Chicago Tribune looks at all sides of wage debate

The Chicago Tribune has a frontpage story this morning that explores the issue of wages for the Orland Fire Protection District. The story is based on the release of last year's full wage accounting, a document that is expected to be posted online later this week.

The story addresses comparisons between the OFPD and other districts, and has the pros and cons of the wage rates reflected in a wide range of comments.

The release of the wage document for calendar year 2010 is the result of the new board's decision to make all public documents actually available to the public, including contracts and important board policy decisions, documents that in the past have remained secret and unavailable to the public.

The Village of Orland Park also announced this week plans to publish their complete wage document for all employees including basic pay, overtime and all compensation. The release of this information is considered public information and should be released to insure that the public has an accurate understanding of how their taxpayer dollars are being spent.

Here are the links to stories:

Tribune story Wed July 20, 2011

Tribune graphic July 20

Orland Park Patch story

Southtown/Star story on Village of Orland Park plans for transparency by next month

Alert neighbors and quick fire response helped save family in fire this morning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ray Hanania
TUESDAY JULY 5, 2011

USGRayHanania@comcast.net

Alert neighbors and quick fire response helped save family in fire this morning

Orland Park -- Alert neighbors and a fast response from the Orland Fire Protection District played major roles in saving the lives of a family and preventing further damage to a home where a fire broke out very early this morning.

Acting Fire Chief Raymond L. Kay credited the neighbors and the Fire District response with keeping the fire damage to a minimum and savings lives. Orland Park police were also fast on the scene alerting the homeowners and family.

Chief Kay said the family of seven including three young children were asleep when the fire broke out in the home's attached a garage area around 1:16 AM. The first fire truck arrived at the scene at the corner of Clearview and Terry Drive at 1:19 AM. Firefighters discovered the two car garage in heavy fire.

Firefighters quickly contained the fire preventing it from expanding into the living areas, Chief Kay said.

"The owners, who were asleep, were alerted to the fire by neighbors  pounding on the front door," Chief Kay said.

"It was 1:15 in the morning and the residents were sleeping. Fortunately, the neighbors saw this. Had the neighbors not responded and had this fire gone unchecked, it would have gotten in to the living area of the house. I think our quick response and the role of the neighbors and the police were clearly instrumental in saving those lives."

Kay said none of the occupants, including four adults and three children, were injured.

He said that the investigation has not identified a cause but he could not rule out the fire being started by any fireworks from the 4th of July celebrations that evening.

"The construction features of the home prevented smoke and fire from entering the living areas and that's just a reminder about how important these features are to protecting lives," Chief Kay said.

The quick response of multiple Orland FPD fire, police and EMS companies provided for simultaneous search and rescue, fire extinguishment and fire extension operations, Chief Kay explained. These simultaneous actions prevent the loss of life and the protection of property.

"These actions proved to be vital," Chief Kay added.

# # #

For first time in history, OFPD posts detailed budget documents

For the first time int he history of the Orland Fire Protection District, detailed budget documents along with contracts, are being posted online for public viewing. In the past, the OFPD Posted a Budget Summary, or annual report offering general overviews of budget issues and spending. But last month, the OFPD board President Jim Hickey directed that the detailed Audit of the last full budget year be published online. The Audit provides a detailed look in to the district's spending and is issued usually in the Spring following the completion of the prior year.

Click here to view the budget audit.

Hickey and members of the board has promised that all public documents will be placed on the OFPD web site for easy public viewing.

"The public has a right to know exactly what the district is doing," said President Hickey.

Hickey's directive is endorsed by two new board members, Blair Rhode and Christopher Evoy.

"I think it is very important for the public to know exactly how their tax dollars are being spent so they have an accurate understanding about the district," Rhode said.

The OFPD budget office is also working on converting the annual budget for placement on the web site. That should be completed this month.

For more information on public information, visit www.OrlandFire.org

# # #

OFPD Board trims nearly $500,000 in spending during first 60 days

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Ray Hanania

June 30, 2011                                                                                                     USGRayHanania@comcast.net

OFPD Board trims nearly $500,000 in spending during first 60 days

Orland Park -- The Orland Fire Protection Board cut $486,000 in district spending during its first 60 days in office, moving to realize promises made by the new board that the quality of fire district services will remain high but costs will be trimmed where possible.

