the Orland Firefighters.
The dispatch center utilizes the Tri-Tech Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that works along with automatic vehicle locators (AVL) in the fire rigs to dispatch the closest equipment to a call. The center also uses the RapidSOS Platform for every incoming 911 call that originates from a cellular phone. The RapidSOS Platform assists Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) across the US, and is integrated with over 350 million connected cellular phones and devices. These connected phones and devices, recognized as RapidSOS Ready, transmit real-time location, health and medical information in an emergency. 2020 proved a challenging year for everyone due to COVID-19. Like other dispatch centers, Orland Central had to arrange to screen the employees daily, cover shifts when some of the dispatchers had to be quarantined, and adjust to a “new sense of normal”. Complicating matters further is the fact that evolving health guidelines and the limitations of resources caused frequent changes in the procedures used in dispatching first responders. In addition to asking 911 callers routine questions, additional questions designed to assess the COVID-19 risk were added. Furthermore, agencies are changing protocols regularly to keep their employees and the public safe. Orland Central’s Telecommunicators proved they are true professionals in these trying times. 45
Support Services The Orland Fire Protection District’s (OFPD) Support Service Bureau consists of six specialized areas committed to aggressively maintaining the Fire District’s facilities, vehicles and equipment. Safety, reliability and readiness are priorities, in addition to operating cost-effective and efficient maintenance programs. Support Service encompasses the maintenance and repair of OFPD: Facilities, Fleet Vehicles, SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), Tools, Equipment and Hose, as well as the Support Services procurement and distribution of various supplies. We take no shortcuts when it Lieutenant Jim Hynes comes to maintaining OFPD emergency vehicles, facilities and equipment. Emergency equipment is very unique, extremely complex and quite challenging to maintain and repair. Given the nature of the fire service, this equipment is subject to extreme and less than ideal operating conditions, which not only result in significant wear and tear, but demand a very high and specialized level of technical skill. Orland Fire Protection District technicians possess a keen knowledge and understanding of auto and truck, mechanical, emission control and fuel injection systems, in addition to welding, fabrication, building maintenance, HVAC systems, multi-phase commercial electrical systems and communication systems. What sets our people apart is their level of expertise with the technical intricacies specific to fire, EMS, emergency equipment and building systems and maintenance. All equipment is serviced regularly and thoroughly maintained as part of the Orland Fire Protection District’s preventive-maintenance program. About the program:
Reduces costly breakdowns and increases reliability
Staffed with trained, certified, highly-skilled and very valued technicians
Fleet of 60 pieces of fire apparatus, ambulances, specialty equipment and support vehicles combined
Six Fire Stations, Headquarters building, Fleet Maintenance building and three training buildings
Utilizes a cost-conscious, cost-effective, common sense approach
Ongoing initiative to exceed operational demands and increase efficiency
Pride and professionalism are the expectation
Safe work practices and safe equipment are a must
The Support Service Bureau provides behind-the-scenes services that are essential to effective Fire, EMS, and Rescue Operations. Serving the community is the privilege of every Orland Fire Protection District employee. This applies to not only those responding to fires, EMS calls or other emergencies, but also those people behind the scenes repairing our facilities and fire apparatus, as well as performing other essential functions. In the end, every Orland Fire Protection District employee fulfills a vital role that allows our organization to help others in times of need. Helping others is truly our privilege.
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Support Services Facility Maintenance General Repairs – The OFPD employs 1 full-time and 3 part-time building maintenance technicians with extensive backgrounds in HVAC, plumbing, electrical and building maintenance systems. Most repairs are handled in-house, which allows us to address issues in a prompt, efficient manner, which keeps costs down and minimizes any impact to operations.
Orland Facility Maintenance Technicians installing a new roof top HVAC unit (RTU) at our Administration Building. This unit was purchased through a Com Ed rebate program that covered approximately 80% of the cost and is replacing a 10 year old unit that failed.
Fleet Maintenance Frame Corrosion Repair—The photos below depict a major renovation on a 2009 Spartan/Darley Pumper. The apparatus body was removed to facilitate sandblasting and recoating of the chassis frame in addition to fabrication and installation of a new body sub-frame. This project was performed in the OFPD repair facility by OFPD technicians.
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Support Services
Darley LDBM, 1500gpm, Single Stage, CAFS, Pump Rebuild
This pump features a highly complex Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS). All of our fire pumps are tested and certified by Underwriters Laboratory each year. This pump failed the annual test and was completely rebuilt by OFPD Technician Scott Landgraf. OFPD vehicles are extremely well-maintained, which is imperative given the need for 100% reliability and the severe duty associated with emergency response. 48
Support Services New Vehicles
Engine 2—Unit # 6043 is a 2020 Pierce, Enforcer, Pumper assigned to Engine Company 2. This unit features a 4 person cab, 1500gpm Waterous, single stage pump, 750 gallon water tank, a 450hp, Cummins, ISL engine, and an Allision, EVS, 3000P, transmission.
