LP_031419

lockportlegend.com Election 2019
the lockport legend | March 14, 2019 | 9
Name: John Batusich
Age: 57
Occupation:
Firefighter/paramedic
Prior elected
political experience:
Lockport Township
Trustee
Why are you running for a
position with the Lockport
Township Fire District Trustee?
I am running for trustee to
use my experience and knowledge
to increase the level of
service and safety to our community.
The Fire District has
changed over the years; we
have seen massive population,
business, and traffic growth.
These factors have placed a
higher demand on the District
for service. The Fire District
has not kept up with this
demand. We have increased
daily manpower by only one
since 2009. The call volume
in that timeframe has gone
from approximately 6,000 to
approximately 10,000 calls.
If elected, my priority will be
to adequately staff the department
within our budgetary
constraints to increase overall
public safety.
What makes you the best person
to serve in this position?
With over 32 years of experience
as a firefighter/paramedic
with Lockport Township
Fire Protection District, I
have a deep understanding of
the importance that a Lockport
Fire Trustee plays in the safety
of our residents and the stability
of our Fire District. Over
the course of my career, I have
responded to about every type
of emergency. I know what it
takes to keep our residents,
our firefighters and the people
who work and travel through
our community safe. I earned
a master’s degree in public
safety administration, and I
have held positions with Lockport
Township Government for
numerous years. I have been
an active resident of Lockport
Township my entire life. As my
career as an active member of
the Fire Department is coming
to an end with my retirement
this spring, I look forward to
the opportunity to continue to
serve the people as a Lockport
Township Fire Protection District
Trustee.
What are the top three issues
you see facing the fire district
and what you would do to
solve them?
The Lockport Township Fire
Protection District responded
to approximately 10,000 emergency
calls in 2018. These
requests for service are being
handled with less manpower
than comparable departments
and well below NFPA standards.
My goal would be to increase
staffing levels closer to
the NFPA standards. This practice
would not only provide better
service with more personnel
arriving at an emergency, but
also help with the significant
number injuries we’ve experienced
over the past 10 years.
The demand from the residents
for fire and ambulance service
has been and will continue to
increase. We need to find ways
to responsibly meet these demands.
Injuries within the District
are a continual problem. Our
firefighters are asked to continually
do more with less and
have had to work a significant
number of extra shifts due to
low staffing. Firefighting and
EMS work is an extremely
strenuous, hazardous, and taxing
profession. The lack of
staffing has not only hurt our
firefighters and paramedics but
have also caused four personnel
in three years to go off on
disability as opposed to completing
their careers. This is an
expense the taxpayers can do
without. We as trustees must
find a balance of budgetary
constraints and District needs.
These injuries are a problem we
must deal with by raising manpower
to increase safety to our
employees and the public.
I believe we must develop
and implement a strategic plan
for the future of the Fire District.
Our Department was recently
reevaluated by ISO and
given an Insurance Protection
Classification of 2 in hydrant
areas and a 9 in non-hydrant
areas. Other comparable Fire
Protection Districts are all ISO
class 1. We can do better. We
fall short of the mark due to a
lack of manpower, organization,
and planning. [Response
truncated for exceeding word
count]
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From Page 8
evaluation of that possibility
and apply all my knowledge
of today to plan for our future
preparedness now.
The district also has the continuous
need to replace portable
equipment and vehicles.
A very serious situation could
arise if there were a failure
to fund, through savings, our
existing Vehicle Replacement
Fund. It would be a costly
mistake and one that should be
avoided. My solution to this
issue would be to make every
effort to diligently keep a
watchful eye out for wasteful
spending or events that could
threaten the financial stability
of the Fire District.
My goal is to be able to continue
to protect the excellent
quality of services we provide
today. The primary issue facing
Lockport Township Fire
Protection District today is
providing necessary emergency
services while maintaining
taxpayers’ respect.
Police Reports
‘Suspicious vehicle’ leads to DUI arrest
Michael Ralphson, 41, of the
11000 block of Parker Street in
Mokena, was charged Feb. 22
with driving under the influence
by Lockport Police after an officer
on patrol on the 500 block of
State Street identified a “suspicious
vehicle” at approximately
1:15 a.m. Ralphson, the driver
of the vehicle, was determined
to be impaired, police said.
Lockport Police Department
Feb. 25
• Matthew Millburg, 30, of the
11000 block of Niggli Road in
Alhambra, IL, was charged with
driving with a suspended license
after the vehicle he was allegedly
driving was stopped for
speeding on State Street.
Feb. 24
• Jeffrey Raj, 47, of the
13000 block of S. Wooly Hill
Drive in Orland Park, was
charged with driving with a
revoked license, disobeying a
traffic control signal and operating
an uninsured motor vehicle
after the vehicle he was
allegedly driving was stopped
for disobeying a traffic control
signal on Cedar Road.
Feb. 23
• Raymond Pitcher, 40, of the
10000 block of S. Ridgeway Avenue
in Chicago, was charged
with driving with a suspended
license, speeding and operating
an uninsured motor vehicle after
the vehicle he was allegedly
driving was stopped for speeding
on 151st Street.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Lockport
Legend’s Police Reports are
compiled from official reports found
online on the Will County Sheriff’s
Office or Lockport Police Department’s
website or releases issued by
the department and other agencies.
Individuals named in these
reports are considered innocent of
all charges until proven guilty in a
court of law.
Reed School celebrates February Students of the Month
Submitted by Reed School
Reed School students who
demonstrated responsible citizenship
throughout February
were celebrated in a special way.
Students selected from each
classroom were recognized for
their outstanding efforts. Students
nominated for this prestigious
honor demonstrated the three
“Bs” (Be Respectful, Be Responsible
and Be Peaceful) consistently
throughout the month.
All students nominated for the
monthly award were recognized
and celebrated at the school. The
District 92 Foundation for Educational
Excellence funds the lawn
signs for this school-wide project.