By Addison Wright
Daily Southtown
The Orland Fire Protection District board’s waiver request to put a district ambulance back in operation for 12 hours daily, after the district took the ambulance offline in June, was denied by the Illinois Department of Public Health, said board member Tina Zekich, which a spokesperson for the board president later confirmed.
The board unanimously voted on July 22 to resume 12-hour daily operation of the ambulance after public concern over the district’s ability to respond to rising call volumes without the vehicle.
Zekich asked to discuss the denial Tuesday night, expressing concern for the community, but board president Beth Damas Kaspar said she would like to wait until after the new chief’s start date on Oct. 20 to discuss the matter, citing that the ambulance issue was not on the agenda.
Kaspar also said Tuesday the board finalized a contract Tuesday morning for Kevin Doyle, the current fire chief for the Homer Township Fire Protection District, to be fire chief administrator for Orland. She said he would be present at the next meeting.
“I think this is an excellent opportunity to invite him in and have him weigh in on his expertise,” Kaspar said.
A spokesperson for the board president also said Wednesday that the llinois Department of Public Health had concerns about social media posts alleging the fire district wasn’t doing enough to provide adequate ambulance service, which the spokesperson said are false.
The spokesperson said board discussions are still ongoing with the state, and said the district has enough ambulances to respond to calls.
But Zekich expressed concern Tuesday about whether the district has enough ambulances to respond to calls in time. She said the safety of the community and being transparent is important.
“Are we having problems getting ambulances on time and taking care of our community? That’s all I’m asking right now,” Zekich said.
John Purtill, Orland’s interim fire chief, said the district is “running a lot of calls” and has asked for mutual aid a couple of times. He said this is standard and normal, both prior to having an extra ambulance and now.
“We’re busy,” Purtill said.
The ambulance in question was added to the district’s fleet in October 2024. Dan Fagan, president of the Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754 Union and an Orland Park firefighter, said in August the district needed it for the past 10 years due to rising ambulance calls.
The district recorded 1,176 calls in the past month, according to data announced at an August meeting, which Fagan said he believes is the highest the district has received.
To accommodate the high number of calls, Fagan said the district started using ambulances from neighboring districts, which delays response times.
A spokesperson for Kaspar later said these requests for mutual aid are routine.
Tuesday’s meeting was also the first since the board passed policies regarding public participation at the meetings, which was not discussed Tuesday.
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