The *Daily Herald* recently published an article highlighting the challenges faced by the Mount Prospect Fire Department as it works to maintain efficient response times amid significant budget cuts. According to Chief John Malcolm, the department has lost six full-time firefighter positions since 2010, prompting a series of operational changes that have raised concerns among both the chief and the village board.
One of the most troubling developments is the department's decision to send its tower ladder on every call, rather than returning to the station to retrieve it. This policy, while intended to save time, has placed additional strain on the equipment and personnel. "We’re running the tower ladder on every call now," Malcolm explained. "It’s not ideal, but we don’t have the staffing to do otherwise."
In 2010, the fire department saw its full-time sworn firefighters drop from 72 to 66 due to a 10% village-wide budget cut. To compensate, Malcolm initially relied on a “jump†company—three personnel, including a lieutenant and two firefighters, who would respond with either the engine or the tower ladder depending on the situation. "We were essentially staffing two vehicles with three people," he said. However, this approach led to delays in critical situations.
A notable incident occurred in July 2011 when a lightning strike caused a fire in a three-story apartment building with 39 units. The flames quickly spread through the roof, but the tower ladder was left unstaffed at the station. "I had no ladder truck at three o’clock in the morning," Malcolm recalled. "And I couldn’t get mutual aid at the time." As a result, the crew had to return to the station, grab the tower ladder, and then re-respond to the scene.
Faced with these challenges, the department ultimately decided to run Tower 13 on all calls. This change significantly increased the unit’s workload, with Tower 13 responding to 1,894 calls in 2012 alone. That year, the entire department handled 5,777 calls in total.
At a recent Committee of the Whole meeting, village trustees voiced growing concerns about the long-term sustainability of these practices. They worried about the wear and tear on the tower ladder, the risk of the unit being unavailable during emergencies if it's on an ambulance call, and the declining availability of mutual aid support.
The data supports these concerns. In 2011, Mount Prospect received 314 mutual aid calls and provided 142. By 2012, those numbers dropped slightly to 300 received and 235 given. So far in 2013, the numbers are 185 given and 218 received. For 2014, officials project that the department will receive 338 mutual aid calls but only provide 150.
These figures highlight a growing reliance on outside help, which could become unsustainable if the department continues to face staffing shortages. As the community watches closely, the question remains: how long can the Mount Prospect Fire Department continue to operate under such conditions?
Thanks Ron & Chris.
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