OFPD Board President Jim Hickey said that the cost-cutting moves are mandated by the taxpayers and voters and that the cuts will not impact the quality of Fire District services that residents have come to expect.

Hickey said he expects that number to easily double in the next few months and to continue to climb as opportunities to save taxpayer dollars are identified.

"What we are doing is carefully managing spending and cutting where we can without impacting firefighting or emergency medical services," Hickey said.

"Even where we have spent extra money to hire a lobbyist in Springfield to insure that our funding interests are protected and to identify potential grants and monetary sources, we have off-set those costs with other cuts."

Hickey said that the OFPD will continue to update its cost savings using the web site at www.OrlandFire.org and the district's new blog at OFPDblog.blogspot.com.

"We are also using the website and internet to provide public access to board meetings and also to post important documents such as recent contracts, public policy statements and soon a complete and detailed copy of the district budget.

Hickey released the following data on savings by cost and date which is posted on the OFPD Blog Web Site:

- June 28, 2011: OFPD Board votes to retire two bond issues, one set to expire in 2016. Retiring the bonds early will save taxpayers $110,000 in interest payments on the bonds. Expected to be implemented at next board meeting.
Potential Savings: $110,000
- Not filling the vacant position of Battalion Chief.
Savings $215,000
- Reducing board meetings to one per month.
Savings $60,000
- June 2011: Change in the wages of the Human Resources Director from $73,000 to $68,000. 
Savings $5,000.
- June 2011: Elimination of the Public Education director, salaried at $47,000. 
Savings $47,000.
- June 2011: Reduction in the salary of the Executive Secretary to the board, salaried at $65,000 reduced to $37,000.
Savings of $28,000.
-June 2011: Reduction in the consulting fee for communications, previously $48,000 reduced to $36,000 for Urban Strategies Group. 
Savings of $12,000.
-June 2011: Hiring lobbyist Cheryl Axley to monitor OFPD Interests and grant opportunities in Springfield.
Cost $60,000
- May 25, 2011: hiring Del Galdo Law Group.
Savings $48,000
- May 25, 2011: Two trustees (Blair Rhode, Chris Evoy) declining their trustee salaries.
Savings $6,000
- May 25, 2011: Hiring Cindy Katsenes ($25,000) replacing Tom Dubelbeis ($40,000).
Savings $15,000

"Some people may think $486,000 is not enough but I think that if we can do this in 60 days, tighter controls on spending and better management of the district will realize more savings to the taxpayers and still result in a high quality services from our fire protection district," Hickey said.

END

Board cites fast action at TGI Friday with saving life

Board cites fast action at TGI Friday with saving life

The Orland Fire Protection District Board on Tuesday recognized the fast action and life saving training of an employee working at TGI Friday in Orland Park who responded to a female patron who was choking. Lea Elliot was credited with using the Heimlich Maneuver after noticing the customer choking to save the customer's life.

"We are very proud of what Lea Elliot did. Knowing life saving techniques such as the Heimlich Maneuver is very important for public safety," said OFPD Acting Chief Raymond Kay. Elliot was given a plaque to commemorate her lifesaving actions.

The plaque was presented to Lea Elliot by Lt. Mark Duke, OFPD EMS Administrator. The plaque reads:

"On April 8, 2011 a patron of TGI Friday was choking on food that had occluded her airway. The choking patron approached Lea Elliot for help and without hesitation a series of abdominal thrusts were applied and the airway obstruction cleared. As a result of Lea’s quick action a more severe consequence was averted and the patron recovered without injury."

Read a story in the Tribune Local on this citation.

# # #

Orland Fire Protection District to begin job postings online Will expand public participation at board meetings

Orland Fire Protection District to begin job postings online

Will expand public participation at board meetings

Orland Park -- The Orland Fire Protection District board announced Tuesday that they will begin posting paid and volunteer job vacancies to encourage local residents to apply for the positions.

OFPD Board President Jim Hickey also said that the board is expanding the public participation policy at board meetings to encourage more transparency and also adding a new public records section on the Website called "Dollars & Sense".

