United States (Illinois) - Deficiencies in training, shortfalls in record-keeping and lack of vehicle maintenance are among several troubling aspects of a consultant's 45-page report on the operations of the local fire department. The independent audit of the Fosterburg Fire Protection District was presented during a meeting of the district's board Tuesday night -- the first meeting for two new board members named to replace others who have quit in recent weeks.

The often-boisterous meeting was attended by more than a dozen people, several of whom interrupted the board's discussions to ask about the deficiencies. The packed room included trustees, firefighters, district residents and Madison County Board member Michelle Ruppert, R-Bethalto.

Shawn Bloemker of Godfrey conducted the study over several months and provided the report from First Alarm Fire Training and Consulting.

"What we've done with this assessment is highlight our findings in four areas," Bloemker said.

The four areas were training, staffing and response, National Incident Management System compliance and apparatus. He said the objective of the audit was to make sure the district met Illinois Department of Labor compliance to limit its liability.

The district provided records for the past five years for the review to be completed.

Bloemker said to meet labor requirements in training, the district must be proficient in quarterly interior fire training, self-contained breathing apparatus, medical evaluation and fit testing, driving, bloodborne pathogen, special hazard and hazardous materials.

"There are several examples of deficiencies in the training program," he said.

He said that none of the training reports provided had outlines or objectives. Some of the deficiencies encountered were because training was unable to be verified, no certified instructor listed and no way to assure each session provided the same information.

The district's standard operating procedures require officers to complete 36 hours of annual training and firefighters to complete 30 hours.

"The district, according to its own SOP, is not meeting its required training hours," Bloemker said.

He said although there are no strict rules on training requirements, the district is lacking in terms of state labor standards.

Fire Chief John Holtorf questioned some of the training hours recorded, stating that he didn't believe all the information was included in the report. He said the report looks as though emergency medical technician training hours were left out.

Before Bloemker could get through the audit, the public started grilling the board about the deficiencies.

New board member Mark Voumard suggested that Bloemker and Erik Kambarian, also with First Safety, be allowed to finish the report before answering the public's questions.

Board member Paul Shetley said the purpose of the report, which was requested in July, was to get a look at the district from an outside perspective.

"The idea is not to be critical, but to be constructive," Shetley said. "We want to use this information to improve fire district."

Holtorf said since the assessment first got under way, he has contacted the Illinois Department of Labor. He said representatives of the state office would perform an audit in order to assist the district in making improvements.

"This is unacceptable," said a man in the audience, who did not want to be identified. "I pay taxes to the district, and I want to make sure nothing happens and firefighters are properly trained."

"I agree," board member David Thornton said. "This department is deficient in its hours. This is our homework, and we will take it and try and make the necessary improvements."

Kambarian said the "bread and butter" of the department was the staffing and response to fire scenes of the district.

"This is what shows that firefighters are getting there on time and putting out fires adequately," Kambarian said.

He said all responses with the district were analyzed based on location, response time and staffing. He said some difficulties were encountered when acquiring data that included missing response times, inaccurate response times, missing descriptions of alarms and conflicting staffing levels.

Kambarian said each alarm was compared to National Fire Protection Association standards. Based upon the population of 4,172 persons in the district's 36 square miles, the fire district is required to have six firefighters respond on scene within 14 minutes of a structural fire to meet the national standard, he said.

Although the district met requirements for actual structural fires that required extinguishing the blazes, it did not meet National Fire Protection Association standards, he said.

The district's apparatus does not meet some of the NFPA guidelines.

Bloemker said the district also was not compliant with the National Incident Management Systems, or NIMS. He said the system allows multiple agencies to "talk to" one another more easily, and training is free online.

He said compliance is required to be eligible for some federal grants. NIMS is a structured framework used nationwide by agencies to respond to natural disasters or terrorist attacks at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

As the meeting progressed, the public continued to interrupt. One man got louder and more aggressive in his tone as he continued to questions the district's compliance.

"That's great that they got there on time, but they don't have the proper training," he said. "I'm seriously concerned by this as a taxpayer of this district."

He said his concerns were about firefighters who couldn't meet the minimum hours of training, especially full-time firefighters. The district has both full-time and volunteer firefighters.

As the man's voice continued to rise, he was asked to lower it. When he didn't, he was asked to leave the meeting.

"You could say you were a trustee if you were doing your job, and they would be getting the training they need," he said as he walked out and slammed the door.

Another man asked what could be done to rectify the problems.

"We've made recommendations that are in the assessment, and the district is already working toward some of them," Bloemker said.

Some of the suggestions to improve the proficiency were: to acquire firehouse software that would allow for more accurate documentation of training and other records; focus on state labor compliance; become 100 percent NIMS-compliant; conduct vehicle maintenance checks more frequently; increase staffing to become more efficient; and keep more accurate documentation for responding apparatus and firefighters.

Following the presentation, a man approached a Telegraph reporter and said he was thoroughly disappointed with the district.

"Every one of those board members should be fired," he said, declining to give his name. "They're a disgrace."

Along with Voumard, Walter "Kip" Shewmaker is the other new member of the board.

The five-member board reorganized during the meeting, electing Shetley as president, Shewmaker as secretary and Voumard as treasurer. Remaining board members include Dr. David Thornton and William "Bill" Theisen.

Written by The Telegraph