Ambulance 2—Unit # 6012 is a 2020 Ford/Horton Ambulance assigned to Ambulance 2. This unit is equipped with the latest ALS equipment and features a Stryker, Power Load, cot.
Staff Vehicles - Unit #’s 6131 and 6151 are 2020 Chevrolet (SSV) Tahoes assigned to the Chief and Deputy Chief. These vehicles were purchased through a government pricing consortium at substantially reduced prices. Staff vehicles are reassigned as they age and are typically kept in service for 10 – 15 years.
Battalion Chief Response Vehicle - Unit # 6141 is a 2020 Chevrolet (SSV) Tahoe assigned to the Shift Battalion Chiefs for emergency response.
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Support Services New Fleet Maintenance Facility
The OFPD Board of Trustees approved construction of a new Fleet Maintenance Facility located at 10704 W. 163rd Place. Construction began in November of 2020 and is expected to be completed by August 2021. This facility is replacing our existing, much smaller shop which opened in 1987. The new, much larger facility will allow us to generate revenue by taking in work from other fire departments. 50
Support Services New Fleet Maintenance Facility
7G Program 7G is a program that allows Firefighters to perform work outside of their firefighting duties. We have many talented people among our ranks who contribute on a part-time basis, performing important functions such as: Building Maintenance, Fleet Maintenance, IT, Supplies, Snow Removal, Training, etc.
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Support Services Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) SCBA’s are worn by Firefighters to protect them from inhaling toxic and superheated gases found in fires and hazardous environments. Compressed air is stored at a pressure of 4500 psi in cylinders worn on each Firefighter’s back similar to a backpack. Due to the extreme pressure and exposure to hostile environments, this equipment must be thoroughly tested and maintained. The OFPD practices a regimented routine of daily and weekly checks, inspections, maintenance and cleaning. This equipment is also tested and certified each year. We keep our SCBA’s in top condition as our lives quite literally depend on them. In September of 2020, the OFPD received an Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant (AFG) for the purchase of new SCBA’s. Our current SCBA’s were purchased in 2010 and after 10 plus years of protecting our personnel they are in need of replacement. We just recently took delivery of our new MSA, G1, SCBA’s and will be putting them in service after training our personnel.
Tools And Equipment The OFPD utilizes thousands of various pieces of equipment used for anything from vehicle extrication to thermal imaging cameras used to find victims in smoke-filled, zero visibility environments. This equipment must also be extremely wellmaintained and kept in a constant state of readiness so that it can be reliably deployed in any emergency. (Shown are the latest advancements in vehicle extrication tools, battery-powered “Jaws of Life”)
Hose Each OFPD fire engine carries nearly 3000 feet of various diameter fire hose. These hoses are designed to operate at pressures ranging from 80 psi to as high as 250 psi. Each length of hose is tested annually and repaired in house by OFPD personnel.
Supply OFPD Support Service maintains an inventory of basic cleaning supplies and paper goods which are distributed to all facilities on a per order basis.
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Finance
Finance Director Kerry Sullivan
The Finance Department is responsible for all financial activities and financial functions of the district, including preparing the annual budget and property tax levy, paying employees, paying vendors, collecting revenue, investing funds, recording receipts, expenditures, and other financial transactions, and preparing financial reports.
2020 Financial Challenges and Accomplishments Many financial challenges were presented and several financial opportunities were given to the District in 2020. Before the pandemic began, the District issued $5.3 million in debt to purchase a new truck and to construct a new replacement fleet maintenance facility. The interest cost on this debt is very low at 1.38%. The District’s Aa2 Moody’s rating was confirmed, which is an excellent rating for the District. The global pandemic caused staffing shortages of our Firefighter/Paramedics which needed to be filled with overtime. The District received grants through FEMA and Cook County to offset some of those costs. The global pandemic increased the demand for safety supplies and disinfecting equipment; the costs of which were also partially offset by grants. At the beginning of the pandemic, the District implemented a spending freeze due to the unknown effect the pandemic would have on revenue streams, specifically property taxes and ambulance fees. Fortunately, the property tax collection rate remained strong; unfortunately, ambulance transports decreased during the pandemic and, accordingly, ambulance revenue also decreased. Due to the District’s planning for this potential consequence, the District’s financial position remained strong at year end. District employees work on grants to fund projects outside of normal revenue streams. Due to these employees’ efforts, the District received several grants during 2020 including a FEMA Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant (in excess of $500,000) to replace Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus which are about to reach the end of their useful lives. This equipment is essential firefighting equipment. In addition, the District has been able to provide training of approximately $1.7 million in 2020 for our firefighter/paramedics as well as firefighter/paramedics from local departments at our regional training facility through a sub-grant agreement with Cook County. Due to the low interest rate environment, the District refinanced any eligible debt including an existing truck loan which was refinanced from 2.95% to 2.5% and the term decreased to 5 years (resulting in $27,000 savings over its term) and debt certificates which were originally issued to fund the pension fund’s actuarial unfunded liability were called and refinanced from 4.49% to 2.14% resulting in a savings of $1,463,000 over their term.