Currently, Hickey said, the public can make comments and ask questions at board meetings during the public participation portion. But Hickey said that the OFPD will also ask residents who wish to be more specific about district policies to submit their questions ahead of time using the web site by email or by telephone.

"In the past, members of the public would ask questions but the board would not have the answers or just didn't answer. We're going to continue the existing policy but we also want to ask the public if they have specific questions about policies, contracts the budget to submit those questions in writing to the board so we can be prepared at board meetings to provide answers," Hickey said.

Hickey said he would personally ask personnel to provide answers. Residents would have to come to the board meetings, identify themselves by name and address, and their questions will be answered.

"Our goal is full transparency," Hickey explained noting that is one of the priorities of the board's two newest members, Blair Rhode and Christopher Evoy. "We want the public to see and understand everything. This is their tax money. We want them to get the answers to their questions."

Hickey noted that the OFPD has already begun posting contracts and detailed financial statements on the district's web site which is www.OrlandFire.org.

"We want to post everything that can be made public," Hickey said, noting that some issues involving real estate, criminal probes, personnel matters and lawsuits are exempt under state law from public disclosure to protect the privacy of individuals involved.

"But anything that falls within the range of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should be made available as soon as possible for public access. We get a lot of FOIA requests and processing those requests require much personnel time. We can save money by allowing the public and the media to access the documents online directly."

Hickey said that job postings would include paid and volunteer positions.

"We have a position open on the Pension Board. In the past, one of the trustees served in that role," Hickey said noting the individual was former board trustee Salvatore Cacciato.

"We don't think that the position should be held by a trustee. We feel that there are members of the public who have experience in pension matters who would be interested in volunteering to join the pension board and provide an independent perspective on pension and district needs."

Hickey said the board is also looking to post future job openings and changes online to recruit qualified residents for the posts.

"We are putting a lot of emphasis on using the website to reach the public, to be an access portal for the public to get the answers they need and to be able to monitor the district's actions at their convenience.

Hickey said that the new board is "coming together" as a group.

"I think the board members all are committed now to saving taxpayer's money. We are looking at staffing requirements and also ways to save funds without impacting the quality of service. That's our mandate," Hickey said.

Hickey said the board will move forward with a study by the Illinois Fire Chief's Association to make recommendations on hiring. Hickey acknowledged that the board conducted a similar study in 2006 that recommended higher staffing levels of as much as 150 firefighters.

"But that was at a different time when the economy was better. They were looking at more tax dollars coming in back then. Today, it's a different story. We need to be conscious of costs and the burden on the taxpayers," Hickey said, noting he was not a member of the board when the study was commissioned.

Hickey said the 2006 study cost the district $56,000 to complete. "The study commissioned by the Illinois Fire Chief's Association will only costs $5,100 to complete and it will give us a better handle on what the district needs to provide the services to our residents," Hickey said.

Hickey said that like all public documents, the commission study will be posted online for the public to scrutinize and assess themselves.

In other business, the board voted to retire two existing bonds including one scheduled to be retired in 2016. Hickey said the board will save $110,000 in interest payments. Hickey also said that in the past, the board would re-issue bonds for projects but he said that practice would likely be stopped.

"Bonds should be retired when their purposes is accomplished. Extending a bond to cover other projects is a backdoor tax increase. When the bond is retired, it will reduce the need to increase taxes as was done in the past," Hickey explained. Most bonds are backed by property taxes.

The board also accepted a budget audit conducted by the districts accountants McCormick, Mulcahy, Pauritsch & Co.

Hickey said the audit will be published online as soon as possible to give the public a first ever direct look at how the district has spent money in the past.

The district is also planning to publish the entire budget on the web site in the coming weeks, once they are converted into a PDF format.

# # #

Orland Fire Protection District dedicates new headquarters Sunday June 26, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         Ray Hanania

Sunday June 26, 2011                                                                      rayhanania@comcast.net

Orland Fire Protection District Headquarters officially dedicated

Orland Park -- The Orland Fire Protection District officially dedicated its new Headquarters with a ribbon cutting and reception Sunday.

