Excerpts from ChicagoCBSlocal.com:
A number of firefighters in the small suburb of Merrionette Park have stepped down or weren’t reappointed, leaving the fire department operating with less than half its usual staffing. However, Fire Chief Tom Wendt claims the department is still running smoothly despite the changes.
Merrionette Park is a tiny community, covering less than half a square mile, and its fire department relies on part-time, on-call firefighters who are only paid when they respond to emergencies. These positions are renewed annually, which makes the recent resignations and non-reappointments especially significant.
Tony Calzaretta, vice president of the Merrionette Park Firefighters Association, said he and 13 others resigned after Chief Wendt replaced three long-serving officers—two captains and a lieutenant. Wendt took over as chief following the retirement of long-time leader Len Edling at the end of April. He claims the firefighters who left were not showing up for most calls anyway.
Wendt plans to appoint 10 new firefighters at the next village board meeting on May 17. Additionally, starting next month, two firefighters will be stationed at the firehouse full-time. But Calzaretta warns that the new hires may lack the experience and local knowledge of those who are leaving.
"What’s going to happen is that the experienced people who know the town, the equipment, and the procedures are going to leave, and they’re being replaced by outsiders and young people who haven’t worked in the fire service before," he said.
From the Merrionette Park Fire Fighters Association Facebook page:
The Merrionette Park Fire Fighters Association would like to take a moment to honor the 17 members who were not re-appointed by the village or chose to resign this week. These individuals were the backbone of the MPFD, contributing tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of combined hours of service to our community. Whether responding to fires, EMS calls, hazmat incidents, or volunteering their time for charity work, training, and maintaining the firehouse, these firefighters gave everything they had.
They formed a deep bond and a strong sense of duty, and their contributions helped transform the MPFD from where it was 10 years ago to what it is today. Their legacy is truly incredible. We invite you to look through some of the photos in our Facebook album to see just a glimpse of their lives and dedication over the years.
This is just the tip of the iceberg—these 17 members contributed a total of 120 years of service to our village, and they’ll be leaving as of May 1, 2017. Here are the names and years of service of each member:
Katie Quinn Schneider – Dept. Secretary – 19 years (not reappointed)
Deputy Chief/EMT Pat Carter – 17 years (not reappointed)
Captain/Paramedic Tom Ziolkowski – 15 years (not reappointed)
Lt./EMT Jim Carter – 8 years (not reappointed)
Lt./Paramedic Tony Calzaretta – 7 years (resigned)
EMS Coordinator Shannon Ziolkowski – 8 years (resigned)
Engineer/Paramedic Kyle LaPorta – 6 years (resigned)
Engineer/Paramedic Joe LaPorta – 5 years (resigned)
FF/EMT Rick Whitlock – 6 years (resigned)
FF/Paramedic Mike Haas – 6 years (resigned)
FF/Paramedic Jeff Goworowski – 4 years (resigned)
FF/Paramedic Scott Staal – 4 years (resigned)
FF/Paramedic Connor Hughes – 3 years (resigned)
FF/Paramedic Sean O’Connell – 2 years (resigned)
FF/EMT Sean Devane – >1 year (resigned)
FF/EMT Mose Demasi – >1 year (resigned)
FF/EMT Chris Ibrahim – >1 year (resigned)
*Lt./Paramedic Joe Guarascio – 7 years (on leave of absence)
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