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Finance Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting In 2020, the District received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). This is the 12th consecutive year the District has received this prestigious award. The CAFR can be found on the District’s website at www.orlandfire.org.
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award
GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award was received by the District for 2018, 2019, and 2020. The 2021 budget has also been submitted for consideration. The 2021 budget document can be found at: www.orlandfire.org/aboutthedistrict/ publictransparency/budgets/
2021 Budget The 2021 budget was developed to serve as the financial plan for the upcoming year based on the Strategic Plan. Under direction from the Board of Trustees, the 2021 Budget gives priority to programs and services that support the goals described in the Strategic Plan and which provide the greatest benefit to District residents while recognizing the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The costs to achieve the District’s mission are primarily offset by property tax revenue. Increases in property tax revenue are limited by tax rate ceilings and property tax caps. Other sources of revenue includes ambulance service fees, grant revenue, dispatch service fees, and fire prevention fees. Revenue sources anticipated for the 2021 budget are summarized in the following graph:
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Finance
The 2021 Budget gives priority to programs and services that provide the greatest benefit to District residents. The 2021 Budget represents the efforts of District staff in reviewing their operations, streamlining them when possible and investing in improvements to daily operations to benefit the safety of District residents and employees. The 2021 budget has been prepared with a conservative property tax collection rate estimates due to the unknown length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic during the next year. Accordingly, discretionary spending in program budgets was reduced significantly in the 2021 budget. If revenue exceeds projections, the budget will be amended. Expenditures anticipated for the 2021 budget are summarized in the following graph:
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Fire Prevention Bureau Mission Statement
Fire Prevention Bureau Supervisor
It is the mission of the Fire Prevention Bureau to educate the community about the benefits of proper safety practices, and to identify and eliminate hazardous conditions which pose a threat to life, property and the environment.
Mike Ercoli
The Fire Prevention Bureau protects people by eliminating potential emergency situations before they occur. We use the term “proactive firefighting” to describe how we analyze new building plans in an attempt to anticipate potential life-safety issues. We also use this term to describe how we look for potential life-safety hazards while doing our annual inspections and bring them to the property owner’s attention. Our public education programs are designed to address current life-safety issues that we see occurring within the Fire District. Ultimately the goal of the Fire Prevention Bureau is to keep emergencies from occurring; thus keeping people out of harm’s way. We believe that Fire Prevention plays a crucial role in making our community safer. Inspection, enforcement and public education work together to not only identify and correct safety issues, but also to help change people’s attitude toward safety. We anticipate fiscal 2021 to bring greater challenges as we strive to ensure the safety of the public and our firefighters.
Fire Prevention Bureau Activities for 2020:
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March 18, 2020 annual commercial fire inspections were suspended for the year, at the request of the municipalities, due to the COVID pandemic.
During the COVID pandemic, bureau personnel switched from conducting fire inspections to completing pre-fire planning. The Fire Prevention Bureau completed pre-plans for the commercial, educational and multi-family buildings throughout the Fire District. Over 5000 annotations were made in the pre-plan software, which included: adding pictures of the buildings, fire alarm location, fire sprinkler location, Knox box, gas/electric shutoff locations, and notations of special hazards and other pertinent information. These pre-plans can be accessed on the computers located in each Engine, Truck, Ambulance, Squad and Command vehicle.
Fire Prevention Bureau personnel worked on updating the Bureau’s filing and record system.
Fire Prevention Bureau personnel updated emergency contact information for commercial occupancies within the district.
The Fire Prevention Bureau completed work on an update of the Fire District’s Fire Code and submitted it for review and approval. This code update will take the Fire District from the 2006 International Fire Code to the 2018 International Fire Code, with amendments.
Fire Prevention Bureau
Fire Inspector Patrick Collier retired after 21 years with the Fire District.
Fire Prevention Bureau personnel attended on-line continuing education courses and seminars throughout the year.
Fire Prevention Bureau personnel worked on numerous fire alarm issues throughout the district.
Fire Prevention Bureau Personnel made 1014 field contacts during the 2020 pandemic.
Bureau personnel conducted fire and evacuation drills with the schools in the fall of 2020.
All schools, daycare centers and group homes were inspected by Bureau personnel during 2020.
