HOMEWOOD, ILLINOIS, IN COOK COUNTY, HAS BEEN facing a familiar problem. The Fire/Rescue service has been cutting staffing while its calls have been increasing.
The department relies on paid-on-call firefighters to maintain its service level, but in the past 5 months the number of FF’s has been reduced from 32 to 19. Since the Cook County Medical Director requires all ALS first-responders to have two paramedics on board, the FD has taken one of their two ambulances out of service and upgraded the fire engine to ALS level.
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On paper it looks like a good solution because it provides faster response times to calls and keeps the engine company’s staffing intact. Previously the 2nd ambulance effectively put the engine out of service when it got a call. Currently they are operating the engine and ambulance with a minimum of 5 FF’s.
But their new scheme is not going over so well with the citizens because it reduces the number of vehicles that can transport. The Village has been providing funds for 30 years to purchase and maintain two ambulances and they wish for that to be continued (So hire some more people, then! ….Firegeezer).
In addition, the County is getting complaints from neighboring jurisdictions because Homewood is obligating the mutual aid system for more than its share of calls.
The Village is now doing what all governments do when they create a problem: They’re initiating a study.
Read the full story in the Southtown Star HERE.
Homewood FD WEBSITE.
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