2021 OFPD Annual Report

ORLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

Facilities Board of Trustees Board of Fire Commissioners Command Staff Message from the Fire Chief Staff Memorials In Memorium Dedications Recognitions Years of Service Unit Commendation Awards Awards Night OFPD by the Numbers Incidents by Station Area Apparatus Staffing Significant Incidents Mutual Aid Fire Investigations Emergency Medical Services Project Fire Buddies Training Training Academy 2021 2020 Fire Academy Graduation/Swearing In Specialty Teams: Water Rescue & Recovery Haz Mat Technical Rescue 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 13 14-15 16-17 18-22 23 24-27 28 29 30-34 35 36-37 38-42 43 44-46 47 48-49 50-51 52-53 54 55 56-57 58-65 66-67 68-69 70-73 74-75 76-79 80-83 84-85 86 87 88-89

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 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.

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

Board of Trustees 2022 Meeting Dates January 25, 2022 February 22, 2022 March 22, 2022 April 26, 2022 May 24, 2022 June 28, 2022

July 26, 2022 August 23, 2022 September 27, 2022 October 25, 2022 November 15, 2022 December 20, 2022

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 2021 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 President Christopher Evoy administered the Trustee Oath of Office to re-elected Trustee James Hickey at the 5-25-21 BOT Meeting. Trustee Hickey will serve another 6-year term from May, 2021 through April, 2027

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.

Fire Commissioners: Glenn Kraemer, Brian O’Neill, and Chairman Matthew Rafferty

Fire Commissioner Kraemer administering the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Brian Agle at a 10/7/21 promotional ceremony

Legal Counsel

Board of Fire Commissioners 2022 Meeting Dates January 3, 2022 February 7, 2022 March 7, 2022 April 4, 2022 May 2, 2022 June 6, 2022 July 11, 2022 August 1, 2022 September 12, 2022 October 3, 2022 November 7, 2022 December 5, 2022

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.

Command Staff: B/C Bill Leddin, Deputy Chief Nick Cinquepalmi, B/C John Purtill, Fire Chief Mike Schofield, Operations Chief Joe Moore, B/C R.J. Stachnik

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Command Staff Operations Chief Joseph Moore 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 John Purtill Shift 3— Gold Shift

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Message from the Fire Chief

Dear Board of Trustees, Fire Commissioners and Residents of the Orland Fire Protection District: I continue to remain humbled at the opportunity to continue to serve as the Chief/Administrator of the Orland Fire Protection District. I have been a resident of the Fire District for 49 years, and started at the Fire District as a Fire Cadet in 1977. I continue to come to work every day excited and honored to serve the residents, visitors and Orland Fire District personnel.

I am pleased to present the 2021 Annual Report. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Fire Commissioners and members of the Orland Fire Protection District, we wish to thank our residents for all the support they have shown us, especially through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 Pandemic continued to challenge us in 2021. The lessons learned from 2020 had us better prepared, trained and equipped to deal with the increased COVID-19 calls, which pushed us to our busiest year in history. We ran more ambulance calls than ever before and we were more than up to the challenge.

Our success is because of the cooperation of many, including the Village of Orland Park, the Village of Orland Hills and the Orland Township. Sharing COVID-19 information and getting information out to the residents was so important. The Fire District did several videos with the Village of Orland Park regarding COVID-19 and worked closely with the local police on procedures and policies.

The Orland Fire Protection District continued to function throughout the pandemic: continuing training, going to classes and responses. Like most in our community, we were hit hard with many of our members catching COVID-19, but it never affected daily staffing levels or providing service. We worked very closely with our labor union L2754 to ensure we maintained a healthy work environment, ensured staffing levels were met and created polices to meet the unique COVID issues.

Through 2021 we had several members retire after years of service to the Orland Fire Protection District.

We cannot say enough about their commitment and dedication to our organization. With the retirements come new “Candidates.” This is what we call new Firefighters for their first year. The Orland Fire Protection District has a reputation as one of the toughest Fire Academies in the region and not everyone makes it through their one-year probationary period. It is an honor to serve as an Orland Firefighter and we only take the best of the best.

Like everyone we have had to deal with higher costs of doing business, long delays on receiving equipment we order and projecting the impact of delays and costs on our budget. We have been waiting for over a year for delivery of a new ambulance. Normally it would be several months -- now it is 12-14 months. Firefighter gear is now taking 6-9 months to get. Being prepared and forecasting our needs is something the Orland Fire District has done well and we have been very prepared to meet theses challenges.

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Message from the Fire Chief

The success of our community comes with cooperation between the Villages we serve and the Fire District. We saw several instances of civil unrest in our region but the Orland community is extremely well-trained and prepared. The Orland Firefighters train with our local Police, and in keeping with the changing times, our Firefighters/Paramedics are equipped with ballistic gear (vests and helmets) and are trained to work with the police in a mass shooting or civil unrest event, as part of a Unified Command.

The time to prepare is well before an incident happens and Orland Fire and our local police have been training together for years. It has paid off time and time again.

We are prepared for any challenge we may face in 2022 because of the training we have done in the past and the training we continue to do. Each day presents a new opportunity and we embrace these opportunities, build on them, and learn from the outcomes.

I wish to thank our Board of Trustees, Board of Fire Commissioners, Command Staff, Firefighters, Administrative Staff, Dispatchers, Non-Sworn Personnel and Executive Board of Local 2754 for their hard work and dedication to ensuring the professional and high standard of service we provide.

Throughout the challenges of 2021 there was never a reduction in quality of service, speed of response or staffing levels. COVID-19 and the potential for civil unrest challenged us, and we met those challenges, because of the people who work here -- on the front lines and behind the scenes -- elected and appointed. Without these great members we are nothing, but together, we are an elite organization.

Respectfully,

Fire Chief

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Administrative Staff Fire Prevention Bureau

New Hire 6/21

Joan Mulchrone Admin. Assistant Support Services

Gerry Strunka Executive Assistant

Finance

Kerry Sullivan Finance Director

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Mike Ercoli

Ryan Collins

Betsy Dine

Fire Prevention Bureau Supervisor

Fire Inspector

Public Life & Safety Educator

Human Resources

Mary Coughlin

Assistant Finance Director

Micaela Enriquez Finance Asst.

EMS

Training

Lieutenant Mark Duke EMS Administrator

Lieutenant Michael Siefert Training Officer

Lucy McGlynn Human Resources Director

Information Technology (IT)

Mike Angel IT Technician

Support Services/Communications Support Services / Fleet Maintenance

Lieutenant Jim Hynes Support Services Administrator

Scott Landgraf Fire Apparatus Technician

Jeff Bennett Fire Apparatus Technician

Mark Koczwara Building Maintenance Technician

Bryce Landgraf Maintenance Assistant (Part-Time)

Communications

William Neumann Communications Director

Orland Central Dispatch Telecommunicators

Retired 8/21

New Hire 9/21

Lori Gromala

Gina Cortez

Dispatch Supervisor

Asst. Director of Communications

Desiree Breese

Kimberly Coffou

Suzanne Dietz

Ryan Ellis

Gayle Enright

Dawn Kurry

Joe McGrath

Dawn Neehouse

Dana Roman

Kendra Wander

Jon Hultman

Kristine Wessel

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Memorials Line of Duty In Memory of Battalion Chief William Bonnar, Sr. February 25, 2021, marked the 23nd 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, 2021, marked the 12th 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.

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November 16, 1938 to September 14, 2009

Memorials 9-1-1 Remembrance Memorial—20 Years On September 11, 2021, 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 20th year since the horrific attack on our country.

Thanks to Board President Evoy, Retirees, MVCC Fire Service students, Cadets, CERT members, SAC members and OFPD personnel for joining us for this special 20th Anniversary ceremony. Also a big thanks to Tavern in the Glen for providing a complimentary delicious hot breakfast for all who attended.

Later that morning, the Orland Fire District also participated with the Village of Orland Park, Illinois and Orland Park Veterans Commission in a Commemorative Ceremony Honoring the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, which was held outside of Village Hall at the Orland Park Ara Pacé Memorial.

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In Memoriam Passing of Richard Kukac

The Orland Fire District was saddened to hear of the passing of Richard Kukac, a former Firefighter, OFPD Commissioner and Trustee.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family, including his son-in-law, OFPD Engineer Travis Herrin.

Passing of Mike Morgan On December 19, 2021, recently retired OFPD Fleet Maintenance Mechanic Mike Morgan died suddenly. With over 30 years of service, Mike was instrumental in keeping all OFPD apparatus in service and operating safely. He was a valued member of the OFPD family and he will be missed.

A retired OFPD Engineer eloquently shared the impact Mike had on our organization:

“...You may have never known him or met him but every time you get behind the wheel of any district vehicle and you apply the brakes, or step on the accelerator, or switch from road to pump, or open the cabinet door and see a custom bracket or pull out tray, I want you to think of the skilled craftsmen/mechanic that built that - Mike…. He was a quiet man, but a great man and he will be dearly missed.”

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Dedications Dedication of Truck 1 On Saturday, October 9, 2021, Chief Schofield and the Command Staff held a dedication ceremony in honor of former Firefighter/Captain/Fire Marshal/Deputy Chief Jerome Panozzo (1968 - 1989) and former Firefighter/ Trustee/Board President Dale Karlson (1969 - 2005). Chiefs Schofield, Leddin and Bonnar spoke to the impact both men had on Orland Fire and how they substantially contributed to Orland Fire's success with the work they had done. Next, we went outside so Chief Schofield could reveal the dedication plate affixed to our new Truck 1. Thank you to the Panozzo and Karlson families for the great turnout!

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Recognitions Secretary of Defense Employer Support Award to Battalion Chief Moore On Tuesday, January 26, 2021, Battalion Chief Joe Moore was presented the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of Guard & Reserve Patriotic Employer Award by OFPD Engineer Brian Agle and Firefighter Marty Majda during the Board of Trustees meeting. Both gentlemen are in the reserves and have been deployed during their employment with Orland Fire District. Both have expressed their thanks to Command Staff and support personnel for making the process much easier on them and their families. In particular, Chief Moore, has gone above and beyond by keeping in touch and helping them during their deployment.

Presentation of Flag and Medal from U.S. Marine Corp. to Orland Fire On January 26, 2021, Chief Schofield was honored to present the Board of Trustees an American flag and medal presented to him from retired Engineer Wally Quintanilla’s son Andres G. Quintanilla, a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corp. On November 13, 2019, this flag was flown over PB YALE/HAERTER, Anbar Operation Center, Al Taqaddum Airbase, Al Anbar Provice, Iraq, during Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in the face of ISIS, in honor of the Orland Fire Protection District.