Total FPB Inspections for 2020: Annual Business and Multi-family Inspections: Re-inspections: Final occupancy inspections: Complaint investigations: School inspections: Rough inspections: Fireworks inspections: Kiosk inspections (Mall): Group Home Inspections: Fire alarm, sprinkler and Hood tests: Tent inspections: Total:
356 310 137 35 34 38 1 15 18 58 12 1014
Happy Retirement to Fire Inspector Patrick Collier:
OFPD Fire Inspector Patrick Collier retired in 2020 after 21 years of dedicated service to the Orland Fire Protection District. We wish Patrick a healthy and happy retirement! 57
Fire & Life Safety Education
Fire & Life Safety Educator Betsy Dine
The Fire & Life Safety Education Division delivers instruction throughout the District. The Educator is directly responsible for Community Risk Reduction throughout the District. Community Risk Reduction (CRR) is a process to help communities find out what their risks are and develop a plan to reduce the risks viewed as “High Priority”. Once it is viewed as High Priority, programs are coordinated and implemented to reduce that risk. Our goal is to properly follow and abide by our Department’s Community Safety Mission. The Fire and Life Safety Educator is responsible for the effective supervision and education of the different “at-risk” programs that are implemented throughout the District.
Community Risk Assessment (CRA) is an important first step in the CRR process. It is a comprehensive evaluation that identifies, prioritizes, and defines the risks that pertain to the overall community. The CRA informs the CRR plan and results in a full understanding of the community’s unique risks, capabilities, and characteristics related to the following profiles:
Demographics Geography Economics Building stock Hazards Past loss & event history Community service organizations Public safety response agencies Critical infrastructure
The Fire and Life Safety Educator develops, coordinates, presents, oversees and evaluates each program throughout the District. Our goals and objectives are established each year and include curriculums and programs to reduce the risk of injury, harm or death. The District offers numerous classes and programs to help reduce that Community Risk. The District must follow the annual budget guidelines and all programs are approved by The Chief and Board of Trustees.
Fire & Life Safety Education During Pandemic Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, schools were forced to temporarily close down last March, 2020. Eventually, schools began to open and teachers began to educate their student’s virtually/on-line and in person. Because I was not able to go into the schools to teach my fire safety programs, lesson plans were sent to each teacher so they could continue to educate their students on the importance of fire safety. With some extra time not going into schools or hosting community groups due to the pandemic, I began to help our Fire Prevention Supervisor with required fire inspections. Some of the duties of a Fire Inspector are: 58
Fire & Life Safety Education
Call or inspect businesses when their fire alarms are in trouble, out-of-service, have communication failures or battery Issues, etc.
Inspect buildings and structures to identify potential fire hazards
Ensure buildings are equipped with fire control equipment, including fire extinguishers
Locate fire code violations
Recommend actions to bring properties into compliance
Conduct inspections onsite
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most of our programs, events and lessons were cancelled.
Public Education Events in 2020
Coffee & Conversation
Car Seat Checks: 45 CPR Events: 3 Fire Drills: 14 Drive-By Home Parades: 87 Public Education Safety Summit: 1 Station Tours: 1 Coffee & Conversation: 6 School Safety Lessons: 6 Public Education Meetings: 10 Certified First Responder-Dementia Trained*: 113 (*All 113 Firefighters have been certified in Dementia Training)
This free program is held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the OFPD Administration Board Room. The Orland Fire Protection District and Aishling Companion Home Care were forced to cancel our in-person meetings in 2020 and resume our educational sessions virtually. We continued to provide our community with resources to assist them in their everyday lives. The sole purpose and goal of our group is to provide current education by quality providers in and about our community. 1/23/20’s Coffee & Conversation featured Speaker Joseph Smith, from Mom’s Meals. Mr. Miller spoke to our seniors about a meal program that is designed to address healthy and nutritious meals that are tailored to meet individual needs for specific health conditions, recovery and independence. Clients select what they want to eat for every meal. Meals are high-quality, nutritious refrigerated meals crafted in USDA kitchens and delivered directly to their homes.
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Fire & Life Safety Education Together, with Chief Michael Schofield, Aishling DaltonKelly, Betsy Dine, Senator Bill Cunningham and Representative Fran Hurley, obtaining a Resolution for Dementia Friendly Orland Park signifies our intent for future endeavors for a Dementia Friendly Community. Due to COVID, our resolution is still pending but we are hopeful the resolution will be adopted next spring.
