Consolidation efforts begin in Dundee fire entities with shared chief

In what officials say would be a significant step forward in consolidation efforts, two Dundee-area fire entities might share a single chief by the end of the year.

The West Dundee Fire Department and East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District have been seeking ways to save costs, improve services and share resources. With East Dundee Chief Steve Schmitendorf planning to retire in December, officials saw an opportunity to continue those efforts by having West Dundee Chief Randy Freise oversee both departments.

"I'm very optimistic that it's going to work out well," said Freise, who has served as chief since 2012. "I think there's a lot of efficiencies you'll find with this. We can put forth our efforts and really make some progress."

On Monday, the West Dundee village board unanimously approved moving forward with an intergovernmental agreement with the East Dundee fire district, whose board verbally supported the measure but has yet to formally ratify it.

"It will benefit everyone because it'll probably result in a type of a cost saving," East Dundee district board President Mark Guth said, noting some details of the arrangement have yet to be finalized.

East Dundee proposed a $125,000 salary for Freise, which would give him a roughly $20,000 raise. Freise said the two entities have discussed splitting the cost of his salary and benefits 50/50.

Though technically still a West Dundee employee, Freise would report to both West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro and the East Dundee fire district board.

The shared chief position would go into effect in December, at which point Freise would be responsible for day-to-day operations, budgets, training and personnel in both departments. Each entity has about 10 full-timers and 25 to 30 part-timers on staff, he said.

"I would approach this as trying to give my full efforts to both departments and trying to treat it as one," Freise said.

Other cost saving opportunities as a result of joint management include shared training, programs, vehicles and apparatus.

The two entities already standardize several aspects of their daily operations, including the way they respond to calls, Schmitendorf said.

"I think this would bring us even closer together," he said.

A study last year determined consolidating the Dundee entities, as well as the Carpentersville Fire Department, was a feasible option for improving efficiencies. Officials, however, indicated a full merger was not yet possible because of legal hurdles, saying they would instead pursue a more functional consolidation.

"(Sharing a chief) is a tremendous step toward that," said West Dundee Village President Chris Nelson. "Not only does it help us become a more efficient entity, but I think it improves the service levels. That's exactly what we're aiming for."

The one-year agreement is also expected to include a clause that would give either entity the option to opt out within 90 days, Freise said.

If all goes well, he said, this move could serve as an example for executing the long-term goal of legally consolidating the Dundee-area departments into one entity.

"To me, it'd be a big step in that direction," Freise said. "I think it'd be a very positive thing. If we can prove that it works and people see advantages to it, I'm hoping it gains traction and somewhere down the road, eventually (the departments) could continue in this direction."