Lance Corporal Quintanilla has been deployed back to the Middle East. His Orland Fire District family thanks him for keeping us safe and is proud of his service.

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Recognitions On August 30, 2021, Chief Mike Schofield and the Orland Fire District were proud to receive the Congressional Record from Congresswoman Marie Newman. Congresswoman Newman praised their tremendous dedication in protecting the lives and property of its residents, as well as the leadership, resourcefulness and innovation in dealing with the COVID pandemic.

We are proud of the work that we do and we thank Congresswoman Newman for her support of first responders.

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Years of Service Sworn Personnel The following employees celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2021:

Tom Eisel

Dan Koenig

John Purtill

Nick Pycz

Steve Rivero

Mark Duke

Mike Haran

Jim Hynes

Mike Meyrick

Jim Pape

Bob Winkelman

Vince Piatak

Dave Popp

Bob Griffin

Brian Myhre

Josh Girdick

Travis Herrin

Matt Johnson

Mark Reichert Brett Buenzow Jim Strzechowski

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Years of Service Non-Sworn Personnel

The following employees celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2021:

30 Years

Scott Landraf

15 Years

Mary Coughlin

20 Years

Suzanne Dietz

Stuey Neumann

10 Years

Lucy McGlynn

Joan Mulchrone

Gerry Strunka

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Unit Commendations 1/24/2021 On January 24, 2021, Paramedics were dispatched to a single-family residence for an 83 year-old male in cardiac arrest. The responding crew initiated high performance CPR and Advanced Life Support procedures, including intubation, IO access, and medication therapy. The patient regained a pulse and blood pressure on the scene after 20 minutes of resuscitation and was transported to Palos Hospital for ongoing treatment.

Crew Members:

Adrian Puente, Jon Egan, Carl Jones, Joseph Moore, Charles Murray, Steven Prohaska, Keith Fontana, Brett Buenzow, John Locus

2/5/2021 On February 5, 2021, Paramedics were dispatched to a single-family residence for a 75 year-old male patient in cardiac arrest. The responding personnel found the patient’s family initiated CPR. Resuscitative efforts were taken over by Orland Fire Paramedics who found the patient to have an initial cardiac rhythm of PEA. After 20 minutes of Advanced Life Support the patient regained a pulse and blood pressure and was transported to Palos Hospital for further treatment.

Crew Members:

Jennifer Smith, James Karp, Nickolas Tufts, Jeffrey Uthe, Michael Dorencz, Brett Buenzow, Daniel Ritchie, Jon Egan, Joseph Moore, John Purtill, Mark Duke

2/12/2021 On February 12, 2021, Paramedics were dispatched to a single-family residence for a 79 year-old male who stopped breathing and fell. The responding personnel found the patient pulseless and not breathing and immediately began high performance CPR and Advanced Life Support. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital after 20 minutes of care. While en route to Palos Hospital the patient obtained ROSC and was delivered to the ER with a palpable pulse.

Crew Members:

Jonathan Kendra, James Logan, Keith Fontana, Dale Weber, Brian McLaughlin, Michael Pericht, Austin Childers

3/11/2021 On March 11, 2021, Paramedics responded to a nursing facility for a patient in cardiac arrest. Nursing facility staff initiated CPR and resuscitative efforts were taken over by the responding crew members. The patient was in respiratory arrest and their airway was cleared and intubation was successful. The patient was in asystole and ALS care was initiated. The patient obtained ROSC with a bradycardic heart rhythm where cardiac pacing was applied successfully. The patient was transported with a blood pressure and pulse to Palos Hospital for further treatment.

Crew Members:

William Leddin, Brian Schick, Brian McLaughlin, Russell Ricobene, Charles Stoltz, Keith Radke, Dave Nagel, James Wooten, Austin Childers

3/16/2021 On March 16, 2021, Paramedics responded to a single-family residence for a patient who collapsed and was in cardiac arrest.

Responding crew members found a 65 year-old male patient in full cardiac arrest with family members on the scene doing CPR. Resuscitation efforts were taken over by the paramedics and Advanced Life Support protocol was initiated. The patient’s initial heart rhythm was ventricular fibrillation where defibrillation was performed. After a second defibrillation the patient obtained ROSC. A 12 lead monitor interpretation was done showing sinus tachycardia with an inferior STEMI. The patient was transported to Silver Cross Hospital for further treatment.

Crew Members:

John Purtill, Nickolas Tufts, Jeffrey Uthe, Anthony Kaskadden, John Cortilet, James Schultz, Matthew Johnson, Daniel Koenig, Rosendo Rodriguez

3/27/2021 On March 27, 2021, Paramedics responded to a single-family residence for a 58 year-old male patient in cardiac arrest. On arrival, crew members found family members performing CPR. Resuscitative efforts were taken over by the responding personnel and ALS protocols were initiated. After two rounds of CPR and medications the patient regained a pulse and blood pressure. A 12 lead ECG was obtained and showed sinus tachycardia. While en route to Palos Hospital the patient went into an asystolic heart rhythm and CPR was again initiated. ROSC was obtained for a second time and the patient care was transferred to Palos Hospital.

Crew Members:

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Robert Stachnik, Kevin Frawley, Michael Meyrick, James Mazurkiewicz, Joseph Oram, Mark Reichert, Gerald Bohne, Zachary Zweizig, Garrett Flavin, Christian Andrews

Unit Commendations 3/30/2021 On March 30, 2021, Paramedics responded to a bowling alley for a cardiac arrest. On arrival crew members found a 77 year-old male in full cardiac arrest. The patient was found in ventricular fibrillation and defibrillated on the scene. ALS Protocol was initiated and after fourteen minutes of CPR the patient obtained ROSC. Palos Hospital was contacted without further orders given. While en route the patient went into cardiac arrest for a second time and CPR was resumed. After an additional six minutes of CPR the patient again obtained ROSC and transfer of care was given to Palos Hospital.

Crew Members:

Robert Stachnik, Erick Johnson, Donald Andersen, Brian Steele, Walter Rafacz, James Strzechowski, Brian Nanak, James Pape, Nick Mitidiero

4/04/2021

On April 4, 2021, Paramedics responded to a request for a citizen assist. While en route the responding crews were upgraded to a stroke response and then upgraded the response to a cardiac arrest response. The patient was found with a cardiac rhythm of PEA. The responding paramedics performed advanced life support including intubation, medication administration, and highperformance CPR. While transporting the patient to Palos Hospital the patient regained a pulse and ROSC was confirmed.

Crew Members:

Jeffery Sheldon, Nick Pycz, George Schick, John Purtill, Michael Haran, Russell Ricobene, Brian Schick, Ryan Bouche

04/14/2021 On April 14, 2021, Paramedics responded to a request for a person passed out. While en route the responding crew members were upgraded to a cardiac arrest response. CPR was initiated by OPPD prior to EMS arrival. The crew members found the patient unresponsive and in asystole. High performance CPR and advanced life support was initiated with intubation and medication administration being completed. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was confirmed prior to leaving the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further care.

Crew Members:

Brian McLaughlin, Brandon Klekamp, Russell Ricobene, William Leddin, Stephen Carter, Austin Childers, Andrew Kasules, Matthew Burke, James Pape, Stephen Kovats

04/30/2021 On April 14, 2021, Paramedics responded to the nursing facility for a cardiac arrest response. The responding crew members found the nursing home staff performing CPR. The Orland Paramedics took over and initiated High Performance CPR and initiated advanced life support while ventilating the patient via a trach. After medication administration the patient regained a pulse and ROSC was obtained. The responding paramedics continued ALS care and transported the patient with a pulse to Silver Cross ER for continued care.

Crew Members:

William Patterson, Adrian Puente, Carl Jones, John Cortilet, Thomas Rafferty, Daniel Fagan, Matthew Johnson, Daniel Koenig

05/09/2021 On May 9, 2021, Paramedics responded to the nursing facility for a cardiac arrest response. The responding crew members found the nursing home staff performing CPR. Orland Paramedics took over and initiated High Performance CPR. Orland Paramedics initiated advanced life support while intubating the patient. After medication administration the patient regained a pulse and ROSC was obtained. The responding paramedics continued ALS care and transported the patient with a pulse to Palos Hospital ER for continued care.

Crew Members:

Brian Paliga, David Popp, Justin Dublin, Rosendo Rodriguez, Matthew Burke, John Purtill, Daniel Fagan, James Mazurkiewicz, Steven Prohaska

07/02/2021 On July 2, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for a cardiac arrest response. On arrival, the responding crew members found the patient in cardiac arrest with OPPD performing CPR on the patient prior to EMS arrival. OFPD Paramedics initiated High Performance CPR and advanced life support. The patient was treated for V-fib and the patient regained a pulse and obtained ROSC on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for a continuation of care.

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Unit Commendations Crew Members:

Eric Petravich, Sergio Navarro, Joseph Moore, Stephen Kovats, Brian Paliga, Justin Dublin, Keith Fontana, Steven Prohaska, Michael Dorencz, Adrian Puente, Douglas DePersia

08/04/2021 On August 4, 2021, Paramedics responded to a nursing facility for severe respiratory distress. On arrival, the responding crew members found the patient in severe respiratory distress. ALS Protocols were initiated on the scene and the patient was prepped for transport. The patient was intubated prior to leaving the scene and while en route the patient lost their pulse and High-Performance CPR was initiated. The patient was in a PEA Rhythm and the patient was treated per Cardiac Arrest Protocol. On arrival of Palos Hospital, the patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved.

Crew Members:

Matthew Burke, Justin Dublin, Matthew Giermala, Jonathan McKendry, Robert Proctor

08/15/2021 On August 15, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for a medical alert alarm. On arrival the responding crew members found an unresponsive patient. Advanced life support was initiated on the scene. The patient deteriorated and lost their pulse while the crew was on the scene. High performance CPR was initiated, and the Cardiac Arrest Protocol was performed. The patient was intubated, and medication administration was performed.

The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved during transport to Silver Cross Hospital.

Crew Members:

William Leddin, Dale Weber, Mark Reichert, Matthew Johnson, Timothy Kirincic, Michael Pericht, Walter Rafacz, Isaac Salazar, James Wooten

08/18/2021 On August 18, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for a patient complaining of weakness. While assessing the patient, the patient became unresponsive. The patient was intubated on the scene. The patient later lost their pulse. High Performance CPR was initiated, and cardiac arrest protocol was performed. While transporting the patient to Palos Hospital ER, the patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved.

