The Beecher Fire District will be donating 12 sets of expired turnout gear, boots, protective hoods, and helmets to the Kankakee Area Career Center’s Fire Science Program after the fire board approved the donation at the August 28 meeting.
The gear, which can no longer be used in live fires due to its expiration in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association Standards, will get a new life – helping out students. Having access to authentic firefighting gear helps students learn how it functions, what it feels like to wear the gear, and how to use it as they progress through the training program.
Deputy Chief Michael Heusing’s report detailed the fire district’s continued training. This year, the district has invested more than 7,500 hours in training. August’s training included ropes and knots, haul systems and slope evacuation, water rescue, ARFF training at Bult Field with Manhattan and Monee Fire Districts, and EMS training.
A point of significant discussion was support for the Beecher EMA. They expressed a need for a light tower, and there were concerns from the village the fire district was no longer supporting EMA.
Although the fire district budgets a $1,000 donation to the EMA annually through an IGA, letters requesting the donation had not been received since 2022. As such, the contributions were unintentionally not made to the EMA since then, and it had not been brought to anyone’s attention until now.
There was some discussion regarding the possibility of EMA joining MABAS 27 to access resources, such as the light tower and surveillance cameras for parades; however, it ultimately would not work out due to staffing limitations.
Trustees Mike Waterman and Dave Kolosh, along with agreement from other members of the board, each expressed a desire to make sure the funding was reinstated after the oversight regarding annual contributions was brought to the board’s attention.
District leaders and the board agreed to commit $1,000 toward the purchase of a light tower, plus a $1,000 donation that would resume the yearly contributions. They will work with the village to ensure the donations are made moving forward.
This discussion about EMA and services needed led to an additional conversation regarding the challenges of the parade route on the Fourth of July and the need for security cameras.
“Our parade route is very challenging for security purposes because it weaves in and out of neighborhoods, different streets. We live in a different time, and our job, along with police, is public safety,” Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti Jr. explained, noting that having the technology available, such as security cameras, would help with better safety planning and event security.
Falaschetti advised the board he would attend the Fourth of July Commission’s next meeting to discuss.
Overall, in August, the Beecher Fire District saw 59 emergency medical calls, with six of those calls being for fall/lift assists. Assistant Chief Tim McGannon’s report noted there were eight incidents in which he followed up and took time to speak with the patients or family members of the patients to offer additional assistance and resources.
McGannon’s report also noted he and Falaschetti met with Teena Mackey of the Will County Mental Health 708 Board, whereupon they had a productive discussion regarding funding, opportunities for securing grants, and the Thriveworks program.
The fire board approved the bills to be paid, as well as several updates to the Standard Operating Guidelines that Beecher follows for hazardous material cleanup, structure fire alarm responses where there is no fire hydrant, medication inventories, and oxygen cylinders. Falaschetti reviewed all of the changes and updates with the board before approval.
The chief’s report also detailed that the fire district has applied for several grants in the hopes of securing funding for new equipment, from AEDs to turnout gear, among other items.
District accountant James Howard was unable to attend the meeting, though Falaschetti reviewed the overview of the past 30 days that Howard had prepared. Howard’s report noted the district is in line with where it should be at this time of the year.
Of note, the ambulance payments were running behind, and the district’s GEMT (Ground Emergency Medical Transport) payment came late. Trustee Waterman inquired if the GEMT reimbursement program would continue, to which Falaschetti explained that the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association is fighting its discontinuation.
The GEMT program is a source of revenue for participating fire districts. Essentially, these payments from the federal government cover Medicaid payments for ambulance transfers. Currently, the program is under scrutiny and may face reform or have its funding pulled by the federal government.
The district also recently followed up with MABAS-IL regarding reimbursement for the Hurricane Milton deployment; those funds are expected to be received by the end of September.
Following the swearing in of full-time firefighters this past July, an updated Fair Labor Standards Act 7G payscale was approved by the board. The letters would need to be signed by personnel on an annual basis. Additionally, with the hiring of full-time staff, the district reduced its need for Metro Ambulance Services, going from six to three employees.
In other financial news, Falaschetti noted the district may need to amend its budget due to an unanticipated expense, as the district’s LED sign in front of the fire station has become inoperable due to mechanical failure resulting from a faulty control board.
Falaschetti explained there are no parts available for the sign, it is out of warranty, and the district had inquired with multiple sign companies in an attempt to repair it – to no avail.
Due to the cost of the sign, it would need to be put out to bid. The fire district’s attorney, John Motylinski, previously had reviewed the bid request documents, and the board approved the request for bids for a new sign.
Additionally, the board approved a letter of intent with Sparrow Property Management, LLC, regarding tax abatements and a community benefits agreement regarding a solar facility. The development has approximately 700 acres at the northern end of the district.
“They have a lot of projects in the area, and the big one is in Manhattan, and they’re tying into an acquired natural gas peaker plant. They did the same thing in Crete. They’re using that as the tie-in to the grid,” Falaschetti explained.
“They’re looking for a tax abatement. We met with the attorney on this, and we also did meet with James. His recommendation is that we sign it. He sees this a lot. There’s a lot of uncertainty about the sustainability of solar. This basically takes years three through eight and is front-loading those tax dollars into the first two years,” Falaschetti told the board.
The solar developer also offers RISE grants, for which the district recently received one smaller one. They are hoping to attain an additional RISE grant to go toward a brush truck.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.