L to R: Aishling Dalton Kelly, Fire Chief Mike Schofield and Fire & Life Safety Educator Betsy Dine
What is Dementia? Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired
ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. These functions include memory, language skills, visual perception, problem-solving, self-management, and the ability to focus and pay attention. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend entirely on others for necessary activities of living. Signs and symptoms of dementia result when once-healthy neurons (nerve cells) in the brain stop working, lose connections with other brain cells, and die. While everyone loses some neurons as they age, people with dementia experience far greater loss. While dementia is more common as people age (up to half of all people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia), IT IS NOT A NORMAL PART OF AGING. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia. MISSION STATEMENT Our mission for a "Dementia Friendly Orland Park" is to raise awareness, dignity and respect, in addition to enriching the lives of those suffering and living with this disease in our community. “Orland Park: a dignified, respectful, dementia friendly, place to live.”
What Does a Dementia Friendly Community Look Like? Dementia Friendly communities are places where people suffering with a form of dementia can live as independently as possible with value and with respect. • Where they engage in activities that we all take for granted • Where they are supported as these daily activities become difficult • Where the changes in the person are noticed, understood, and accepted • Where shops, restaurants, and streets are evaluated through a dementia lens 60
Fire & Life Safety Education Vision Statement Our vision is to create a welcoming and stigma-free environment, in addition to offering social engagement, educational events and continuous support through collaborations with our care partners to our resident families. There are four phases for Dementia Friendly Community Planning and Implementation outlined by Dementia Friendly Illinois:
1. Convene key community leaders and members to understand dementia and its implications for our community. Then, form an Action Team. 2. Engage key leaders to assess current strengths and gaps in our community using a comprehensive engagement tool. 3. Analyzed our community needs and determined the issues stakeholders are motivated to act on; then set community goals. 4. Acted together to establish implementation plans for our goals and identified ways to measure progress. We have a full Task Force with local businesses on board. Aishling, Certified by NCCDP as a National First Responder Dementia Trainer, has trained all of our Firefighters (113) as CFR-DT’s. (Certified First Responders-Dementia Trained) We are incredibly proud of this certification and our mission for a "Dementia Friendly Orland Park" We will continue to raise awareness, dignity, and respect in addition to enriching the lives of those suffering and living with a form of dementia, in our community. Two Caregiver Support Groups are currently scheduled and coming to the Orland Fire Protection District starting January 2021! One will be held on the second Monday evening of each month for caregivers and family members caring for those with a form or dementia. The other support group will be held once monthly on Thursday afternoons. This meeting is for caregivers and their dementia loved one. If you're a family caregiver, you understand both the rewards and challenges of caregiving. Powerful Tools for Caregivers can help! You may not even think of yourself as a caregiver - you're simply helping someone you love. But when the stresses and difficulties that often come with caregiving become overwhelming, it's important to take care of yourself too. That's where Powerful Tools for Caregivers © (PTC) comes in. In just six weeks, Powerful Tools for Caregivers can help you identify and manage the physical, emotional and financial challenges that family caregiving can present and connects you with other caregivers who are facing some of the same feelings and problems you may be facing. This training will begin in February, 2021. For more information on these or other scheduled events, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/ DementiaFriendlyOrlandParkIL http://www.orlandfire.org
Together, with our Task Force, we have designed logos that will help the residents of Orland Park, navigate restaurants, businesses and throughout the community by our logos. These logos signify that these facilities have been dementia trained and open to assist and help those suffering with a form of dementia.
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Senior Advisory Council (SAC) The Senior Advisory Council’s mandate is to serve as a liaison between the District’s senior population and Fire District officials. The SAC also coordinates and sponsors educational programs for various groups of seniors including: homeowners’ associations, community groups and the public at large on issues that include safety tips, CPR training, Knox Boxes and 911 calls. SAC members also serve as volunteers at various Fire District events.
2021 Goals
Reinforce branding for consistency with badges and other materials Outreach to HOA’s group members using email addresses to send out safety information Support Fire Foundation activities Continue Speaking Engagements/Safety Presentations Continue with Coffee and Conversation Ride Along for SAC members Continue to interact with seniors in the community to get feedback Continue Outreach with community organizations and increase drop-off locations Continue supporting district-sponsored events when invited Continue to coordinate with Public Education and Fire Prevention Bureau Increase participation of other OFPD staff/officials at SAC meetings Continue recruitment of members for SAC
Distribution of OFPD’s Safety Messages: SAC has ten locations throughout the District to distribute OFPD’s safety materials to seniors and families. To date, the group has over 40 different topics such as:
Winter Storm Safety Electrical Safety Generator Safety Tips 10 Winter Freeze Tips Choosing a Medical Alert System
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Joining the Senior Advisory Council The Orland Fire Protection District would like to invite you to become a member of the Senior Advisory Council. To print an application, visit our website at: www.orlandfire.org. You will find the application on our “Senior Advisory Council” page, under the menu tab, Community Outreach. Send application to:
These drop off venues include: Library History Museum Cultural Arts Center Sportsplex Orland Park Village Hall
Due to COVID-19, the Senior Advisory Council’s activities for 2020 were cut short in March, with shelter in place orders. The SAC Committee continued to have meetings via Zoom video conferencing to continue planning and prioritizing goals for when it is safe to get back out in the community.