Crew Members:

Joshua Girdick, Shaun McDonald, Nick Pycz, Daniel Mejdrech, Brian Nanak

08/20/2021 On August 20th, 2021, Paramedics were dispatched to the scene for a patient in cardiac arrest. On arrival, the responding crew found the patient in cardiac arrest and initiated High Performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was intubated and found to have asystole as their initial cardiac rhythm. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further care.

Crew Members:

William Leddin, Dale Weber, Brett Buenzow, Russell Ricobene, William Patterson, Brandon Toth, Charles Stoltz, Donald Andersen, David Nagel

09/02/2021

On September 2nd, 2021, Paramedics responded to a doctor’s office for a patient in cardiac arrest. CPR was being performed by office staff prior to OFPD EMS arrival. The responding crew members initiated High Performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient’s initial cardiac rhythm was PEA, and the patient was ventilated with a BVM. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved while on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital ER for a continuation of care.

Crew Members:

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Robert Stachnik, Timothy Wopinek, Jeffrey Ruchniewicz, Jason Postma, Mark Duke, Daniel Mejdrech, Jeff Anderson, Bryan Kluever, James Strzechowski, Walter Rafacz

Unit Commendations 09/18/2021 On September 18, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for a patient that had fallen hours earlier and passed out twice since the fall. ALS Protocol was performed on the scene and the patient was transported to Silver Cross ER. While en route to Silver Cross, the patient became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest. The patient’s rhythm was asystole and ALS Cardiac Protocol, along with High Performance CPR was initiated. The patient quickly regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved.

Crew Members:

Timothy Wopinek, Brett Buenzow, David Popp, Nicholas Sanders-Mud, Brian Thompson

09/19/21 On September 19, 2021, Paramedics responded to the nursing facility for a patient in cardiac arrest. On arrival, responding crew members found nursing staff performing CPR. The crew took over the call and initiated High Performance CPR and initiated Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was ventilated though their tracheostomy and ALS procedures were performed. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved after medication administration. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for a continuation of treatment.

Crew Members:

William Leddin, Travis Herrin, Brandon Klekamp, Russell Ricobene, Charles Stoltz, Keith Radke, David Nagel, William Patterson, Brandon Toth

10/01/2021 On October 1, 2021, Paramedics responded to Artic Ice Arena for a patient in cardiac arrest. Prior to their arrival, bystanders performed CPR and defibrillated the patient with an AED. The responding crew members took over patient care and found the patient alert without any further complaints. The patient was treated per ALS Cardiac Patient Protocol and transported to Palos Hospital without any further change in condition.

Crew Members:

Stephen Kovats, Garrett Flavin, Brett Buenzow, Andrew Kasules

10/06/2021 On October 6th, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for patient having a heart attack. While en route the call was upgraded to a cardiac arrest response. On arrival, the responding crew members found the patient in cardiac arrest with family doing CRP. The crew members took over and initiated High Performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was found in V-fib and the patient was defibrillated. The patient was intubated along with medication administration while on the scene. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved while on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for a continuation of care.

Crew Members:

Brian Paliga, Justin Dublin, David Popp, John Purtill, Mark Duke, Stephen Kovats, Jeffrey Uthe, Brian Thompson, Jon Egan

10/29/21 On October 29th, 2021, Paramedics responded to the residence for a patient in cardiac arrest. On arrival, the responding crew members found the patient in cardiac arrest with family members performing CPR. The crew members initiated High Performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient’s initial cardiac rhythm was v-fib, and the patient was defibrillated, intubated, and medication was administered. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved on the scene. The patient was transported to Silver Cross ER for further treatment.

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Unit Commendations Crew Members:

Justin Shanklin, Vincent Piatak, Erick Johnson, Marc DeSardi, Michael Meyrick, Carl Jones, Jerome Slisz Jr, Kevin Frawley, Robert Stachnik

11/19/2021 On November 19, 2021, Paramedics responded to a residence for a cardiac arrest. On arrival, crew members found the patient in cardiac arrest and initiated High Performance CPR along with ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was found in Asystole and the patient was intubated. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further care.

Crew Members:

Thomas Panzica, Matthew Hoover, Robert Griffin III, James Logan, Jonathan McKendry, John Purtill, Dave Nagel, Keith Radke, Charles Stoltz

11/23/2021 On November 23, 2021, Paramedics responded to the nursing facility for a patient having difficulty breathing. On arrival, the crew members found the patient in severe respiratory distress and initiated ALS Protocols. The patient was intubated to assist their breathing. During transport to the hospital the patient began to deteriorate and went into pulseless V-tach. High Performance CPR was initiated, and the patient was cardio-verted. A pulse regained and ROSC was obtained. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further treatment.

Crew Members:

Nicholas Sander-Mud, Brian Myhre, Daniel Ritchie, Jonathan McKendry, Robert Proctor

11/26/2021 On November 26, 2021, Paramedics responded to a residence for a patient in cardiac arrest. On arrival, the responding crew members found the patient in cardiac arrest with family doing CPR. The crew members initiated High Performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was intubated, and medication administration was performed. The initial cardiac rhythm was V-Fib and defibrillation was performed. The patient regained a pulse and ROSC was achieved while on the scene. The patient was transported to Palos Hospital for further treatment.

Crew Members:

Justin Dublin, Steven Prohaska, David Popp, Nicholas Sanders-Mud, Brian Myhre, Daniel Ritchie, Robert Proctor, Jonathan McKendry

12/13/2021 On December 13, 2021, Paramedics responded to a doctor’s office for a person who passed out. On arrival, the responding crew members found the medical staff pulling the patient out of the car. The staff found the patient in cardiac arrest. The crew members initiated High-performance CPR and ALS Cardiac Arrest Protocol. The patient was intubated, and medication administration was performed. The patient regained a pulse on the scene and ROSC was achieved. The patient was transported to Silver Cross ER for further care.

Crew Members:

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Nicholas Sanders-Mud, Kevin Frawley, Justin Shanklin, Michael Meyrick, James Mazurkiewicz

Awards Night On July 14, 2021, OFPD held a much over-due Awards Night where there were many awards to distribute, including: Milestone Years of Service; Telecommunicators’ Award of Merit for outstanding dispatching work during COVID-19; a MABAS Humanitarian Service Award presented to personnel who traveled to Hardin, IL to offer much needed assistance to towns affected by river flooding; and Unit Commendations awarded to crews for life-saving EMS calls. Congrats to all!

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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—911 Call to Unit

Unit Notification to Responding

Active Driving to the Scene

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 32% from 2012 to 2021.

10 Year Incident History

Incidents Per Month

Calls Per Hour

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OFPD By the Numbers 2021 Fire, EMS and Other Calls Per Station

8 — Severe Weather/Natural Disaster, 0, 0% 7 — False Alarm and False Call, 1612, 15%

2021 Incident Types 1 — Fire, 266, 2%

2 — Overpressure, 9, 0%

6 — Good Intent Call, 419, 4%

5 — Service Call, 1249, 11%

4 — Hazardous Condition (No Fire) 242, 2% 3 — Rescue & Emergency Medical Service Incident, 7344, 66%

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OFPD By the Numbers 2021 Incident by Property Use

2021 2020Unit UnitResponses Response

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Incidents By Station Area/Shifts 2021 Calls By Station

2021 Calls By Shifts

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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2021 EMS Calls

2021 Fire Calls

2021 Other Calls

2021 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

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Significant Incidents 01/15/21 House Fire on Haven Avenue On January 15, 2021, the OFPD received a call for a house fire on the 16000 block of Haven Avenue at around 8:20 AM. Companies arrived to find smoke billowing from the eves of the house and filling up the home. Most of the damage impacted the upper second floor bathroom. The fire was quickly extinguished and all residents and pets accounted for. No one was injured.

01/25/21 Shooting Outside of Day Care On January 25, 2021, the OFPD responded to a call at a day care center in the 14300 block of Pinewood Drive, where a vehicle pulled up and opened fire seven shots on a 31-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man. The Two individuals were transported to Christ Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

02/09/21 House Fire On Creek Crossing On February 9, 2021, the OFPD received multiple 911 calls at approximately 5:06 PM for a fire in the garage in the 14000 block of Creek Crossing Drive. Upon arrival on the scene crews found a two-story single-family residence with heavy smoke coming from an attached garage. The garage door was closed and reports that the homeowners were already out of the structure. Fire crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and prevented the fire from getting into the attic and interior of the house. Crews assisted with fire control, search and rescue, and overhaul of the garage. A resident was treated for smoke inhalation. The patient was treated and transported. Fire crews had difficulty locating fire hydrants due to the fact that they were covered by snow. Fire officials remind residents to take the time to dig out your neighborhood fire hydrants. Valuable time can be wasted on the fire scene trying to locate hydrants needed for water.

03/14/21 House fire on Springview On March 14, 2021, the OFPD received multiple calls of a reported house fire at approximately 1:37 pm in the 13900 block of Springview. Upon arrival, fire companies encountered heavy smoke and fire in the rear of a two-story single-family residence with exposure to the two story home to the North.

Due to gusty winds, heavy smoke, and fire conditions, the alarm was upgraded to a box alarm. Fire crews utilized multiple lines to quickly extinguish the fire. Just as fire crews were making an aggressive attack, the rear windows of the home broke out, but crews were able to keep the fire on the exterior of the home and out of the living area. The homeowners were home and escaped without injuries prior to our arrival. The neighbor’s house to the North received minor damage as a result of the fire. The Orland Fire District was assisted by numerous neighboring fire departments including Palos Fire, Northwest Homer Fire, Lemont Fire, Tinley Park Fire, and Homer Fire District. Other MABAS fire departments covered Orland stations and further calls for service.

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Significant Incidents 03/31/21 Rollover Into Building/Pin-In On March 31, 2021, crews responded to a call at 0827 pm for rollover car accident, possibly into the house. On arrival crews found one car on its side with one occupant trapped in the vehicle. The vehicle hit the building and caused structural damage. One victim was extricated from the vehicle after about 20 minutes and transported to local hospital with non life threatening injuries. On scene crews then worked to shore up the structural damage to the building. All crews completed shoring operations and returned to quarters at approximately 1030 pm.

04/03/21 House Fire on 116th Court On April 3, 2021, the OFPD received multiple 911 calls at approximately 4:22 PM. for a house fire located in the 15500 block of 116th Court. Crews found a two story single family residence with heavy fire outside the back of the house including the deck, gazebo and wooden fence due to high wind conditions. Crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and prevented the fire from getting into the attic and interior of the house. Multiple crews from the Orland fire District and surrounding communities arrived on the scene and assisted with fire control, search and rescue, and overhaul of the residence. A 2nd alarm tanker box was called to provide water for firefighting due to no hydrants in the area. There was heavy smoke damage and minimal fire damage to the interior and attic of the residence. There were no injuries.

