The village of Lake Zurich is re-evaluating the structure and operations of its fire department, with a focus on improving efficiency. Joe Pozzo, a project manager from the International City/County Management Association’s Center for Public Safety Management (ICMA-CPSM), presented the results of an operational review to the Village Board on February 17.

The analysis aimed to provide an objective assessment of the services offered by the Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department. According to the executive summary, the goal was to identify areas where improvements could be made without compromising service quality.

Overall, CPSM advised that the department should maintain its current levels of administrative staff, as well as command and operational personnel. "You have a very strong fire department," Pozzo said. "I don’t say that every time I do a presentation, but based on how they are currently staffing and deploying, I feel it's accurate."

For several years, officials had been interested in reviewing both the police and fire departments to see if there were ways to operate more efficiently. Between 2010 and 2014, due to budget constraints, the village reduced its full-time workforce by 19 positions. This led to questions about whether the fire and police departments needed similar reductions.

To keep costs low, the village decided to conduct a separate analysis of the fire department, while Police Chief Steve Husak was tasked with reviewing the police department independently. The fire department analysis cost $50,000.

Beyond staffing, the study also examined how the fire department managed and paid overtime. It found that firefighters might be receiving time-and-a-half pay more frequently than allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Currently, the department operates on a 56-hour workweek — or up to 216 hours over a 27-day cycle. Under FLSA guidelines, firefighters should not exceed 53 hours per week, or 204 hours over the same period, without overtime compensation.

Pozzo suggested that leave time or unproductive hours could be subtracted from scheduled hours to reduce overtime liability. He recommended that the village and the fire department negotiate a revised overtime policy to improve efficiency and save money.

"If you can avoid spending on overtime, those funds could be redirected elsewhere," he said. "This could help the organization become more efficient overall."

In addition to overtime concerns, Pozzo pointed out other areas where the fire department could improve. These included reducing time spent at hospitals during ambulance transports, expanding performance metrics for employees, and potentially consolidating two of the four fire stations — Station 1 on S. Buesching Road and Station 4 on Field Parkway in Deer Park.

Thanks, Dan

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