Frank Loebe Center George Browns Commons Orland Hills Village Hall Fitness Center Orland Township
Orland Fire Protection District 9790 W. 151st Street Orland Park, Illinois 60462
Senior Advisory Council (SAC) Purpose of Senior Advisory Council The OFPD established the Senior Advisory Council (SAC) in 2009. SAC’s main purpose is to “identify and address specific needs of the senior residents of our district” with respect to health and safety. In general, advisory councils may perform the following tasks: •
Studying of issues
•
Performing independent research
•
Participate in District activities
•
Educate seniors about health and safety issues recommended by staff and District analyzing the impact of policies on the senior population within the District
•
Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees based on thoughtful and unbiased discussions from a senior perspective
In Memory The Orland Fire District and the Senior Advisory Council were saddened by 2 members’ passing in 2020:
SAC Members 2020 Sheila Dragovich John R. Meister Susan Stratton
Diana Husband Carolyn Newkirk Caryl R. Tietz
Rosemary Ihle Janice Pierhal Curt Unander
Raymond Mackey Mane Pritza
Kathleen McElligott Gail Spytek
Rosemaria DiBenedetto, Presiding Officer
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Human Resources
Human Resources Director Lucy McGlynn
The Human Resources Department (HR) originates and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide services and support to the employees of the Orland Fire Protection District in ways that embrace the District’s high performance culture. HR is committed to hiring, compensating, and developing the District’s workforce to ensure its ability to serve the citizens by strategically partnering with other district departments. We are dedicated to the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals whether citizen, applicant or employee by providing support, advice or guidance in an ethical, courteous and timely manner.
PIVOTING FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE To meet the urgent needs of the District due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HR, along with all areas of OFPD, quickly pivoted to develop and implement a wide range of policies, programs, and procedures to respond to how the COVID-19 crisis was impacting work, the worker, and the workforce across the organization and the public. Here are some of the initiatives:
Workstreams to React Quickly - In recognition of the scale and fast pace of work required for HR to support the District’s COVID response, cross-functional workstreams formed to prioritize urgent COVID work, assign and manage resources and timelines, and monitor progress. Through these workstreams, leadership could consider options, ask questions, suggest alternatives, and make decisions quickly and effectively.
COVID Legislation and Policy Guidance - HR interpreted a large number of federal legislation and state orders to assist District leadership in addressing complicated issues that were tested during COVID. The team also developed new HR policies required to align with COVID regulations that support the worklife, health, and safety of our employees and team members.
Financial Mitigation Support - Cost-saving measures were necessary to help mitigate the negative financial impact the coronavirus pandemic had on the District. HR worked together with EMS to implement these measures with the focus on limiting as much as possible the stress and disruption for team members and employees, and providing information and resources
Quick and Virtual Access to Physicians - A new service was made available to OFPD employees on the District Health Plan called Teladoc, which offers 24/7 access to primary care physicians who can virtually diagnose health care concerns.
Expanded Benefits, Leave, and HR Resources - HR provided several new paid leave types to ensure employees were financially supported during the initial stages of the coronavirus, as well as expanded benefits that removed waiting periods, covered COVID testing, and provided resources to ensure employees could continue to work effectively in a more virtual environment.
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Human Resources Under the leadership of the OFPD Board of Trustees, Board of Fire Commissioners, and Fire Chief Michael Schofield, the Department of Human Resources is dedicated to support our workforce of approximately 148 employees, by striving to provide programs and services designed to support the OFPD and its employees in the achievement of the District’s mission and objectives. Human Resources is responsible for the management and administration of all OFPD promotional testing exam processes for the purpose of creating promotional eligibility rosters; these include Entry-level Firefighter/ Paramedic, Engineer, Lieutenant and Battalion Chief. All promotional exam processes are administered in accordance with the requirements of all applicable Illinois State Statutes, the OFPD Board of Fire Commissioners Rules & Regulations, and the current CBA between the Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754 and the OFPD. Promotional eligibility testing for entry-level Firefighter/Paramedic occurs every other year. Promotional eligibility testing for the rank of Engineer, Lieutenant, and Battalion Chief occur every three years as negotiated between the OFPD and the International Association of Firefighters Local 2754.