04/16/21 Fire at Lifetime Fitness On April 16, 2021, the OFPD responded to Life Time Fitness in the 16300 block of LaGrange Road at 7:18 pm for an automatic fire alarm from the property. Upon arrival, evacuation was in progress. Fire crews entered the building to investigate the source of the alarm. Crews found smoke in the rear of the building near the men and women’s locker room. While searching for the source of the smoke, crews began to pull ceiling in the locker rooms. Fire companies found active fire burning above the drop ceiling. The fire was extinguished with hand-lines from fire apparatus. The fire had been burning in the void space between the drop ceiling and the second floor. This area was above the sprinklers and smoke detectors. An air handling smoke detector activated to alert the fire department that there was smoke in the building. The alarm was upgraded to a box alarm due to the size of the building and the amount the smoke that needed to be removed throughout the structure. Extensive overhaul was performed by fire companies on the scene to make sure that the fire did not extend into the second floor of the facility. The cause of the fire was a result of lint build up from their dryers that had spread up into the ceiling space. OFPD was assisted by neighboring fire departments.

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Significant Incidents 06/20/21 Commercial Roof Fire at 7000 Block of 159th Street Crews arrived to find construction workers on roof using a torch. Workers ignited the flashing under the rubber membrane causing heavy smoke and fire conditions along the north east corner of the building. Fire crews helped evacuate tenants in all stores until the fire was under control. Fire investigators were called and then took over the scene.

Representatives from the Village and utility companies were also called to the scene.

08/09/21 Apartment Fire in the 9000 Block of Franklin Court On Monday, August 8, 2021, the Orland Fire Protection District responded to a fire in the 9000 block of Franklin Court at around 6:30 p.m. The resident was preparing food for dinner on the stove when the fire occurred and crews quickly arrived to the scene and brought the fire under control. The fire was on the second floor and smoke spread throughout the building, so other crews were tasked with removing tenants to safety. Minor smoke damage was reported.

08/11/21 House Fire in the 14900 Block of Dogwood On Wednesday, August 11, 2021, an unoccupied Orland Park home was in flames. A neighbor's quick call for help prevented it from being worse, as the homeowners were out of town at the time. The house, located in the 14900 block of Dogwood, appeared to have smoke streaming out of it. A neighbor noticed the smoke, and fire officials made it to the scene just minutes later. Upon arrival, crews forced their way into the home through a service door, into the garage. The house was full of smoke, according to fire officials. The flames were found in the lower level utility room, and had made their way to the second floor bedroom. According to officials, an aggressive attack on the flames helped quickly extinguish the inferno. The home was uninhabitable. Multiple fire crews arrived on the scene and assisted with fire control, search and rescue, and overhaul of the structure. A full still was called to provide additional manpower and equipment to the scene, as well as covering numerous additional calls for service within the Fire District. There were no injuries.

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Significant Incidents 09/23/21 Apartment Complex Fire On September 23, 2021, a fire broke out in an apartment complex, blazing through multiple buildings, and causing smoke damage throughout the three-story, 12 unit apartment building according to the Orland Fire Protection District. The OFPD responded to a fire at an apartment building in the 9300 block of Hunter Drive. A fire alarm had been called in for 9335 Hunter Drive, and then another call to Orland Central Dispatch reported a fire in a closet at the adjacent 9333 Hunter Drive apartment. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the department.

The department said engine 4 arrived to find smoke and fire on the first floor of the 12 unit apartment building before calling for extra companies to fight the full-alarm fire. Firefighters contained the fire and searched all units in both apartments.

10/26/21 Kitchen Fire on 86th Avenue On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, an apartment fire broke out in the 15700 block of 86th Avenue after 8 p.m. The fire was contained to the unit it began in, and nobody was hurt. The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

11/03/21 House Fire on 89th Court On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, the Orland Fire District was alerted at 11:58 AM of a house fire in the 16800 Block of 89 th Court in Orland Hills, by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the house. The first arriving companies arrived within 3 minutes from the time of the alarm. Battalion 6 arrived on the scene and found smoke coming from the second floor roof vents as well as the rear of the structure. Truck 4 arrived on the scene and forced entry through the front door of the home. Fire crews found the house full of smoke and a fire in the upstairs bathroom that had extended up the walls to the attic and to the exterior wall of the home. Fire crews made an aggressive interior attack and deployed two hand-lines to quickly extinguish the fire. 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 was called to provide additional manpower and equipment to the scene as well as covering numerous additional calls for service within the Fire District. The homeowners were away from home at the time of the fire and the home is currently uninhabitable. Other fire departments providing coverage and manpower included Palos Fire, Tinley Park, Crestwood, Matteson, New Lenox, and Frankfort. The early notification to the fire department by an observant neighbor helped keep further damage to a minimum.

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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.

2021 Mutual Aid

Given

Received

Mutual Aid Given Bedford Park East Joliet Mokena Oak Lawn Richton Park

Blue Island Frankfort Morris Palos Fire Robbins

Bridgeview Homer Township New Lenox Palos Heights Romeoville

Calumet Park Kankakee North Palos Peotone Thornton

County Club Hills Lemont Northwest Homer Phoenix Tinley Park

Crestwood Lockport Oak Forest Posen

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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.

The Orland Fire District Origin and Cause Team investigated all fires within the Orland Fire District in 2021.

These fires are not only structure fires, but also include vehicle, vegetation, and other free standing structures. In 2021, there were four intentionally set fires, which included structures, vehicles, and other fires. Many of these fires continue to remain under investigation at this time. Unlike other crimes, there are is no statute of limitations on arson cases. Therefore, they are not closed out until a conclusion to the case is achieved. Many of these cases are closed out with the help of information received from citizens or informants. In the beginning of each new year we revisit all previously unsolved cases and confer with local law enforcement and the Illinois State Fire Marshal to make sure that there is no new information or that their agencies have not closed out one of our cases.

The Orland Fire District works closely with many local police jurisdictions within the Fire District depending on where the suspicious fire occurs. Our team works closely with the Orland Park Police Department, the Orland Hills Police Department, or the 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 thirty-five mutual aid fire investigations within MABAS 19 and two interdivisional task force responses. We also investigated over twenty-five structure fires within the fire district, as well as all other fires as needed.

The Orland Fire District has nine 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. The seminar was postponed for 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed on in-person training sessions. Training was restored later in the fall under a new format. We began conducting training via Zoom. It took a while to get the bugs worked out, but this format allowed us to get together remotely. We were able to resume some hands-on training in the fall of 2021.

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Fire Investigations There were limitations in training because many of our guest instructors were not familiar with zoom technology, or did not have the resources. We were able to overcome these challenges by bringing these instructors into our classroom and allowing them to broadcast from a secure facility. We were able to conduct a car fire class that we were able to hold outside with limited exposure to others. The class was attended by students from the Arson Task Force. The Annual Task Force Seminar will once again be held in April 2022.

In 2021, clothes dryers and electrical failures, including bathroom fans, continued to be two of the leading causes of fires that we see within the Orland Fire District. We work very closely with our Public Education Department to get the word out regarding these frequent hazards. After each significant fire, we use social media to alert our residents of hazards or trends we see in the fire service. Having dryers and vents cleaned and maintained has helped prevent fires. Failure to maintain appliances and failing to make sure they are maintained properly continues to cause residential fires. That is why we caution homeowners not to run an appliance while not at home. When you go out, turn off the appliances until you get home 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 After the Fire handouts help guide our residents in getting on with their lives. We know that after a fire you are often overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn for help. 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.

This fire started in the first floor of a three story apartment building in Hunter Ridge Apartments. The fire started due to an electrical charger for a laptop. The fire caused smoke throughout the building

This fire started in a clothes dryer and quickly spread to laundry outside the dryer. The dryer had not been cleaned of lint for many years. The homeowner was alerted to the fire by a working smoke detector in the basement

This fire started in the second floor condo unit of two-story building on Orland Brook Drive. The fire was contained to the one unit with smoke throughout the hallway. The fire started in the dishwasher and spread throughout the unit

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks and need for social distancing, CERT was put on hold for 2021.

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Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services Administrator

The start of 2021 began with an increase in COVID patient transports reaching new peaks in January that were eclipsed in December. Our First Responders and their families also fell victim to COVID. In December 17 line personnel were off work due to COVID and nearly half of Orland's 120 Paramedics were on Quarantine and watch lists in December. Demand for medical services increased by approximately 10% in 2021. Our Paramedics met the challenge as they utilized their training, equipment and experience developed in 2020 and years prior. As we look ahead we have hope for some normalcy however different it may look than years past. Whatever we are confronted with you can be assured we will continue to prepare and adapt to any situation we are called for.

Lieutenant Mark Duke

This collection of equipment are what the Paramedics utilize during initial patient contact while determining the severity of the patient illness. Much useful information can be gathered with these tools along with the patients' description of their problem and a medical history. Concurrently with a visual impression and after masking themselves and the patient the Paramedic can obtain respiratory rate, lungs sounds and an oxygen level in the blood by use of the stethoscope and pulse oximeter. The blood pressure and pulse rate can be obtained with the BP Cuff and Pulse Oximeter. Additionally the patients' temperature can be obtained with the touchless thermometer. The items are not high tech but still valuable and necessary to conduct a patient assessment:

Blood Pressure Cuff

Stethoscope

Pulse Oximeter

New Ambulance #5 After some delays in delivery the new ambulance arrived and was delivered to Station #5. The ambulance fleet consists of one ambulance at each of the 6 fire stations and 2 reserve ambulances that fill in if there is preventative maintenance required or a break down. This plan ensures that an ambulance will always be ready and available to respond. Increase in call volume that leads to increased mileage may require modification of the annual purchase plan.

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Patient Mask & Gloves Touchless Thermometer

Emergency Medical Services Simulated Paramedic Programs Area paramedic program students learn skills to overcome difficult to manage airways. Various techniques are taught and then tested under many different circumstances created through simulation. Simulation provides an opportunity to apply theory and gain experience in skills and procedures without potentially putting patients at risk. Repetition performed correctly is the key to success.

Orland Park Aquatic Center Lifeguard Training Every summer since 1998 Orland Fire District has partnered with Orland Park Aquatic Center to practice life-saving skills. From 1998 to 2021 the number of lifeguards has grown from under 50 to over 100. Under the watch of Orland Fire Paramedics, Life Guards are instructed and practice various skills including CPR, bleeding control, medical emergencies and patient extrication from the water slides and platforms. Orland is a much safer community because of these type of partnerships developed and maintained over the years.

