By Stephanie Irvine
The Manhattan Fire Protection District is participating in several meetings with local government entities in an effort to lead improvements on disaster responses and recovery transitions, as well as to help with planning and clarifying safety needs surrounding the influx of solar farm applications.
Following the July tornado that significantly affected the Ranch Oaks neighborhood, fire district officials saw a need to develop a disaster plan and establish a unified command. During the immediate aftermath, the district walked every house and conducted hazard assessments. Township and village officials, Manhattan police, and local EMA were also out immediately after the tornado passed.
“The transition to recovery – from emergency response, when we’re pretty much done and there’s no emergencies – how do we make that transition to the recovery phase? That’s where we look at the other entities in the area, like the township, EMA, and village, to help with those plans,” Chief Steve Malone said during the meeting, expressing that the district is looking to improve processes.
The district will hold a Ranch Oaks tornado debriefing meeting next week, with all the local entities involved in the disaster response, to capture timely feedback. During the meeting, they plan to identify areas where things worked well, identify concerns, and establish procedures for the future, improving the overall response.
“There is a lot of opportunity to really define, in these events, who is the governing authority that makes a decision for a disaster declaration,” Battalion Chief Bruce Boyle explained of the desire to drive an emergency planning meeting.
“All in all, I think the guys did a really good job. Bruce was there all night, all day the next day. Jackie was out there. There were tons and tons of thank yous and positive comments from the people in Ranch Oaks and all the people affected,” Malone said, noting that although they believe improvements are needed, the response was well received by those in the area.
Boyle also advised the fire district will hold a special meeting with the village and the township to discuss the potential impact of solar farms on the area and how they effectively can plan for them.
“We’re trying to engage them together so the village can say, hey, is it the right thing to put this solar farm here?” Boyle explained. “If it is, what do we want to do as far as the development of the community? Do we want to push it back on the property to give it some green space in front? Some of those particulars – to begin to at least have conversations as to what is the right place for these.”
During the board meeting, Boyle also said he will be working with Peotone’s new village administrator, Nick Palmer, to strategize.
Additionally, Chief Boyle attended an engineering meeting with other stakeholders and the Will County Department of Transportation regarding proposed improvements to Wilmington-Peotone Road, which are anticipated to be implemented by 2050. He reported nothing is etched in stone, but they are collecting feedback and prioritizing improvements.
Three members of Manhattan’s tactical rescue team, plus Chief Malone and Battalion Chief Boyle, worked the Democratic National Convention as part of a preparedness effort in Chicago; the shift was long but uneventful.
Response Times Improving, District to Hire More Firefighters
Deputy Chief Dave Piper reported the district had 274 calls for service in July and reported on July’s 162 emergency calls.
“Right now, with all the work we have been doing with LCC (Laraway Communications Center), their call handling time 90 percent of the time for the last month was one minute and 23 seconds, which has greatly improved from where we started a few years ago,” Piper said.
Piper reported that the 90th percentile total response time, or the “hello to hello” response time, was 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
“The things that we can control, we are definitely improving upon,” Malone offered.
The district lost three part-time personnel, but with advance notice, the district hired replacements ahead of the departures. Additionally, the district will have a swearing-in ceremony to employ additional personnel in October.
Piper also reported the district will have an Advanced Life Support tent at the Will County Fair, which it usually does yearly. The ALS tent can handle everything that could be done inside the ambulance except transporting a patient.
They will use a UTV to transport patients to an ambulance if needed. Experience has shown that using the UTV is faster and easier than navigating an ambulance through the fairgrounds. An ambulance will be available outside the grounds in addition to an ambulance dedicated to the monster truck racing, demolition derby, and rodeo.
Peotone Remodel and New Manhattan Station Updates
Outside of these items, Malone noted sewer and water for the new fire station should be moving forward in September. He will be meeting with the village to ensure construction is completed before winter weather arrives. Many submittals have been provided to the village, and they are working on the final floor plan.
The district also approved a partial release of the current Fire Station 81 location’s mortgage to clean up titles, ultimately allowing the park district to convey land to the village.
Boyle advised everything, including the sprinklers, have been completed for the Peotone station remodel. They anticipate occupancy approval within the next week. The next board meeting will take place at the Peotone station, and the district is planning an open house on October 25 for the community to see the updated fire station.
The district recently replaced the soffit, fascia, and gutter replacement at Station 82 (Wilton Center).
District Finances in Good Shape
District Accountant James Howard advised in his monthly review the district finances are in good shape, with better-than-average property tax collections at 56 percent. Malone noted the district is waiting for the $250,000 DCEO grant. District audits are ongoing.
The district is reviewing vendors for phones, internet, and IT services to save money, while maintaining the same service quality. They want to be more frugal because of the construction of the new fire station.
The district held an amended budget hearing, which was passed without fanfare. The hearing was necessary because the district had previously allocated funds for the new fire station. However, because the district will not be breaking ground on the new station in 2024, as they had hoped when the budget was originally set, they needed to update the budget to reflect they would not be taking out those funds.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.