Thursday, May 2, 2013
Martin McGill and Glenn Michalek noted disagreements with fellow board members over the last two years, but also acknowledged the board’s ability to come together.
Glenn Michalek and Martin McGill served as Orland Fire Protection District board trustees for the last time on April 23. Both were presented with “appreciation of service” awards at the meeting, and spoke highly of district staff and firefighters. “I want to thank you for letting me be a part of your family these years,” McGill said. “The administrative staff was always there when I needed you.” McGill also thanked the Orland Fire chiefs for keeping the district “headed in the right direction” and offered “best wishes” to the remaining trustees. Michalek, a former firefighter, also thanked chiefs, administrative staff and firefighters, noting “firefighters have always been close to my heart.” “Board, I won’t say never, but we don’t see eye…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The non-profit will be raising money for three specific efforts happening with the Orland Fire Protection District.
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Wednesday, May 1
The Orland Fire Foundation is preparing their fundraiser to be held on Thursday May 2, 2013 to be held at 94 West restaurant in Orland Park. Foundation committee members, comprised of community members and fire district employees, determined this year's event will support three specific groups including the Kids Fire and Life Safety Camp, the Community CARE Program, and the Residential Knox Box Program. Community CARE provides training for individuals and businesses in CPR, AED and PADS. The Kids Fire and Safety Camp is a weeklong children's camp hosted every summer by the Orland Fire Protection District to teach children fire safety practices and to understand fire prevention. Activities include Combat challenge, CPR/First Aid, weather …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Orland Fire Protection District formally charged Lt. Pat Bruce with discipline measures, following allegations that he caused a woman’s death in a vehicle accident and other charges.
Pat Bruce is now facing discipline from the Orland Fire Protection District related to a car accident that caused a Downers Grove woman’s death in March. The 45-year-old Orland Fire lieutenant was formally served with discipline charges on Sunday, according to Orland Fire Chief Ken Brucki. “There were 10 felony charges filed by the state’s attorney, and given their nature, we figured out Lieutenant Bruce violated our code of conduct for on and off-duty,” Brucki said. “The fact that he had cannabis and Tramadol, which the state’s attorney considers a narcotic, in his system at the time of the accident, both of those violate our drug and alcohol policy, as well as our code of conduct. We have a zero tolerance policy. We do not tolerate that …
Sunday, April 21, 2013
A truck and sedan caught fire after an accident Sunday afternoon, causing serious damage to both cars but no injuries.
A two-vehicle fire happened after one rear-ended the other, seriously damaging both vehicles but causing no injuries Sunday afternoon. The Orland Fire Protection District was called about a vehicle crash on Wolf Road about a quarter mile south of 159th Street around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, according to Orland Fire Battalion Chief William Bonnar Jr. The caller, an off-duty Berwyn fire officer then called back to say the vehicles were on fire. A black sedan rear-ended a pickup truck while both vehicles were heading north on Wolf Road, causing air bags to deflate and then igniting flames, Bonnar said. Firefighters had the flames under control in about 10 minutes. “It’s possible that when the car rear ended the truck, it might have broken a fuel …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
With all 53 precincts reporting, John Brudnak and Jayne Schirmacher have been elected to the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees.
A fire commissioner and newcomer joined the Orland Fire Protection District board, unseating two incumbents following Tuesday’s election. As of early Wednesday morning, all 53 precincts showed vote totals that place John Brudnak, who now serves as an Orland Fire Commissioner, and Jayne Schirmacher as the new additions to the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees. “I am very thankful for the ones who came out to vote,” Brudnak said. “We just want to keep it moving forward. There are a lot of positive things going on with the new chief and other aspects. We still need to get spending under control and work more efficiently, but we are not going to take anything away from firefighters. We’ll run things close to the vest and reduce…
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The polls are closed, the votes are in and winners have been decided. Find out who won for Orland Park Village, Orland Fire, Orland Library, D135, D230, D146, D140 and Moraine Valley board races.
The 2013 Consolidated Election is over, and the results are in. Take a look back at all of our election coverage from the past few weeks, and our election central page. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on local news:
Patch's guide to the 2013 local election on Tuesday, April 9, including candidate biographies and issue stances, voting information, polling locations and more.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 9. Election Central Orland Park is your guide to the ballot contests that affect the Orland area. Starting 7 p.m. Tuesday night, return to this post for live updates as polling results are tallied in our live blog. We will then publish a chart of the tentative vote totals from Tuesday's election as soon as enough votes are in. Join us and weigh in on the races. Patch will be out at the polls throughout the day. Check back for our updates: Updated 2:11 p.m. April 9 Turnout for two Orland Park precincts remains low despite polls being open for more than 7 hours. Precincts 10 and 37 are reporting turnout in the double digits for total amount of ballots cast. Combined, the two precincts account for more than 2100…
Friday, April 5, 2013
Five hopefuls campaigning for a seat on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees share their views on how best to face the district’s issues.
The following question was asked of all the candidates running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in our Patch questionnaire. Answers are listed in the order they were received. What are the biggest challenges facing the district? How do you propose to solve them? John Brudnak One of the biggest challenges in the OFPD has been the fluctuation of the staffing levels. Our hiring classes have been very large and spread over a long period of time resulting in larger numbers of personnel retiring and hiring at or near the same time. A more consistent process would be to replace an employee as they leave and not have to wait for the next hiring class. As commissioner, I have helped improve the testing process so that it …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
No one was injured when a vehicle drove into an Orland Park home early Sunday morning.
There were no injuries after a car came crashing through a home in Orland Park early Sunday morning. At about 3:07 a.m. a car crashed into a home in the 8600 block of Grace Road, according to Orland Fire Chief Ken Brucki. The car was traveling south when it left the road, drove through a fence, into a wall and ended up resting in the basement. None of the three people who were home at the time of the accident were injured, Brucki reports. The residents were sleeping on the second floor above the impact. The driver was treated at the scene and did not have to be hospitalized. Shane Okon, 24, of Orland Park, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving too fast for conditions, failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash, …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Five people running for seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees share their opinions on how to establish a budget that allows firefighters to work effectively, while not overburdening taxpayers.
The following question was asked of all the candidates running for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in our Patch questionnaire. Answers are listed in the order they were received. How do you propose keeping a tighter budget that lessens the burden on taxpayers, while giving staff the tools to do their job, especially with Orland’s aging population? John Brudnak I believe the current board has enacted some measures to control escalating costs, however, I believe my past experience would be valuable to the Board of Trustees and the taxpayers for fiscal responsibility. All taxing bodies face tough times with the state of the economy, but that does not mean that more cannot be done. We have to justify our current costs …
Joe Swanson
3:45 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
It was way over due that these two should go. Every time it came to raising a already high budget they did. The new Trustees along with the three remaining can now make more progress with cleaning up Maher's mess. more ›