Don't Ax Fire Position: Hinsdale Official

HINSDALE, IL – The Hinsdale Village Board eliminated the deputy fire chief's position Tuesday, but received a warning beforehand not to do so.

The deputy chief's position became open earlier this month with the retirement of Chief John Giannelli. Deputy Chief Jon Carlson was promoted to interim chief.

At a Village Board meeting, Margaret Woulfe Arens, who heads the village's Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, said it would be "ill-advised" to do away with the position.

"The deputy chief steps in when the chief is not available, and other village departments, including our police department, have such an appointment," Arens said. "In the case of public safety officials, the chief and deputies do, in fact, respond to calls as needed."

Arens' board is responsible for hiring, promoting, and disciplining of officers and firefighters.

Arens said the village is expecting the departure of other experienced firefighters. But she said Hinsdale is getting few applications in its entry-level hiring process.

Because of that, she said, the fire department may become shorthanded.

In response, Village President Tom Cauley said the deputy chief before Carlson was not a sworn officer, so he was unable to respond to calls. That person lasted a decade in the position.

Cauley said the plan to ax the position was consistent with maintaining a vibrant and functional fire department.

"It also has the added benefit that it saves money," he said.

Cauley said the village would do nothing to jeopardize firefighters' response times.

"I do not for one moment believe that eliminating the deputy chief would have any adverse effect on public safety," he said. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen. If I ever got the sense that that happened, we would revisit the decision."

The board voted unanimously to cut the deputy chief's position.