The significant impact of COVID19 on employees includes not only the many risks to physical health, but also the heavy toll on employee mental health
2020 Staffing SWORN STAFF
NON-SWORN STAFF
Administration
Administration
Fire Chief Deputy Chief Administrative Battalion Chief Operations Battalion Chief Shift Battalion Chief EMS Lieutenant Maintenance Lieutenant Training Lieutenant Sworn Administrative
1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 10
SSP
Shift 1
Shift 2
Shift 3
Lieutenant
08
08
08
Engineer
09
09
09
Firefighter/ Paramedic
20
20
20
Human Resources Director Executive Assistant Administrative Assistant Finance
111
Total Sworn
121
1 1 1
Finance Director Assistant Finance Director Finance Assistant
1 1 1
IT Technician
1
IT
Fire Prevention Fire Prevention Supervisor Fire & Life Safety Educator
Sworn Shift
Communications/Dispatch
1 1
Communications Director Dispatch Supervisor Telecommunicators
1 1 12
Maintenance Fleet Maintenance Technician Building Maintenance Technician Part-Time Seasonal Employees Total Non-Sworn
2 1 1 27
Total Sworn
121
Total Employees
148
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Human Resources This year, Human Resources supported the following initiatives:
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In February, OFPD welcomed 12 new probationary Firefighter/Paramedics selected from the 2019 OFPD Commission Certified Firefighter/Paramedic Eligibility List. Candidates underwent an indepth, comprehensive pre-employment background investigation and medical review process prior to their conditional offer of employment, followed by a 10-week in-house Training Academy. Eligibility testing for firefighter/paramedic occurs every other year. HR will continue to ensure the highest levels of integrity and fairness in all promotional testing processes for the OFPD for all concerned.
After a brief pause due to the rapid onset of Covid-19, HR was able to develop a new timeline and virtual training/meetings in order to successfully facilitate the Battalion Chief promotional testing process for all eligible sworn personnel. Eligible candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree (or greater); OSFM Fire Officer II certification or Provisional FOII. The Orland Fire Protection District is an equal opportunity employer, and a proud member of the Firefighters Diversity Recruiting Council.
HR was also pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2020 Lieutenant Promotional Process. Departmental representatives collaborated with the testing vendor to develop and implement a process in compliance with COVID -19 safety guidelines, policies, and procedures. The testing process is conducted every three years and is comprised of multiple steps including: application and required documentation submission, written exam, oral board interview, and preference points. The final rank-ordered list of candidates will be used to fill vacancies as they occur within the District.
02/19/20 Promotional Ceremony L to R: B. Agle to Eng., E. Zielinski to Lt., D. DePersia to Lt. and S. Prohaska to Eng.
The past year has brought about sweeping changes in the landscape of workers compensation claims as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the Illinois legislature created an entirely new statutory presumption of compensability for COVID cases. We have begun to see the influx of claims resulting from that change in the law, and it has created a challenging environment for municipal entities. HR worked with the carrier to conduct a comprehensive review of workers' compensation and liability claims, status, trends, reporting processes, and costs, for discussion with departments to develop safety training and policies in an effort to minimize occurrences.
HR continues to work to improve processes through increased use of technology and automation
HR worked with our benefits consultants to implement a new employee benefits portal and software to improve efficiencies, automate workflow, and improve employee on boarding and engagement with a user-friendly portal.
HR worked to facilitate and conduct a comprehensive review of contract insurance requirements for appropriate risk transfer and processes for departments for outside vendor contracts and insurance review and approval to begin services/work with contracted vendors.
Human Resources Our Culture We are committed to diversity and inclusion. We stand for mutual respect and equity within our work environment where team members have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Embracing our diverse perspectives and ideas allows us to be innovative and effective in how we build the OFPD community. Together, we are better.
Promotions January 8, 2020 —1 Lieutenant and 2 Engineers The Orland Fire District held a promotional ceremony on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at the Administration Board Room. Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer administered the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Tom Panzica, and the Engineer Oath of Office to Eric Zielinski and Travis Herrin.
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Promotions February 19, 2020 —2 Lieutenants and 2 Engineers The Orland Fire District held a promotional ceremony on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at the Administration Board Room. Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer administered the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Eric Zielinski and Doug DePersia, and the Engineer Oath of Office to Brian Agle and Steve Prohaska.
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2020 Departures/Retirements
Patrick Collier Fire Inspector 1998 to 2020
Stephanie Koenig HR Assistant 2012 to 2020
In Memoriam John Hartmann
David Piper Operations Chief 1997 to 2020
Daniel Smith Administrative Chief 1989 to 2020
Joseph Mandekich Engineer 1993-2020
Robert Murphy III Lieutenant 1993 to 2020
The Orland Fire District was saddened to hear of the passing of retired Lieutenant John Hartmann on October 17, 2020. John began his career at Alsip Fire where he worked from 1979 to 1989. John came to Orland Fire in 1989, where he worked for 20 years, before retiring in 2009. During his time with the Orland Fire District, John was instrumental in the development of a multitude of programs the Orland Fire District utilizes today in our daily operations. After retirement, John worked with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association as the Editor of The Gong magazine and with their Project Consulting Team. John died of complications from 2 rare neurodegenerative diseases which had afflicted him for over 7 years.