1998

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Emergency Medical Services Rescue Task Force In 2021, Orland Fire and Orland Police formed a partnership and developed a plan called RTF (Rescue Task Force). Police provide protection while paramedics treat patients injured by acts of violence. We utilize the RAE (Responsibility, Authority, Expertise) principle because these incidents can be very dynamic and so the group "In Charge" changes as the incident ramps up or down in intensity. Our program represents only one of many ways to accomplish the rescue but the message is to (1) have a plan and (2) build relationships with your counterparts before the emergency happens. The RTF concept and methods have been taught across the state of Illinois. In 2017 the Orland class adopted credentials from the National Association of EMT's and became Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. Since that time 30 classes have been conducted by Orland Fire and Orland Police with 100's of First Responders, EMS professionals and Law Enforcement Officers trained.

IL American Water Grant Check Presentation Thanks to Illinois American Water for once again awarding the OFPD with a generous grant they presented to OFPD on December 1, 2021. This grant will help support the purchase of non-contact temperature assessment devices and pulse oximeters needed for each ambulance and first responder vehicle for the assessment of patients with COVID like illness. This equipment allows our paramedics to check the most immediate and necessary vital signs to determine severity of illness.

Pictured L to R: IL American Water Operations Supervisor Tom Harrell, OFPD Training Officer Lieutenant Mike Siefert, OFPD EMS Administrator Lieutenant Mark Duke, OFPD Operations Chief Joe Moore, OFPD Deputy Chief Nick Cinquepalmi, and IL American Water Municipal Advocate Natalee Cedillo

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Emergency Medical Services More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year A 2015 report from the American Heart Association suggests the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is 366,807 annually. CPR, especially if administered immediately after cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person's chance of survival. Of those treated by emergency medical services only, 10.6 percent survived.

Bystander CPR Improves Survival The location of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) most often occurs in homes/residences (70%) followed by public settings (18.8%), and nursing homes (11.2%). If performed immediately, CPR can double and triple the chance of survival from an out of hospital cardiac arrest.

Help is Needed Immediately Unfortunately, only about 46% of people who experience an OHCA get the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives. The 2017 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics state of the 356,000 OHCA that occurred, 46% received bystander CPR.

Workplace Safety There are about 10,000 cardiac arrests in the workplace each year in the United States, according to a report from the US Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

Did you know: only 50% of people can locate an automated external defibrillator (AED) at work?

With 10,000 cardiac arrests annually in the workplace, knowing this small piece of information has the potential to save thousands of lives.

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.

Orland Fire District has a 47% save rate for patients found in VF in 2021 41

Emergency Medical Services EMS Appreciation Barbecue Message from EMS Administrator Lieutenant Mark Duke: "Happy EMS Week!!

3 days of lunch served to you because you spend your entire career serving others. This tradition started over 10 years ago after trying to deliver lunch from our area hospitals before it got cold. Retired Chief Ray Kay had an idea that we should barbecue for our responders, dispatchers and staff in honor of EMS week.

Additionally it has been conducted on a week where our area hospital staff could attend and meet all of you. It has become more efficient over the years, has approval from Chief Schofield (plain hamburger) and help from many people in the preparation, delivery and clean up. Special thanks to Joan for her record keeping, shopping list, food preparation, help and direction in all phases of the process.

Thank you to all of you for caring about the work you do and enjoying something given back once a year.”

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Project Fire Buddies Project Fire Buddies started with the Oak Forest Fire Department, and keeps expanding with new departments, including our Orland Fire Protection District.

Project Fire Buddies brings joy to kids struggling with serious illnesses. No matter what the kids are going through at the time—chemo therapy, radiation, or side effects from their medication and treatments— these visits brighten their day.

OFPD Local 2754 Meet Fire Buddy Bryce On April 17, 2021, Orland Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2754 and Orland Fire Protection District, IL chapter met their new Fire Buddy Bryce and his sister Lilah. They stopped out with an engine full of gifts for both of them. Thank you Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation for adding some extra special gifts! Thank you to all of our followers and supporters! These things wouldn't be possible without you!

December, 2021 NFL “My Cause Cleats” Project Fire Buddies made its NFL debut for two Sundays in December when starting Offensive Lineman Michael Schofield of the Los Angeles Chargers chose Project Fire Buddies for his #Mycausecleats.

BRYCE The Orland Fire District is looking to sponsor children who could use some good cheer...

Project Fire Buddies brings joy to kids struggling with serious illnesses. No matter what the kids are going through at the time— chemo therapy, radiation, or side effects from their medication and treatments—these visits brighten their day.

NFL Players have the opportunity to pick a cause that is important to them and represent their chosen organization on custom designed cleats

If you have a child or know of a child who could benefit from this program in the Orland Park/Orland Hills area, please contact Project Fire Buddies.

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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.

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 Training & Life Safety Officer emergency. To achieve our training goals, the Orland Fire Protection District Lieutenant Mike Siefert 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.

2021 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 2021, members of the Orland Fire Protection District earned 50 certifications through the Office of the State Fire Marshall.

The certifications achieved in 2021 range from firefighting-related courses to fire prevention and technical rescue certifications.

Members of the Orland Fire Protection District participated in 27,703.25 training hours for our members in 2021. Our members' 27,703.25 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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Training In 2021, the Men and Women of the Orland Fire Protection District returned to more in-person learning and teaching interactions similar to pre-pandemic years. Throughout 2021, training needed to modify at various points throughout the year to ensure the health and safety of our personnel.

Training Site Improvements 2021, also saw the completion of several training site improvements. The training site underwent a major renovation, with funding secured through a DCEO grant (Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) to complete a state-of-the-art driving pad. Work consisted of underground infrastructure improvements, water retention work on the retention pond, privacy fence with electric gate, and pavement improvements. The increased space will allow our personnel to train new driver operators on the cone confidence course and provide some much needed parking and security to the training site.

Additional improvements also included the construction of a wall partition in the existing training building, to provide some much needed classroom space for Emergency Medical Services training. Computers, AV, and technology upgrades were also completed for the command simulation training area.

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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 fifth 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 2021, 862 people were trained, resulting in 20,780 hours of training, which included: 630 Firefighters, 93 Law Enforcement Personnel, 15 Medical Personnel, 28 Teachers, 35 Emergency Managers, and 61 First Responders. The partnership and funding from Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security also allows 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.

Looking Ahead to 2022 In 2022, the Orland Fire Protection District is looking forward to completing several projects with the ultimate goal of creating a state-of-the-art training facility. The projects in 2022 that we will be focusing our efforts on include the construction of a three-story burn prop and the renovation of the old maintenance building into an indoor usage classroom and instructional space.

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 Academy 2021 On February 1, 2021, five new firefighters began their careers with the Orland Fire Protection District. The candidates were placed in a three-month Academy consisting of a 9-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 9-week academy encompasses all aspects of their job: 4-weeks of EMS training, 4weeks of Firefighting training, and 1-weeks of shift preparation skills, that included driving and district familiarization. In addition to the 9-week Training Academy, candidates were placed on shift with a mentor and a company officer for one month. They functioned in an observational role with their mentor and company officer. The mentoring program the 2021 class participated in, provided a more structured approach and program to help their training and growth with the District.

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Swearing In of Probationary Firefighters Congrats to OFPD's 9 newest Firefighter/Paramedics who completed a tough Training Academy that began last February 2020, as well as a one-year probationary period, and were sworn in as OFPD Firefighter/Paramedics on March 9, 2021 by Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer. Chief Schofield spoke of the challenges of this particular Academy due to COVID-19.

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Swearing In of Probationary Firefighters Due to COVID distancing/room capacity concerns, 3 ceremonies were held. Sworn in were: Jonathan Egan

Brian Schick

William Patterson

Rosendo Rodriguez

Michael Dorencz

Andrew Hiller

Andrew Kasules

Brian Steele

Austin Childers

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Water Rescue & Recovery MABAS 19 Dive Team

Water Rescue & Recovery Lieutenant Dan Ritchie

The Orland Fire District has 16 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 water ways.

Team training was conducted twice a month and 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

Our team responded to 3 incidents in 2021. These incidents included calls for evidence recovery in ponds and a person missing in a river.

FEMA Swift/Boat Operations course,

Our members put in over 380 training hours this past year. Three Ohio River members: Lieutenant Ritchie, Firefighter Zweizig, and Firefighter Duer, obtained their FEMA Swift/Flood Water Boat Operations certification. Our team is looking forward to more training opportunities in 2022 to further advance our skills and abilities.

Surface Ice Rescue , Lake Sedgwick

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Boat Operations on the Cal Sag

Water Rescue & Recovery MABAS 19 Dive Team

Sonar Operations

Open Water Dive, Lemont Quarry

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HazMat

HazMat

The Hazardous Materials Team is responsible for mitigating and stabilizing any hazardous material incident within the Orland Fire District’s response area. We have a supply of equipment, including hazardous gas meters, radiation detectors, and leak kits. Our Hazardous Materials Team is responsible for a large variety of possible issues involving all types of dangerous materials. There are underground pipelines, industrial chemicals, and radiological medical equipment within our response area.

We also have a large amount of vehicle traffic in the Orland area involving hazardous materials.

Lieutenant Steven Prohaska

The past year was quite a challenging one due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we were limited with the amount of in-person training, we could attend, we still found alternatives to help the team progress further. Members worked on what we considered to be our strategic goals for the Team. Identifying these items allowed us to enhance our training objectives. We also had members participate in a variety of online training classes held throughout the year. The class topics ranged from radiological emergencies, to dealing with anhydrous ammonia incidents.

We continued our training with various isolation devices, such as the IsoPod and PAPR respiratory device.

These devices allowed us to deal with a significant surge of COVID patients all at once, should the need have arisen. The isolation devices will now remain a part of our regular equipment inventory. We are one of the only specialty teams in the area with these specialized pieces of equipment. This enables us to provide a higher level of service to our citizens.

The team also purchased new and updated leak plug kits. These leak plug kits will help us mitigate leaks in various styles of containers and pipes. We also started the process of testing a new type of four gas meter.

The four gas meter is carried on every front line fire apparatus and helps us investigate various kinds of gas leaks or odor investigations. With the ever-changing advances in technology, we felt the need to start looking into updating this critical piece of equipment.

One of the most significant accomplishments we achieved was switching over to a new style of hazardous materials foam. Due to recently passed legislation, most of the foam we carried had to be phased out because an ingredient was discovered to be cancerous. Battalion Chief Moore was instrumental in the process of researching the most feasible and financially sound option for a replacement foam that could be used on all our apparatus.

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Team members donned fully encapsulated hazardous material suits to mitigate a simulated leaking chlorine tank. They used what we refer to as an “A” kit to stop the leak in the tank

HazMat Our involvement in 2021 with the Southwest Hazardous Material Response Team (SWHMRT) is ongoing. The SWHMRT is a regional team comprised of members from different MABAS divisions.

