City reveals what it paid firemen injured on duty

Des Plaines 5th Ward Alderman Jim Brookman received a $70,000 settlement for an on-duty injury suffered while working as a city firefighter, according to recently released documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

A second firefighter, James Kedroski, was paid $60,000 for an injury he sustained on the job in 2009, the documents show.

After initially refusing to disclose the settlement amounts, the city late last week released the documents under a directive from the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor. Both retired firemen received the settlements in 2010.

Brookman, who became a Des Plaines firefighter in 1974, injured his back during a firefighting exercise in 2005. He underwent rehabilitation, but couldn’t continue working and was asked by the city to retire. He left the fire department in 2007, according to published reports.

Kedroski, 50, injured his back during an emergency drill exercise.

Brookman, 60, and Kedroski received their line-of-duty pensions and applied for lifetime insurance benefit under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act.

Des Plaines denied the requests, prompting both men to file separate lawsuits against the city in Cook County circuit court. Those lawsuits were dropped as part of the settlement agreement, according to the documents.

Brookman, who replaced wife Carla Brookman on the city council in April 2009, could not be reached for comment Monday.

The settlements were paid by the Municipal Insurance Cooperative Agency, the city’s insurance risk pool group that administers claims against the city less than $2 million.

City Attorney Dave Wiltse said the insurance company will not appeal the Public Access Counselor’s decision, which prompted release of the documents.