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Honor Guard
Honor Guard
Lieutenant Dave Nagel
There are currently 15 members in the Orland Fire Protection District Honor Guard. Eight of those members are also involved with the AFFI State Honor Guard. The mission of the Honor Guard is to preserve the honor of fallen firefighters, and to post colors for promotional ceremonies and special District functions. Due to COVID-19, many of our annual memorial services in 2020 were not held, but remembrance was provided through dispatch announcements. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Honor Guard posted colors at two promotional ceremonies on January 8th, and February 19th, and at the Class of 2019's Swearing In Ceremony.
To prepare for these events, the Orland Honor Guard Members participated in several drills held throughout the AFFI Honor Guard’s 4th District when COVID-19 restrictions would allow. In addition, several Honor Guard members traveled to Naperville, IL in February for the AFFI Honor Guard induction ceremony where Firefighter Sergio Navarro and Firefighter Tim Wopinek were inducted into the AFFI Honor Guard.
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Cadet Program The year 2020 was a challenging year for the Orland Fire Cadet Program due to COVID-19. Even though many of the public event activities we participate in were cancelled and in-person meetings postponed, we were able to continue to train cadets in the Basic Operations Firefighter curriculum through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall virtually. This provided us the ability to complete the didactic portion of their training, so that when COVID-19 restrictions Cadet Program eased and we could meet in person again, we could dive right into their practical Lieutenant Josh skills. Even though COVID-19 created a challenge for the Orland Fire Cadet Program, Girdick there were some major highlights. For example, as a result of Cadets being granted preference points by the Board of Fire Commissioners on entry- level selection for Firefighter/Paramedic positions with the Fire District, the Orland Fire Cadet Program had it's second Cadet begin the hiring process for a full-time position as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Fire District. In addition, in 2020, the program continued to have Cadets successfully challenge and receive their State Certification for Basic Operations Firefighter through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall. By providing the opportunity to obtain this certification to individuals between 16 and 21 years of age, the Orland Fire Cadet Program starts Cadets on a path to a successful career in the fire service. Currently, the program has seven Cadets that are diligently completing their practical objectives, which were delayed because of COVID-19, as they work towards obtaining their Basic Operations Firefighter certification in the summer of 2021. The Cadets continue to attend meetings on Saturdays held at the the Fire District's Training Facility to complete their practical objectives when COVID-19 restrictions allow. As we move into 2021, the Orland Fire Cadet Program is looking to build on its successes from 2020, learn from the challenges that were faced in 2020, and continue to improve the program that is offered to its Cadets. The Cadet Program will be looking to take on new Cadets in the late summer or early fall of 2021 after doing recruitment in both the local high schools and community colleges. Overall, the Cadet Program will continually strive to achieve its mission of providing individuals with a strong foundation to build upon as they pursue a career within the fire service.
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Apparatus Fire Trucks Fire trucks are equipped with a variety of aerial ladders and ground ladders of various types and lengths that help firefighters reach fires. Fire trucks also carry specialized equipment for forcible entry, ventilation, and search and rescue tasks. Trucks 1, 4, 7
Fire Engines Fire engines, also commonly known as pumpers, are equipped with a variety of hoses of different lengths and widths that pump water. This water can come from either the internal tank of the engine or other outside water sources, such as hydrants. Engines 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Ambulances Ambulances are used to deliver immediate advanced medical care to sick or injured patients and to transport these patients to the hospital. Ambulances 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Squad Vehicles Because some emergencies require special assistance, squad vehicles are provided to each specialty team in order to properly aid in these special situations. Squad 2, 3, 5, 7 Arson Vehicle
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1998 Ford Converted Ambulance Went into service in 1998 as Ambulance 5 Reassigned in 2005 as Arson Squad and is equipped for fire investigations
Apparatus Squad Boats Squad Boats are used to aid the Water Rescue & Recovery Team
Staff Vehicles Staff vehicles are provided to the Fire Chief, Battalion Chiefs and bureau supervisors. Incident Command, Chief and Staff Officers, Headquarters
Fire Prevention Bureau Staff vehicles are provided to the Fire Prevention Bureau Supervisor, Fire Inspectors and to the Public Fire & Life Safety Educator
Support Vehicles
Support vehicles are provided for the in-house maintenance crews. Building Maintenance, Fleet Maintenance, Utility
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The Orland Fire Protection District’s staff is dedicated to preserving life and property while valuing full accountability to each other and the people we serve.
Orland Fire Protection District Administration Building 9790 West 151st Street Orland Park, IL 60462 (708) 349-0074 www.orlandfire.org