Should we need to request additional assistance within our District, the SWHMRT would be activated and respond. We have had a handful of senior members who were part of the team retire in the past year. This allowed us to add some of our younger OFPD members to the team. These members will start their monthly training with the SWHMRT in February. We have seen a lot of personnel changes over the past couple of years due to retirements. These experienced members were an instrumental component of our Hazardous Materials Team. They helped mold the team into what it is today.

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Overpressure rupture, explosion, overheat, other 2

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Overpressure rupture of steam boiler 1

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Overpressure rupture from air or gas, other 1

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Chemical reaction rupture of process vessel 1

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Fireworks explosion (no fire) 1

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Hazardous condition, other 1

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Combustible/flammable gas/liquid condition, other 3

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Gasoline or other flammable liquid spill 4

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Inside Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 99

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Outside Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 32

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Chemical hazard (no spill or leak) 3

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Refrigeration leak 1

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Carbon monoxide incident 43

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HazMat release investigation w/no HazMat 5

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Biological hazard investigation, none found 1

IsoPod - The IsoPod device would help with any possible multi-patient Covid outbreaks. It has special HEPA filters with air pumps that keep any potentially deadly airborne particles from reaching outside the capsule

The vapors and sludge remnants in this old gasoline storage tank ignited during the removal process

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Technical Rescue Team

Technical Rescue Team

Lieutenant Tom Panzica

The Orland Fire Protection District’s Technical Rescue team consists of 22 members, with 18 members trained as Technicians in Trench Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Collapse, Cell Tower Rescue, Grain Bin Rescue, Heavy Machinery Rescue and Rope Rescue. The other 4 members are on the MABAS training roster, working towards their deployment status. The team has been going through exciting changes as members retire and new members take their place. The 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 must maintain our skills and continuing education to stay proficient in each discipline—not knowing when a specialized emergency will arise. The team trains at least twice a month for four hours to assure our skills and proficiency.

The Orland Fire Technical Rescue Team faced similar challenges in 2021, as COVID played a big part in the frequency of training. We thought training would resume with the regularity of prior years, then a variant arose causing quarantine and isolation. Departments had to make the tough decisions to postpone trainings to keep the positive numbers minimal. This was a challenge for the team, as we had to find in-house and online drills to assign. 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 for the teams resumed, every member was excited to get back to work to perfect their skills as a team.

The Technical Rescue Team faces a new challenge as each certification is going to require continuing education to stay certified with the OSFM. The CART organization has been planning for this day for a few years now. What makes Technical Rescue so unique, is the number of disciplines we must accumulate continuing education hours in so we can renew every four years. The Central Board has a program built to assure every member, so long as they attend drill, will maintain deployable status. This is an exceedingly difficult challenge considering training for any discipline or department is financially driven. Research has proven that individuals lose proficiency in technical skills if not practiced within a 90-day period. We as a team have been creative with our training. It is still a struggle to bring our budget back to where it needs to be to train for these goals. As everything is financially driven, we not only have to budget for training, we must purchase new equipment to replace the expired items to assure the safety of our members. As weather becomes more devastating, the more 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 and the Chicagoland area. As a member of the MABAS 19 Cart blue and black, consisting of well over 60 members and growing, we continue to be the only deployable team in the area. We dedicated ourselves to assure the skills of our members remain proficient. We also focus on recruiting more members and getting them trained and deployable in a timely manner.

The team remained in a state of readiness and is so excited to be able to train in person in 2022.

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IL Task Force 1—Urban Search & Rescue Team 2021 The Orland Fire Protection District has 5 members on the Urban Search and Rescue Team (the “Team”). Current Orland Fire District IL-TF1 members are Battalion Chief John Purtill, Safety Officer; Battalion Chief Joseph Moore, Planning Team Manger; Lieutenant Dan Ritchie, Structures Specialist; and Firefighter Mark Hogan, Rescue Specialist.

The Team is composed from around the State of Illinois and Iowa, consisting of about 200 personnel divided into three platoons.

A Type I Task Force of 80 personnel has the goals to respond, search, rescue and assist at major disasters, including earthquakes, floods, tornados or large building collapses. Each member is required to attend monthly drill during the year, for about 100 hours of training. The Team can be broken down into smaller response components to fit the needs of the disaster.

While COIVD continued to effect some of the training, several large trainings did occur. The Team continued to help support COVID needs with tents and logistics. In June, training included a Great Lakes Boat Rescue Deployment and a Type 1 Drill at Volk Field in Wisconsin.

The Team continues to train on collapse, trench, rope, and confined space rescues. Additionally the Team practices on rescue profiles, patient assessment, search, GPS locations, water rescue, planning, logistics and hazardous materials identification.

Illinois Responders Sent for Water Rescue Assistance After Hurricane Ida On August 31, 2021, Illinois Search and Rescue crews were deployed for water rescues after Hurricane Ida tore through Louisiana. A 46-member Urban Search and Rescue Team responded to Louisiana due to dangerous storm surges caused by the hurricane, which made landfall in the United States. First Responders to the affected area are from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) IL-Task Force 1 from northern Illinois. The group has members from throughout the state, including OFPD Battalion Chief Purtill, Lieutenant Fontana, Lieutenant Ritchie and Firefighter Hogan. These Responders were deployed for approximately 8 days. They worked with local rescuers on search, rescue and recovery missions for people and animals in flooded areas. The Team also provided on-the-spot emergency medical care, emergency transportation for medical needs and support of helicopter rescue operations in water environments.

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Communications/Dispatch

Asst. Communications Director Gina Cortez

The Orland Fire Protection District operates a fire and EMS only emergency communications center, Orland Central Dispatch (OCD). The center is staffed 24 hours a day / 7 days a week by our emergency communications team. That team consists of a Director, Assistant Director, 12 full-time and 2 part-time Telecommunicators. OCD provides emergency communications services to residents of the Orland Fire Protection District. Additionally, under contract, Orland Central Dispatch also provides the same services to residents of Blue Island, Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Garden Homes, Lemont FPD, Merrionette Park, Oak Forest, Palos FPD and Lemont FPD. In 2021, Orland Central Dispatch processed over 41,000 fire and EMS incidents and 100,000 phone calls.

Occasionally, fire and EMS incidents exceed a fire department’s capabilities and/or resources. During these incidents, the affected fire department relies on Illinois’ Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) to systematically provide responses and resources to the stricken community. Illinois-MABAS is comprised of several Divisions. The Orland Fire Protection District is a member of MABAS Division 19. Orland Central Dispatch is the primary Division 19 emergency communications center. In 2021, OCD processed 56 Division 19 MABAS requests.

Orland Central Dispatch is responsible for coordinating suburban responses to assist the Chicago Fire Department for incidents south of Chicago’s 22nd Street. OCD is also the backup MABAS communications center for Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center located in Northbrook. RED Center is the primary emergency communications center for Illinois-MABAS. Together Orland Central Dispatch and RED Center have partnered to help coordinate Illinois’s statewide inbound and outbound mutual aid responses. For our part in Hurricane Ida’s response and relief efforts, all OCD staff members were awarded MABAS’s Humanitarian Service Award.

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to challenge our emergency communications center. As first, first responders, Orland Central Dispatch staff showed their dedication and resilience time and time again. To help reduce staff’s stress and improve our organizational health, OCD partnered with Heartland Service Dogs. Heartland Service Dogs is a non-profit organization which provides specially trained dogs for individuals with mobility needs, hearing impairment, PTSD and various disabilities.

These dogs regularly visit the emergency communications center and provide to OCD staff great comfort and tremendous joy.

OCD continues to rely heavily on technology to deliver advanced emergency communications services and help improve fire and EMS responses. We utilize TriTech’s computer aided CAD system to dispatch the closest fire and EMS equipment to incidents. Orland Central Dispatch’s partnership with RapidSOS has proved invaluable. RapidSOS is a free public safety solution that helps emergency communications

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Communications/Dispatch centers locate cellular 9-1-1 callers in real time. When cellular users provide RapidSOS medical and health information and they call 9-1-1, their information is automatically provided to Orland Central Dispatch Telecommunicators. The Orland Fire Protection District is affiliated with the Silver Cross EMS system. OCD’s Telecommunicators are licensed by the State of Illinois as Emergency Medical Dispatchers. They train frequently and they complete monthly EMD continuing dispatch education. Our Telecommunicators also participate in District’s Blue Card and MABAS trainings. This year we expanded our training team and have raised our training bar. Orland Central Dispatch staff members are committed to being great teammates. We aim to deliver to the public and our many fire department stakeholders only the highest emergency communications services.

Heartland Service Dogs Visit Orland Central Dispatch Our 9-1-1 emergency communications professionals have one of the toughest public safety jobs. The worst days of public are our workdays. We perform in a fast-paced, hectic, and constantly changing environments. Sometimes our 9-1-1 superheroes and superheroines need the comfort of K-9 companions to help alleviate stress. Heartland Service Dogs understand our need and has committed to helping our Center. Each week Heartland’s volunteers bring their highly trained service dogs to visit Orland Central Dispatch. During the visits, the K-9s interact with each Telecommunicator and it’s hard to tell who’s happier – the Telecommunicator or the dog! We are enormously appreciative of all that Heartland and the pups do for our team.

Orland Fire District Welcomes New Asst. Director of Communications in 2021 Hello there…I am Gina Cortez, Orland Central Dispatch’s Assistant Director of Communications. While new to the District, I have been involved in public safety communications for 22 years. Just before joining OCD, I was the Executive Director of E-COM Dispatch Center. Throughout my career I have been blessed and honored to serve as a Trainer, Shift Supervisor, Supervisor in charge of training, QA/QI Implementation Manager, Deputy Director and Director. All those experiences led me to the District, and I am grateful for them all. Upon joining the District, I have been partnered with incredibly committed, passionate, and thoughtful coworkers and teammates. I look forward to serving you all – shoulder to shoulder; onward and upward.

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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 procurement and distribution of various supplies.

Support Services

Lieutenant Jim Hynes

We take no shortcuts when it 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

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Fleet of 60 pieces of fire apparatus, ambulances, specialty equipment and support vehicles combined

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Six Fire Stations, Headquarters building, Fleet Maintenance building and three training buildings

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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 OFPD employee — 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 New Equipment Truck 1 Unit # 6064 is assigned to Station 1 which is located at 9790 W. 151 st Street. This unit is a 2021 Pierce 100’ Aerial Platform also know as a Tower Ladder. Truck 1 has a pre-piped waterway, Waterous single stage 1500 gpm pump, carries 400 gallons of water, 1200’ of various size fire hose and a full compliment of heavy rescue equipment (jaws of life, etc.). Truck 1 also carries a full compliment of Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment and can handle medical emergencies ranging from childbirth to cardiac arrest.

