It is ironic that at the same time some members of the city council were still pushing to close Station #1 during a budget hearing, Black Shift was dispatched to a house fire in the 18700 block of Welch Way , which is in the 5th Ward. This is Station #1's first due area. Upon arrival, the Engine from Station #1 had fire showing. A quick knock down of the fire was ensued by the Engine Co. from Station #1. The Tower Ladder from Station #2 along with an Engine Co. from Flossmoor, a Truck from Hazel Crest Local 4087 and a RIT Truck Co. from Homewood Local 3656 also were on the scene and the fire wasquickly brought under control. Thanks to our neighboring departments for the assitance. Tell your aldermen to stop threatening to close Sation #1.  It is a STUPID and potentially DEADLY idea.

Local 2720 members and concerned residents packed Ald. Steve Burris' (4) "Town Hall" meeting held at City Hall recently. The meeting allowed residents and firefighters to express their views regarding  the push by Aldermen Lockett and Wiliams (2) to close Station #1 on 183rd Street. When pushed by the audience, it was determined that it cost the city between $60,000 and $70,000 to operate, maintain and insure the firehouse annually. The cost to the city to pay the NFL for rights to broadcast the games at the amphitheater for weekly "tailgate parties" is $90,000.  President Kilburg turned to Ald. Williams and stated the closing of the station appeared to be "Nothing more then politics'. Ald. Leon Williams only response was "That sign truck was politics". Well Alderman, the members of Local 2720 paid their own money to rent the sign truck. We are glad it struck a nerve with some members of the city council. The alderman went on to ask by a show of hands, "How many of you live in in the city?" He was surprised to see the number of hands that went up. We as city employees have a vested interest in the success of the city. It is our livelihood and where we spend a lot of our time. While we may not all live in Country Club Hills, we have all taken an oath and are willing to put our lives on the line for the residents of the city.

Alderman Vincent Lockett apologized publicly for statements he made at a city council meeting back on March 12, 2012. The membership of Local 2720 accepts that apology and hopes for an amiable resolution to the question of closing Station # 1 and the ongoing impasse in securing a new collective bargaining agreement.

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/neighborhoodstar/homewoodflossmoor/11577713-521/country-club-hills-alderman-apologizes-to-firefighters.html

Local 2720 is using one of many tools available to get our message across to certain members of the city council. Special thanks to Younker Media for all of their help.

The members of Local 2720 would like to urge all Country Club Hills residents to contact their aldermen and voice their concerns about Alderman Vincent Lockett's inflammatory statements at a recent city council meeting. Alderman Lockett advocates closing the 183rd Street Fire Station. This would increase response times to the south portion of the city. The fire department is operating at minimum adequate staffing. Both stations have 4 personnel on duty. We run a paramedic ambulance out of each firehouse. There are many times both ambulances are out on calls at the same time. Often times the entire crew of one station is out providing assistance on an ambulance call. With our mininmum staffing we are able to handle most emergencies within the City of Country Club Hills. With the possible addition of the Outlet mall and the very real addition of a five story PADS shelter, the 175th Street Firehouse will see an increase in responses. Station #2 already handles the busy commercial area on 167th Street and the Victory Centre. We depend on our neighboring communities to respond to mutual aid fire calls and we respond to our neighbors in return. It is a good system but  it is not without its flaws. All the south suburban fire departments are facing increasing work loads and diminishing manpower. The citizens of Country Club Hills should be proud that they have a fire department that has near proper staffing. The Fire Department has a budget of 2.6 million dollars in a city budget that is 35 million dollars. We feel any cuts to the fire department will put the citizens and the firefighters in dangerous spot. Alderman Lockett complained that the city paid out a large amount of overtime. We agree. Your firefighters have been working many hours of overtime since August. We have families and we have lives outside the firehouse. The fire chief put in the budget to hire five more Firefighter-Paramedics to eliminate most of  the overtime. We urge you to encourage your aldermen to approve this measure. Alderman Lockett's most egregious statement was that he was in favor of eliminating the career staff and replacing it with a paid on call department, so in his words "won't have to pay eight people to sit around and watch tv". Besides being a blatant insult to our hardworking members, it is an idea that has already played itself out over 20 years ago. Part time firefighting is becoming rarer and rarer due to the amount of time and training involved. Most part time firefighters are looking for full time employment in the fire service. We actually have a great working relationship with our part time staff but we are losing them to other fire departments at a steady pace. Your Union Firefighters are proud of the work we do each and every day for the citizens of Country Club Hills and across the Southland. We enjoy a wonderful relationship with those we protect. We hope to continue and expand our service for years to come.