Glenview updates emergency response reallocation plan

The Village of Glenview on Tuesday provided more information about resource allocation from Fire Station No. 13.

The village board on Feb. 2 unanimously directed village and Glenview Fire Department staff to realign the station's resources. A review of data over a two-year period, plus a report by safety consultants Fitch & Associates, indicated an increased community need for ambulances. More than 65 percent of current emergency calls in Glenview are for medical care, not fire response, the report showed.

Reallocating resources from Fire Station No. 13, 831 E. Lake Ave., increases the number of ambulances in service 24 hours to four from two. This provides for the equivalent of two additional ambulances for overnight response, including a newly assigned, centrally located, 24-hour ambulance, the village stated in a release.

As noted at the Feb. 2 board meeting and again on Tuesday, the number of fire and emergency medical staff employed by the village will remain unchanged. The village stated that the realignment allows the Fire Department to better match personnel with equipment appropriate for Glenview's most common types of emergencies.

The Fitch & Associates study found that in 2019 during a 24-hour shift personnel at Station No. 13 spent 36 minutes reporting to calls. Though COVID shaped the numbers, crew spent 24 minutes responding to calls in 2020. The station handled about 4.5% of the department's total calls, according to the village. Due to a need for COVID mitigation, Station No. 13's resources were reallocated for 15 weeks in 2020 and another four weeks at the start of 2021.

Station No. 13 went into service in July 2004. There has been no announcement regarding the future of the property.

Glenview Fire Chief Tony DeRose and command staff members will continue to review the reallocation plan with leadership and employees. The department employs 78 fire personnel and two administrators.

"This reorganization will not result in layoffs or reduction-in-force and the current number of officers per shift remains the same," DeRose stated in Tuesday's news release.

"Our review and evaluation of operations will be ongoing. In the meantime, we are confident that this plan responds to the Village Board's guidance and maintains our shared commitment to safety and efficiency," DeRose said.