Truck 1 Build Process Members of the Orland Fire District Apparatus Committee took a very active role regarding the design, budget, bid process, build process, factory inspections, final acceptance inspection including the initial operational training of Truck 1 for our members. The committee members worked extremely hard to incorporate design features that will improve fire-ground operations, vehicle maneuverability, address previous design flaws found with other apparatus while keep overall build costs down. The committee has consistently demonstrated pride, ownership and a strong dedication the Orland Fire District. The Committee is very appreciative of the support given by the OFPD Administration and Board of Trustees.

Factory Inspection Photos

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Support Services Ambulance 5 Unit # 6042 is a 2021 Ford/Horton Ambulance assigned to Station 5 which is located at 8851 W. 143 rd Street. This unit is equipped with the latest ALS equipment and a Stryker, Power Load stretcher. The chassis is equipped with a Liquid Spring Suspension which has greatly improved the ride quality for our patients.

Fleet Maintenance Program 

OFPD vehicles are extremely well maintained which is imperative given the need for 100% reliability and the severe duty associated with emergency response.

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General Repair and Maintenance – The OFPD employs two ASE certified Technicians who maintain approximately 60 pieces of equipment. All OFPD fire apparatus, ambulances, and support vehicles are serviced at regular intervals, in addition to annual certifications and testing.

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OFPD has recently relocated to a new, modern maintenance facility located at 10704 163rd Place.

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OFPD has recently entered into agreements with two neighboring fire departments to provide maintenance and repairs for their fleets. This will generate income and help off-set OFPD costs. We hope to expand our maintenance services to other fire agencies in the near future.

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Support Services Facility Maintenance General Repairs The OFPD employs 1 full-time and 3 part-time facility Maintenance Technicians with extensive backgrounds in HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, electrical and building maintenance systems. Most repairs are handled in house which allows us to address issues in a prompt, efficient manner keeping costs down and minimizing any impact to operations.       

    

12 buildings maintained by OFPD personnel HVAC repairs and replacements Electrical repairs Plumbing repairs Interior and exterior painting Snow and ice removal Landscaping Concrete repairs Remodeling and updating older facilities Appliance maintenance and repair Equipment maintenance and repair Interior and exterior lighting maintenance and repair

There is never a shortage of projects, routine maintenance and repairs with 12 buildings to maintain.

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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. This facility replaced our previous, much smaller shop which opened in 1987. The new, much larger facility has allowed the OFPD Fleet Maintenance Bureau to provide maintenance and repairs to two neighboring fire departments, generating revenue to off-set OFPD operational costs.

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Support Services New Fleet Maintenance Facility The new Maintenance Facility was completed under budget and went into operation in December of 2021, as the following photos clearly show this is a beautiful facility. There is now enough room to handle work for other fleets in addition to future expansion of the OFPD maintenance program. The OFPD Maintenance and Support Service staff members would like to express their gratitude to the OFPD Administration and Board of Trustees for the commitment and support shown throughout this project, which will benefit OFPD residents for years to come.

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Support Services Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) SCBA’s are worn by Firefighters to protect them from inhaling toxic and super-heated 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.

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 well-maintained 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”)

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Support Services 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 as needed.

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Finance

Finance Director

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.

Kerry Sullivan

2021 Financial Challenges and Accomplishments Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting In 2021, the District received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

This is the 13th 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 has been received by the District since 2018.

The 2022 budget document can be found at www.orlandfire.org/ aboutthedistrict/publictransparency/budgets/

2021 Financial Challenges and Accomplishments Many financial challenges were presented and several financial opportunities were given to the District in 2021.

During 2021, the District and Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754, agreed to a three-year labor contract. The District also agreed to a three-year labor contract with Orland Fire IBEW #134.

Grant funding was received from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to construct a driving pad on the District’s training campus.

In addition, grant funding was received from the federal government to offset a portion of the extraordinary costs of District Firefighters serving the community during the pandemic.

Funding from a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant was received to fund the purchase of SCBA equipment.

Construction of a new maintenance building was substantially complete in 2021. construction was from debt issued in 2020 at a very attractive interest rate.

Funding for the

The District was notified in 2020 that the payroll software used was no longer going to be available in July 2021. The District migrated to a new payroll system, Paycor.

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Finance 2022 Budget The 2022 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 2022 Budget gives priority to programs and services that support the goals described in the Strategic Plan and which provide the greatest benefit to District.

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 (assumed to be 1.4% in 2022).

Other sources of revenue includes ambulance service fees, grant revenue, dispatch service fees, and fire prevention fees. Revenue sources anticipated for the 2022 budget are summarized in the following graph:

The 2022 Budget gives priority to programs and services that provide the greatest benefit to District residents. The 2022 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. Wages and benefits represent 87.3% of the District’s operating expenditures.

Expenditures anticipated for the 2022 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 2022 to bring greater challenges as we strive to ensure the safety of the public and our Firefighters.

Fire Prevention Bureau Activities for 2021 The year 2021 began as 2020 left off for the Fire Prevention Bureau. Annual commercial inspections were still suspended, as were Public Education programs. Our activities for 2021 were:

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The Fire Prevention Bureau resumed annual fire /life safety inspections on May 24, 2021; following a fourteen month stoppage due to the COVID pandemic.

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Fire Prevention Bureau personnel worked on updating the Bureau’s filing and record system.

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Fire Prevention Bureau personnel updated emergency contact information for commercial occupancies within the District.

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The Fire Prevention Bureau completed work on an update of the Fire District’s Fire Code and submitted it for review and approval in November of 2021. This code update will take the Fire District from the 2006 International Fire Code to the 2018 International Fire Code, with amendments.

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All Target Hazards within the Fire District were inspected in 2021.

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Fire Prevention Bureau personnel attended on-line continuing education courses and seminars throughout the year.

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Fire Prevention Bureau personnel worked on numerous fire alarm issues throughout the District.

Fire Prevention Bureau 

Fire Prevention Bureau Personnel made 1312 field contacts during 2021.

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Bureau personnel conducted fire and evacuation drills with the schools in the fall of 2021.

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All schools, daycare centers and group homes were inspected by Bureau personnel during 2021.

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All commercial, multi-family residential and educational occupancies, within the Village of Orland Hills, were inspected by Bureau personnel in 2021.

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All Commercial occupancies within the unincorporated areas of the Orland Fire Protection District, were inspected in 2021.

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Full-time Fire Inspector Ryan Collins was hired in June of 2021.

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Fire Prevention Bureau personnel taught classes on fire alarm familiarization to our firefighting personnel.

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Fire Prevention personnel taught classes on fire prevention to our newly promoted Lieutenants.

TOTAL FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU INSPECTIONS FOR 2021 Annual Business and Multi-Family Inspections

546

Re-Inspections

327

Final Occupancy Inspections

140

Complaint Investigations

15

School Inspections

34

Rough Inspections

64

Fireworks Inspections

2

Kiosk Inspections

41

Group Home Inspections

18

Fire Alarm, Sprinkler and Hood Tests

108

Underground Flush for New Buildings

5

Tents Inspections

12

TOTAL

1312

Our newest Inspector Ryan Collins Performing an Inspection

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Fire & Life Safety Education The Fire & Life Safety Education Division delivers instruction throughout the District.

The Fire and Life Safety Educator is responsible to educate the public about the risks of fires, falls, CPR training, choking, and other threats to life safety, as well as informing the public on how to best minimize the risks of suffering injury or death and unintentional injuries from said risks.

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

Fire & Life Safety Educator Betsy Dine

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.

There are 6 steps to follow for a successful CRR Program: Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6:

Identify Risks Prioritize Risks Begin to develop strategies and tactics to mitigate the risks Prepare the Community Risk Reduction plan Implement the plan for the community Monitor, evaluate and modify the plan while tracking short-term and long-term results

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:         

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Demographics Geography Economics Building Stock Hazards Past Loss & Event History Community Service Organizations Public Safety Response Critical Infrastructure

Fire & Life Safety Education 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 safety awareness is important to make sure that individuals know how to respond during a fire hazard or emergency situation. It is important that one should keep calm and know the basic measures that should be undertaken when a fire breaks out and how to prevent the fire, keeping the sources of fuel and ignition apart. Effective strategies and education in all areas are a must when discussing unintentional injuries and plans of escape: 

Poison and prevention

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Drowning and prevention

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Suffocation and prevention

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Burns and prevention

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Falls and prevention

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Accidents vs unintentional injuries

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Escape planning: plan and practice with your whole family

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Get low and go, crawl under smoke

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Get Out and Stay Out

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Know 2 ways out of every room

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Have a plan, practice and know what to do immediately

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Never go back in for anything in a burning building

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Know your family meeting place in front of your home

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Fire & Life Safety Education Some of the duties and credentials of the OFPD Fire & Life Safety Educator include:

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Giving presentations to groups of children, teens and/or adults regarding the risks of fires, falls and other such hazards

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Giving Station tours for school aged children, Boy and Girl Scout troops, teens and/or senior groups. Individuals and group are also given tours as they want to know more about our Firefighters and the stations within their district in which they live

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Educating the public about the benefits of having “working” smoke alarms

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Organizing, planning, and following through with events to educate the public, such as: Kid’s Fire & Life Safety camps, Junior Cadet camps, station tours, parades, safety fairs, and our annual Open House

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Fire extinguisher training, CPR training and other trainings related to fire and life safety issues

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Car Seat Check-ups for Orland Fire Protection District Residents. Education for motor vehicle crashes and prevention

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Home Safety Check ups

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Senior “Coffee & Conversation” monthly meetings related to topics that pertain to fire and life safety education (fall prevention, holiday safety, CPR training and poison prevention)

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Certified Dementia Educator and implemented all OFPD Firefighter/Paramedics being CertifiedDementia trained (CFR-DT)

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Created the “Dementia Friendly Orland Park” website. https://dementiafriendlyorlandpark.org/.

