The Oak Lawn Village Board has updated village code and the fire union’s contract to allow room for the promotions of three firefighters once a captain retires later this month.
Promotions of one fire captain, one lieutenant and one fire engineer were approved last week to fill expected vacancies at the Fire Department, as were changes in requirements for promotion to two positions under the union contract.
Capt. Michael Keane announced his intent to retire July 18, according to the agenda packet.
Jeff Kane, president of the Local 3405 firefighters union, said the department has seen high employee turnover in recent years.
“We had a large amount of hiring a couple of decades ago, then that slowed down,” Kane said. “A lot of those individuals came to age of retirement and are doing so.”
Kane said the change in the hiring process for higher level positions in both the Police and Fire departments could speed up the promotion process.
“We’re trying and hopeful that we can get some help for the chief,” Kane said. “We do not have an assistant or deputy chief at this time, so the hope is to get somebody into that position.”
Contractual changes include removing prerequisites for emergency medical services bureau chief and bureau chief of training.
The memorandum of agreement approved by the board allows candidates an EMS bureau chief position to become certified as Illinois Department of Public Health instructors after being hired, rather than requiring they are already certified. It also removes the requirement that bureau chief of training candidates have reached the rank of lieutenant.
“That bureau chief position was the only one that required someone to be in the rank of lieutenant or above,” Kane said. “Especially now that we’ve had such a large turnover and a younger department, we felt it best to drop that.”
The Village Board also reworked language in the village code to make clear that promotions to police chief, fire chief or deputy fire chief are up to the village manager, not the board. The village manager, Thomas Phelan, will be tasked with appointing internal hires to those positions, according to the change.
During the same meeting, the board approved a new contract for Phelan, who as of July 13 will make $218,600 per year with a 3% yearly cost of living increase.
Phelan was hired July 13, 2021. His previous contract included the same cost of living increase with an annual salary of $185,000.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
