Clarendon Hills Official Told To Stay Mum

CLARENDON HILLS, IL — The manager of the Clarendon Hills village government expressed his frustration Monday with members of the fire department in the continuing controversy over whether the village should buy a new ladder truck.

Meanwhile, the village's fire chief said he is not allowed to talk to media about the issue.

For months, Village Manager Kevin Barr has looked at the possibility of sharing a ladder truck with another town, mostly likely neighboring Hinsdale.

"Though our neighbors are generally interested in these discussions, it is a significantly complex subject," Barr said in a memo to the Village Board. "The fire department — leadership and employees — have shown little interest in cooperating with this effort, because they believe we should immediately replace the vehicle(s)."

As a result, Barr said, department employees, family members and other interested residents have conducted a public relations campaign to convince the Village Board to end the debate and buy a new ladder truck.

The expected price of a new truck has soared to $1.4 million, from $1 million, according to the village. The current one is nearing the end of its useful life.

Barr said it was important to take into consideration the views of the fire department's current membership.

"Though this has often been a frustrating process, there is a great deal of passion and commitment evident in the department," Barr said.

In his memo, Barr listed seven other communities with populations similar to the combined population of Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. Each of them have one ladder truck, unlike the two in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. The other towns are Batavia, Glen Ellyn, Melrose Park, Oak Forest, Westmont, Wilmette and Elmwood Park.

Barr also listed 16 towns about the size of Clarendon Hills that have ladder trucks, including Calumet Park, Hillside, Princeton, River Forest, Riverside and West Dundee.

La Grange, which is nearly double the size of Clarendon Hills, has been without a ladder truck for more than a decade. Last month, La Grange fought a fire in a three-story house, with Hinsdale and Westmont providing ladder trucks. Usually, La Grange relies on Pleasantdale Fire Protection District for a ladder truck, but that agency was tied up.

Last fall, Clarendon Hills officials met with La Grange's fire chief to discuss La Grange's operations. Barr said Clarendon Hills learned that La Grange has seen no "notable negative results" being without a ladder truck.

"They have an informal relationship with neighboring departments to provide support if needed," Barr said in the memo. "La Grange currently does not see a need to change this model."

Barr noted the local public relations campaign with the slogan, "We Need Our Own To Save Our Own," has emphasized buying a new ladder truck.

"However, slogans do not generally address issues of how a particular piece of equipment is used, the history of its practical impact on community safety and the potential impact of future use," Barr said in the memo. "The slogan also suggests that it is imperative to have 'our own' ladder truck, regardless of its utilization or the size of the community/department coverage area."

For this year's budget, the village has earmarked $30,000 for a consultant to look at the issue of fire department vehicles.

Fire Chief Brian Leahy told Patch on Monday that Barr had prohibited him from commenting to reporters about the ladder truck issue.

Proponents of a new ladder truck say the village's insurance rating would likely drop without such a truck in town, increasing residents' insurance premiums. At a Public Safety Committee meeting in November, Leahy said he was concerned about the impact on the department's staffing model if it were provided with inferior equipment, according to meeting minutes.

In an interview Monday, former village Trustee Donald "Taps" Gallagher said the village needs a ladder truck for the community's safety.

"It is to save lives," said Gallagher, who served as trustee a few months last year. "Buildings have gone up that are of a certain height. We need a working ladder truck. If you want to cut costs, start cutting at Village Hall."

He suggested the village eliminate the assistant village manager's position and the $50,000-a-year contract with the local chamber of commerce.

Last fall, Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley told the Hinsdale Village Board that the two towns have an intergovernmental agreement that calls for sharing fire personnel, equipment and vehicles. He wondered whether Clarendon Hills needed to spend so much money on a ladder truck when Hinsdale had one.