This website is equipped to support people suffering with a form of dementia and their caregivers. Businesses in the OFPD village can get their business training on this website

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Dementia Support Groups held at the Orland Fire Protection District on the Second Monday of each month

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Conducted multiple Fire drills in schools and commercial businesses within the District

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Development of Public Education teaching materials that can be used in all areas

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A member of the Illinois Fire Inspector Association and a member of the Fire and Life Safety Educators Board of Directors

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Offering safety messages on each of our station signs, such as: messages to inform the public of the different risks for each season/holiday and/or different events that are happening within the District

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Annual toy drive collections at all 6 stations, including our Administration Building

Fire & Life Safety Education 

Participant in the National “Sound Off” program for school aged children

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Proper evaluation of all programs is essential

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Active Fire Inspector for the Orland Fire Protection District* (*Due to COVID-19 limiting the Fire & Life Safety Educator’s regular duties of interacting with the community due to the events, lessons and programs being cancelled or postponed, working with the Fire Prevention Supervisor, Mike Ercoli, has been beneficial to the Fire Prevention Division, as I was able to begin monitoring local fire alarms within the District and perform fire inspections)

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Some school programs participated in Fire Prevention week/month but some opted to wait for the pandemic to slow down or stop all together

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Coffee and Conversation Group meetings were held remotely, at first. Then for a short time, we conducted in-person meetings until a new surge of the COVID pandemic.

For more information on these or other scheduled events, please visit: http://www.orlandfire.org

Orland Park Police Night Out Against Crime On August 3, 2021, the Orland Fire District participated in the Orland Park Police's National Night Out. This event is part of a nationwide push to strengthen police and community relations to make our neighborhoods safer. OFPD was happy to be part of this wonderful event. Great job OPPD!

Pictured L to R: Battalion Chief John Purtill, CPR Instructor (and retired Lieutenant) Chris Smith, Fire Chief Mike Schofield, Engineer Jeff Ruchniewicz, Fire Inspector Ryan Collins, Fire Prevention Bureau Supervisor Mike Ercoli and Fire & Life Safety Educator Betsy Dine

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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 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:     

These drop off venues include:

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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.

Winter Storm Safety Electrical Safety Generator Safety Tips 10 Winter Freeze Tips Choosing a Medical Alert System

Library History Museum Cultural Arts Center Sportsplex Orland Park Village Hall

Due to COVID-19, the Senior Advisory Council’s activities for 2021 were again cut short. 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

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: 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

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Performing independent research

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Participate in District activities

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Educate seniors about health and safety issues recommended by staff and District analyzing the impact of policies on the senior population within the District

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Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees based on thoughtful and unbiased discussions from a senior perspective

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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.

But it doesn’t stop there. HR managers/directors often become counselors, advisors, the ‘principal’s office,’ and the cheerleader, of the organization. I view my position as support staff to all department heads and employees.

Generational Differences I also have seen changes in terms of multiple generations in the workforce together. As healthcare costs consume larger percentages of revenues, it is difficult to maintain competitive compensation packages. Later generation employees more often appreciate health benefits than younger employees, whose focus tends to be on their take-home pay. These generational disparities can be an asset if they are properly managed. If you facilitate and nurture the relationship between long-tenured employees and younger employees, they can learn from each other. Every organization is now faced with multiple generation gaps. To get them to work together effectively, it’s important to determine their individual characteristics and strengths as it relates to their position. One person might need verbal interactions while others might prefer communication via email or other forms of advanced technology, the key is finding what works for each individual, thrive on that, and make everyone feel important and appreciated. I have learned that one needs to be a great communicator and also a mediator when addressing issues of multiple generations. I have found that I must negotiate between the generations to meet somewhere in the middle. I want employees to be proud of where they work, and that pride will reflect in their productivity and happiness in their career.

Job Challenges A challenge of the job is getting managers to understand that HR is a facilitator and resource to help them do their jobs. HR managers do not often get to celebrate their victories. HR professionals are the custodians of employee confidentiality, and there are many fires we put out that no one even knows is about to occur.

Employees come and share the best part of themselves with you, but you also see them at their worst— when they’re broken, when they’re seeking guidance, sometimes trying to help employees during a personal crisis is rough and can be emotional.

Others might be surprised to learn about all of the paperwork and legal issues that I’m required to keep up with on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. HR Directors must stay current on trends–from technology to legislation such as compliance under the Affordable Care Act. To stay on top of it all, HR directors need frequent training and must keep up with best practices.

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Human Resources

PIVOTING FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE The toll COVID-19 has had on our personal and professional lives has forever changed how we look at work/life balance. Human Resources Directors, and their teams, have been at the forefront of this ongoing storm as consistent, well-established processes and procedures were developed overnight.

All at once, protocols for interviewing, hiring, conducting performance reviews, and managing employee benefits, compensation, safety, and communications changed. Many of us have never seen so much change in such a short period of time. Human Resources teams went from recruiting and developing employees, to reacting to constant change and uncertainty, and overcoming many obstacles such as:  Lock down  PPE and protocols around safety  New laws/acts from government  Open enrollment – where are my employees, and how do we communicate?  Workforce shortage  Supply chain disruption  Mask & Covid mandates  Remote work  Accelerated pace of change  Work/life balance expectations Two years into the pandemic, the highest performing HR teams are still burdened with additional responsibilities, and in many cases facing burnout. Human resources professionals must remember to prioritize their own mental health and well-being while they continue to help employees. Improvements in technology have helped relieve some of the communication and administrative challenges, but even with these additional efficiencies, major challenges loom.

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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 organizations mission and objectives.

“When I’ve made a difference helping someone be successful on the job or in their personal life, that brings me lots of reward.”

Promotional Testing: 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.

In 2021 Human Resources supported the following initiatives:

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In February, OFPD welcomed 5 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.

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HR was also pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2021 Engineer 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.

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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 discussions with departments to develop safety training and policies in efforts to minimize occurrences.

Human Resources 

HR continues to work to improve processes through increased use of technology and automation

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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.

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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.

2021 Staffing SWORN STAFF

NON-SWORN STAFF

Administration

Administration

Fire Chief Deputy Chief Operations Battalion Chief Shift Battalion Chief EMS Lieutenant Maintenance Lieutenant Training Lieutenant Sworn Administrative

1 1 1 3 1 1 1 9

SSP

Shift 1

Shift 2

Shift 3

Lieutenant

08

08

08

Engineer

09

09

09

Firefighter/ Paramedic

20

20

20

Sworn Shift

111

Total Sworn

120

Human Resources Director Executive Assistant Administrative Assistant Finance

Communications/Dispatch

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 Fire Inspector

1 1 1

Communications Director Asst. Communications Director Telecommunicators

1 1 12

Maintenance Fleet Maintenance Technician Building Maintenance Technician Part-Time Seasonal Employees Total Non-Sworn

2 1 1 28

Total Sworn

120

Total Employees

148

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.

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Promotions February 17, 2021 —1 Lieutenants and 2 Engineers On February 17, 2021, OFPD Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer administered the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Engineer Jason Postma and the Engineer Oath of Office to Firefighter Jeff Ruchniewicz and Firefighter Don Andersen. Jeff’s daughter Gabriella pinned his badge; Don’s mom Debbie pinned his badge; and Jason’s wife Christie pinned his badge and did his conferment speech. Congrats gentlemen!

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Promotions March 3, 2021 —1 Lieutenants and 1 Engineer On March 3, 2021, Commissioner Kraemer administered the Engineer Oath of Office to Firefighter Jim Wooten and the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Engineer Matt Giermala. Jim’s children pinned his badge, and Matt’s wife Jenny pinned his badge and did his conferment speech. Congrats gentlemen!

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Promotions March 30, 2021—Lieutenant Purtill to Battalion Chief & Battalion Chief Moore to Day Operations Chief On March 30, 2021, Fire Commissioner Glenn Kraemer administered Lieutenant John Purtill's Battalion Chief Oath of Office at a promotional ceremony. Chief Schofield spoke of John's hard work through the years at the OFPD and the firefighter tradition in his family. John's sons pinned his badge and his wife Nicole and daughters did his conferment speech. Next, Chief Schofield spoke of Battalion Chief Moore being moved to days to fill the role of Operations Chief and how he was the perfect fit for that position. Chief Moore shared a few words and "passed the baton" to B/C Purtill who has now taken over his shift.

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Promotions October 7, 2021 —1 Lieutenant and 1 Engineer On October 7, 2021, Commissioner Kraemer administered the Engineer Oath of Office to Firefighter Kevin Frawley and the Lieutenant Oath of Office to Engineer Brian Agle. Kevin’s children pinned his badge, and Brian’s family pinned his badge and Engineer Jeff Ruchniewicz did his conferment speech. Congrats gentlemen!

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2021 Retirements

Congratulations on your Retirement Dispatch Supervisor Lori Gromala

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2021 Retirements Celebrating Retirees

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Honor Guard

Honor Guard

Lieutenant Dave Nagel

In 2021, the Orland Fire District Honor Guard consisted of 15 members. Of those 15 members, 8 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. The year 2021 saw many of our annual memorial services return that were not held in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions. This included two 20th Anniversary 9/11 Memorials held at Administration and then again in conjunction with the Village of Orland Park at Village Hall. In addition, the Honor Guard posted colors at 5 promotional ceremonies that occurred on February 17th, March 3rd, March 30th, and October 7th. The Honor Guard also participated in the Class of 2020's Swearing In Ceremony on March 9th, and the dedication of Truck 1 on October 9th.

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. Unfortunately, the 2021 AFFI Honor Guard induction ceremony was canceled and the IAFF National Fire Fighter Memorial was held virtually because of COVID-19. The Honor Guard looks forward to attending it's full range of activities again in 2022 as COVID-19 allows.

OFPD Honor Guard assisting at various events in 2021

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Cadet Program The year 2021 was again 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 occasionally 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. While COVID-19 created a challenge for the Orland Fire Cadet Program, there were some major highlights. For example, as a result Cadet Program of Cadets being granted preference points by the Board of Commissioners on entry Lieutenant Josh level selection for Firefighter/Paramedic positions with the Fire District, the Orland Girdick Fire Cadet Program had it's second Cadet hired for a full-time position as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Fire District. In addition, in 2021, the program had 3 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 is going through the recruitment and selection process for new Cadets with a new class scheduled to begin in early 2022. The Cadets will continue to attend meetings on Saturdays, held at the the Fire District's Training Facility, to complete their practical objectives, and utilize an online format for their didactic training. As we move into 2022, the Orland Fire Cadet Program is looking to build on its successes from 2021, learn from the challenges that we faced in 2021, and continue to improve the program that is offered to its Cadets. 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.

OFPD Fire Cadets Shane, Riley and Ryan, along with SAC members Janice and Caryl, helping out Fire Inspector Ryan Collins, Fire & Life Safety Educator Betsy Dine at the Taste of Orland in August, 2021

OFPD Fire Cadets participating with OFPD Sworn Personnel at the Village’s 9/11 20th Anniversary Memorial

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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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Orland Fire Protection District Administration Building 9790 West 151st Street Orland Park, IL 60462 (708) 349-0074 www.orlandfire.org

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.