Acting Fire Chief Raymond L. Kay told attendees at the new headquarters, 9790 W. 151st Street, Orland Park, that the facility will consolidate the district's fire services.

"It is important that you get a chance to see what takes place in the support building. Our people on the streets run 8,000 calls every year and they need support to get there. Things like dispatch, which is upgraded in our new building," Chief Kay said.

"Things like fire prevention which you will see when you take the tour. Part of keeping our buildings up to code so we have safe buildings in the community. And the administration is here to help make sure things run efficiently," Kay told the gathering.

Orland Fire Protection District Board President James Hickey applauded the dedication but reminded the audience that the ribbon cutting for the headquarters symbolizes a new era in which the district will focus on maintaining and supporting the fire district's high quality of services, and the call of voters and taxpayers to better manage costs.

"I think everyone knows that the Orland Fire Protection District is changing. We're moving forward with a mission given to us by the voters and the taxpayers. In the last election they spoke out loud and clear. They want to preserve the high quality services that the Fire Protection District offers, but they want us to do it with an eye to cost-savings and fiscal efficiencies that make sense," Hickey said to applause.

"They are not just saying cut. They are saying cut where we can to bring down the burden on the taxpayers. That's what this new board is doing. We're doing it with precision and respect. We're trimming down some salaries on some positions. We're working closely with the Fire leadership to find ways to maximize what we can get out of every dollar."

Hickey said the board is committed to "preserving the highest quality fire services that the taxpayers have come to expect. So today, as we inaugurate this new headquarters building, let's look at this as a beginning of a new era to rein in costs while exceeding performance and maintaining quality."

Dedication emcee Battalion Chief Dan Smith also introduced Orland Park Village Trustee Patricia Gira, who attended the dedication, and former trustee Salvatore Cacciato who also briefly spoke about the years he spent helping to bring the headquarters to realization.

Smith said the new headquarters will improve work flow and provide more room to allow more employees to work out of the centralized fire headquarters.

The new State-of-the-Art headquarters building replaces the smaller office property located behind Fire Station 1, Smith said. The new headquarters accommodates about 25 staff (compared to 10 previously). The new board room accommodates up to 80 people and replaces the older room which accommodated about 30 people.

The new building features an expanded training room, the Fire Prevention Bureau and all administration functions and services (parts of which in the past were distributed among the various fire houses). The lower level features a renovated dispatch center which not only services the Orland Fire District but also services Oak Forest and Calumet City Fire Departments. It also provides MABAS (Mutual Aide Box Alarm System) services for extra alarm fire/EMS calls  in Division 19 (Orland/Frankfort /Manhattan area) and also Division 22 (Alsip/Blue Island area) and Division 24 (Tinley Park, Lansing area).

The building received a blessing from Pastor Shawn Nettleton of Christ Lutheran Church.

About 100 people attended the ceremony.

You can view the video of the dedication by clicking this address:

On Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzsh0G7oVLs

On Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/channels/217924

Below are the full remarks of President Hickey:

I want to welcome all of you today to the formal opening of the Orland Fire Protection District headquarters. This new building allows the district to concentrate many of its services and brings together a lot of talent that is dedicated to providing you with the best firefighting services in the region.

I think everyone knows that the Orland Fire Protection District is changing. We're moving forward with a mission given to us by the voters and the taxpayers. In the last election they spoke out loud and clear. They want to preserve the high quality services that the Fire Protection District offers, but they want us to do it with an eye to cost-savings and fiscal efficiencies that make sense.

They are not just saying cut. They are saying cut where we can to bring down the burden on the taxpayers.

That's what this new board is doing. We're doing it with precision and respect. We're trimming down some salaries on some positions. We're working closely with the Fire leadership to find ways to maximize what we can get out of every dollar.

It isn't just the taxpayers who are demanding this. It is mandated by the economic times in which we live. We can't ignore this very important mission.

It can be done and it can be done in a way that will preserve the highest quality fire services that the taxpayers have come to expect.

So today, as we inaugurate this new headquarters building, let's look at this as a beginning of a new era to reign in costs while exceeding performance and maintaining quality.

OFPD Board President James Hickey

end