Volunteer Firefighter Illinois

Volunteer firefighters in Gardner, Ill., say the village is preventing all of them from supplying needed help in disaster reaction by cutting their particular financing and repossessing their gear.

A county judge ruled Wednesday that Grundy County Sheriff Terry Marketti can seize the volunteer division's residential property and hand it to the Gardner fire-protection District if Gardner Volunteer Fire division can not spend a bond to retain their particular gear, the Morris routine Herald reports. The dispute is due to a vote because of the region to remove the volunteer division Chief Randy Wilkey amid concerns about finance mismanagement, launching a debate over perhaps the volunteer power is a different entity, or in region's direction.

No criminal fee were filed against Wilkey, however with Wednesday's ruling behind them, the fire-protection district features effortlessly shut down the volunteer department, the Herald Information reports. Recently-hired District Fire Chief Terry Jensen along with his group will now be responsible for emergency calls from the town with, however all, volunteer firefighters joining the district staff.

“It would just take maybe ten minutes for the next department to come in and help; and mins may cost someone their particular life, " Aichele informed the station.