Public Safety Committees

Village Board Fire Public Safety Committee ~ Regular Meeting ~ MINUTES ~ Thursday, March 7, 2024 ~ CALL TO ORDER Trustee Guzzo called the meeting to order at 1630 hours. PRESENT Mayor Gunter, Clerk Szymski, Village Manager May, Assistant Village Manager Parker, Trustee Barker, Trustee Brady, Trustee Guzzo, Trustee Liddle and Trustee Nero. ALSO PRESENT Fire Chief Riley, Deputy Chief Fitzgerald, Battalion Chief Kielczynski, Captain Joe Newton, FPB Director Berkowitz, Community Development Director Hennerfeind, Public Works Director Reis, Supervisor of Administrative Services Mielcarski, Human Resources Director Brainerd, IT Director Liljeberg, Communications Director McIntyre, Administrative Assistant Hoxha and Administrative Assistant Saldivar. ABSENT - Trustee Simonovich and Chief Public Safety Officer Gunther. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment was received. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 14, 2023 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES Trustee Liddle made a motion, seconded by Trustee Nero, to approve the December 14, 2023 Public Safety Committee Minutes as submitted. Motion carried unanimously. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Fire Station Update Fire Chief Riley shared that the fire station staffing study is still underway and is taking longer than anticipated. A further update will be given at the next Fire Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, June 13, 2024. The Fire Department is also in the early stages of finding a partner for the building portion of the project. Ambulance Billing Services Chief Riley said that the Fire Department is looking to possibly switch their ambulance billing from EMS-MC to Paramedic Billing Services. A committee made up of members from the Fire Department and the Finance Department will make the final decision. NEW BUSINESS Awards Battalion Chief Joe Kielczynski provided an overview of the Fire Department’s awards process. The Awards Committee honored a crew consisting of FM Lindsay Brockhoff, FM Katie Jansen, FF Bob Kowalski and FF Jessica Zimmermann for their exceptional teamwork during an emergency response to a car accident on Route 83. Lt. Crawford was with this crew but was unable to attend. FM Ryan Sulzen was also honored with the Chief’s Award for his off-duty response to a sudden cardiac arrest incident. Chief Fire Officer Battalion Chief Blaskovich and Battalion Chief Kielczynski were recognized for their hard work and dedication in completing the Chief Fire Officer Program which is a rigorous and demanding program similar to a Master’s degree program. Employee of the Year Captain Joe Newton presented the Employee of the Year Award to Inspector / Fire Investigator Dave Zalesiak and gave a brief history of Dave’s 33-year career followed by a short acceptance speech by Dave Zalesiak. Deputy Fire Chief Update Chief Riley shared that the application process for a new Deputy Chief closed on February 26, 2024. There were a total of 31 applications received, 29 of which were from outside applicants and 2 internal applicants. Those were narrowed down to 4 outside applicants and 1 internal applicant. Home Birth Incident Chief Riley briefly discussed a home birth incident where Fire Department members were able to revive a baby after finding it pulseless, cold, and blue. REPORTS 2023 Year End Report Deputy Chief Fitzgerald presented the 2023 Year End Report and 2024 Vision for the Fire Department. FPB Director Berkowitz presented the Fire Prevention Bureau part of the presentation. (See attached.) Fire Prevention Report FPB Director Berkowitz said that 41 N. Cass Avenue is now compliant and the sprinkler plans for 6410 S. Cass Avenue have been submitted and approved. He advised that he worked with Supervisor of Administrative Services Mielcarski to provide applicants with a detailed guideline on the use of portable heating appliances for outdoor dining on public sidewalks. He also worked with Deputy Clerk Richards on the food truck permit process. The new process will allow for more consistency, benefitting the Village and vendors. Finally, he is working with Building Commissioner Vitell and Village Attorney Zemenak to clean up the sprinkler amendments to eliminate confusion and allow for more constant application. MISCELLANEOUS Trustee Barker asked for any follow-up information regarding the recent spill. Chief Riley advised that they have identified the product that spilled but have not found who was responsible. Trustee Barker also asked how many homes in Westmont have sprinklers. FPB Director Berkowitz advised that the number is up to 98 from 56 from two years ago. Trustee Guzzo added that her father would be very proud of the Fire Department. There being no other business to discuss, Trustee Liddle motioned to adjourn, to which Trustee Brady seconded. The meeting subsequently adjourned at 1749 hours. Respectfully submitted, Jacqueline Saldivar Recording Secretary