Merrionette Park Fire Department (more)

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Merrionette Park Fire Department is facing a serious internal conflict after the village board failed to reappoint three senior officials and a long-serving department secretary during its meeting last month.

Since the removal of Deputy Chief Pat Carter, Capt. Tom Ziolkowski, Lt. Jim Carter, and secretary Katie Quinn Schneider, at least a dozen on-call firefighters have resigned, signaling a major upheaval within the department.

Firefighter Tony Calzaretta noted that it’s standard practice for village employees—many of whom are hired through one-year contracts renewed annually by the mayor—to remain in their positions unless there’s clear evidence of misconduct. In such cases, the village typically provides an explanation. However, this time, no reasoning was given, which left many confused and frustrated.

The sudden changes coincided with the appointment of Thomas J. Wendt as the new fire chief, following the retirement of longtime Chief Leonard Edling at the end of April. Wendt, who previously served as chief in Dixmoor and works part-time in Calumet Park, took over the role just a few months ago, around the time Edling announced his retirement.

While some firefighters had anticipated Wendt’s appointment and didn’t oppose it, they were still taken aback by the abrupt removal of several senior leaders without any public explanation. The timing raised questions about whether the move was related to the leadership change.

Village spokesperson Pete DiCianni declined to comment on the decision, citing it as a personnel matter. He explained that the mayor chose Wendt due to his extensive leadership experience and his residence in Merrionette Park.

In a statement released Tuesday, Mayor Dennis Magee thanked the outgoing members of the fire department for their service but dismissed the resignations as “sour grapes.” He claimed that many of those who left rarely responded to calls anyway.

According to village records, eight of the 12 firefighters who resigned had responded to less than 10% of emergency calls this year. Three of them hadn’t responded at all, and one had only answered 1% of incidents.

To address the staffing shortage, Wendt plans to submit the names of seven new candidates for the fire department at the next village board meeting in May. He also intends to restructure operations by ensuring two firefighters are always present at the station to handle minor emergencies, while additional help can be called in for larger incidents.

Previously, the firehouse was often unstaffed, and firefighters would respond to calls based on dispatches, which Wendt described as inefficient and potentially costly, as too many firefighters might show up for small incidents.

Over the past three years, the village has spent approximately $150,000 annually on firefighters, not including the chief's salary of $40,500.

Thanks Dan

5 Series Pure Manual Proportional Multi-way Valve

Manual Proportional Valve,Manual Proportional Distributor,Manual Load sensitive Valve,Manual Load sensitive Distributor,Manual Flow Control Distributor

Jiangsu KM Hydraulic Control Sys.Co.,Ltd , https://www.km-valves.com