NL_111518

newlenoxpatriot.com Election 2018
the New Lenox Patriot | November 15, 2018 | 5
Fire Station 2 saved after passed referendum
Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor
With a majority of the
votes counted on, the New
Lenox Fire Protection District
is looking at a future
with more funding for equipment,
vehicles and manpower
— and without the worry
of having to close a station.
According to unofficial
election results as of Nov. 9,
the referendum gained favor
with 61.38 percent of voters
in the Nov. 6 election, which
has not been the case in five
previously unsuccessful attempts
in recent years.
“Usually people are calling
us because they’re in need,
and this time we, the fire authority,
we’re in need,” said
NLFPD Deputy Chief Dan
Turner. “All the proud Americans
came together and did
the right thing and supported
the fire department.”
Turner said it was a long
road to get to this point, and
it could not have been done
without the efforts of many
community leaders and residents
who helped with the
referendum.
Fire Trustee Joe Levey
echoed Turner’s sentiments
and said knowing the department
would have a more stable
financial future gave him
a much better feeling than
the alternative.
“If this wouldn’t have
passed we’d be at the table
tomorrow deciding which
station was definitely going
to close, how many people
were going to get laid off,
and having to give that bad
news and pass it down the
line,” Levey said. “So it’s
definitely a better feeling
that we can continue on and
give the community the protection
they deserve.”
As a result of voter approval,
Turner said the department
will not have to
close Fire Station 2, which
happened after the last failed
referendum attempt due to
lack of funding.
“We will have a sustained
operation, we will be able to
make the capital improvements
that are needed, apparatus
replacements and
continue to grow with the
community while providing
a service of excellence, top
notch service the community
expects,” Turner said. “We
were doing that already and
now we can continue to do
that because as the community
grows we are going to get
more requests for services.”
Already this year he estimated
the department was
up 350-400 calls from last
year and said he expects that
number to grow as people
continue to move to the area.
To find out how much the
referendum will add to a
homeowner’s annual taxes
based on the home’s value,
visit www.nlfire.com. A tax
calculator is located on the
site under “Referendum” in
the “public info” tab.
NLFPD Earns 2017 Life Safety Achievement Award
Submitted by the National
Association of State Fire
Marshals Fire Research and
Education Foundation
The New Lenox Fire Protection
District was recently
presented with a Life Safety
Achievement Award for its
fire prevention accomplishments
in 2017 by the National
Association of State
Fire Marshals Fire Research
and Education Foundation.
Award recipients were announced
by Julius Halas,
president of the NASFM
Fire Research & Education
Foundation. The award is
sponsored by a grant from
Grinnell Mutual.
“When we hear the fire
truck coming down the
street and see its lights,
we know firefighters are
responding to someone in
trouble,” said David Miller,
assistant vice president of
Special Investigations at
Grinnell Mutual. “What we
want to recognize is that
these heroes are doing a lot
of things behind the scenes
that save lives. The Life
Safety Achievement Award
recognizes fire departments
for their fire prevention programs
that have been proven
to save lives year after
year.”
Since 1994, the Life Safety
Achievement Award has recognized
local fire prevention
efforts that have contributed
to reducing the number of
lives lost in residential fires.
The New Lenox Fire Protection
District is one of 31
fire departments across the
United States to receive the
New Lenox Fire Protection District’s Fire Station 2, located
at 1205 Cedar Road, was expected to close down again if
the referendum did not pass at the Nov. 6 election. 22nd
Century Media File Photo
award this year for recording
zero fire deaths in 2017
or reducing fire deaths by at
least 10 percent during the
year. In addition, award recipients
documented active
and effective fire prevention
programs as well as a clear
commitment to reducing the
number of house fires in the
community.
Although residential fires
in the U.S. account for only
20 percent of all fires, they
result in 80 percent of all
fire deaths. The NASFM
Fire Research and Education
Foundation is committed to
reducing that number.
“Experience tells us that
fire prevention activity and
public education can significantly
reduce life and
property loss from residential
fires,” Halas said.
“Prevention and education
are very cost effective
compared to the traditional
approach of relying on fire
suppression.”
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