Orland Fire Protection District inaugurates new Senior Advisory Council

Orland Fire Protection District inaugurates new Senior Advisory Council

The Orland Fire Protection District introduced the newly reorganized Senior Advisory Council (SAC), promising the new group will focus all its energies on the interests of the Fire DIstrict and the needs of the Fire District's senior members.

The SAC was first created in 2009 to address the needs of seniors on issues of health and fire safety, explained SAC Liaison Rosemaria Genova who introduced each of the new board members at the October regular meeting of the OFPD Board of Trustees.

Chief Ken Brucki applauded the new Senior Advisory Council and their promise to make the district's seniors and the district's fire needs their number one priority.

"Seniors are a very important community for the Orland Fire Protection District. The Fire District is constantly evaluating its service and the needs of seniors," said Chief Ken Brucki.

"The new Senior Advisory Council will help the Fire District continue to meet the needs and the expectations of our senior community. We want to make sure that not only do we respond to the needs of seniors professionally, efficiently and successfully, but we also want to ensure that our senior community has a means of directly communicating with us what they expect and what they need."

The new senior group includes past members and new members and plans to grow to be as representative of the senior community as possible.

"We want more seniors to become involved. We know the fire district is very important to the senior community and that the seniors are an important group that the fire district strives to serve," Genova said.

In her remarks in introducing the new senior board, Genova added, "But, this Senior Advisory Council is unique because it is dedicated exclusively to the interests of the fire district by supporting  our mission to serve our residents, especially the seniors," Genova said.

"One of the most important and growing constituencies of the district is our senior population. SAC members believe it is our responsibility to make them our priority and service their interests and their interests alone. That sets us apart from others …that are also doing good things, and moves our group forward in a new direction. We have a lot of good volunteers who are very active in the community and whose backgrounds and talents will make this council productive."

Board of Trustees President Jim Hickey praised the organization saying the board is committed to supporting the Senior Advisory Council and to work with them in helping to ensure that the senior public is made aware of all of the services that the Orland Fire Protection District offers.

"I am glad that they now have a strong and effective voice. As the Fire District Board, we will listen and work with you closely," Hickey said.

The new Senior Advisory Council members include: 

Rosemary Ihle (Station 1);  Grace Fiorenza (Station2); Janice Pierhal (Station 3); Diana Husband (Station 5); Mane Pritza (Station 5); Caryl R. Tietz (Station 6); and, Joe Gleiter (Station 6). SAC hopes to have two volunteers representing each of the district's 6 Fire Stations.

The Senior Advisory Council also includes full-time members of the Fire District on its board including Fire Prevention Supervisor Mike Ercoli, Public Education Coordinator Betsy Dine, Administrative Assistant Gerry Strunka and Battalion Chief Raymond Kay.

"We are seeking more involvement of our Senior Community int he Senior Advisory Council and we encourage any senior in the Fire District to reach out to us at the Fire Headquarters and join as volunteers," Brucki said.

"Your involvement will help make our Fire District even more responsive and effective in serving our community."

Genova also submitted a copy of the new SAC "Code of Ethics" to ensure that the Senior Advisory Council remains focused on senior and fire district needs. (A copy is published below.)

Seniors interested in joining the Advisory Council can either stop in at the Fire District Headquarters at 9790 W. 151st Street, Orland Park, IL., 60462, or call 708-349-0074 for more information. You can also go online and download the application form at this link on the Orland Fire Protection District's website:

http://www.orlandfire.org/communityoutreach/senioradvisorycouncil

(The OFPD Website at www.OrlandFire.org has lots of information about the fire District. We hope you will also check it out.)

END

Remarks of Rosemaria Genova introducing the new SAC Board members:

President Hickey, Board Members, Chief Brucki …ladies and gentlemen:

You may recall the Senior Advisory Council or SAC was established in 2009… for the purpose of identifying and addressing the specific needs of the senior residents of our district with respect to health and safety.

Last year, Chief Brucki asked the remaining senior council members to:

a)  Revamp the group

b)  Give it structure

c)   A defined purpose and

d)  Allow for more district-wide participation.

Those of us remaining…accepted the challenge…and in February, the board formally adopted the new Senior Advisory Council with:

a)  Written By-Laws

b)  Policies and Procedures and

c)   A new board comprised of two representatives from each of the six fire stations.

It's very important for me to stress that the Orland Fire Protection District recognizes and respects that there are many senior groups with a wide range of goals, objectives and priorities.

We support them all.

But, this Senior Advisory Council is unique because it is dedicated exclusively to the interests of the fire district by supporting  our mission to serve our residents, especially the seniors.

One of the most important and growing constituencies of the district is our senior population. 

SAC members believe it is our responsibility to make them our priority and service their interests and their interests alone.

That sets us apart from others …that are also doing good things, and moves our group forward in a new direction.

We have a lot of good volunteers who are very active in the community and whose backgrounds and talents will make this council productive.

Recently, we held an orientation led by Chief Brucki and Fire Prevention Supervisor Mike Ercoli where members learned about the administrative and fire service side of the district. 

It was a very comprehensive overview of district operations.

Each meeting, SAC members will participate in a different training session.  For instance…. 

At our last meeting, Battalion Chief Kay gave the group an overview of the Community Care Program and how SAC will help in promoting this program. 

At our last meeting the group also adopted a Code of Ethics which all of you should have… so the council will operate within the governing documents and in the best interests of the group as a whole.

Our next meeting will focus on the district’s Foundation and this weekend, SAC members will be on hand to assist district staff at our annual Open House.

We are also scheduling a CPR class for the council in the near future.

So on behalf of the SAC members, we want thank the Board of Trustees, Chief Brucki and all of the staff for their continued support and cooperation of this council.

At this time I would like to ask each of the SAC members to come forward and introduce themselves and tell us which Station they represent.

SAC Code of Ethics

It is the responsibility of council members to:

 Act within the governing documents of the council and the law – being aware of the contents of the organization’s governing documents and the law as it applies to the Orland Fire Protection District Senior Advisory Council (S.A.C).

 Act in the best interest of S.A.C. as a whole – considering what is best for the organization and its beneficiaries-the residents- and avoiding bringing S.A.C. into disrepute.

 Manage conflicts of interest effectively – registering, declaring and resolving conflicts of interest, not gaining materially or financially.

 Respect confidentiality – understanding what confidentiality means in practice for S.A.C. and the individuals involved with it.

 Have a sound and up-to-date knowledge of S.A.C. and its environment – understanding how S.A.C. works and the environment within which it operates.

 Attend meetings, appointments or other S.A.C assignments and advise if unable to fulfill obligations– be considerate of others’ time.

 Prepare fully for meetings for S.A.C. – reading papers, querying anything you don’t understand and thinking through issues in good time before meetings.

 Actively engage in discussion, debate and voting in meetings – contributing positively, listening carefully to the opinions of others, avoiding conflict and being respectful of others.

 Act jointly and accept a majority decision – making decisions collectively, standing by them and not acting individually.

 Work considerately and respectfully with all – respecting diversity, different roles and boundaries, and avoiding offending others.

Council members are expected to honor the content and spirit of this code.

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