The Better Government Association has once again highlighted the Tri-State Fire Protection District in their coverage, featuring this article:
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**More Smoke Rising from Tri-State**
*December 30, 2013*
Trustees Hamilton “Bo†Gibbons and Jill Strenzel / BGA photo
Firefighters know better than most: where there's smoke, there's often fire. And now, several firefighters in the western suburbs are raising concerns about what they see as troubling signs coming from their own department.
The Better Government Association has already published a series of investigative pieces exposing questionable spending, conflicts of interest, and pension "spiking" within the Darien-based Tri-State Fire Protection District. Since those reports came out, a string of unusual events has sparked further questions about the leadership of the district.
One of the latest issues involves confidential recordings from closed-door meetings of the board of trustees — an oversight group made up of three elected officials. Under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, these sessions can be held in private to discuss sensitive matters like litigation or personnel issues, but only if certain rules are followed. One of those rules is that all closed sessions must be recorded verbatim — either through audio or video.
Until recently, the tapes from these meetings were stored at the home shared by Trustee Jill Strenzel and Fire Chief Michelle Gibson, who have been in a long-term relationship and even entered a civil union in 2012.
After Trustee Michael Orrico raised concerns during a public meeting about the location of the tapes and the accuracy of the minutes, Strenzel said the tapes were being kept at her home due to renovations at the district. She offered to let Orrico review them if he wanted. But in reality, accessing the tapes proved difficult.
Seven special meetings were scheduled to listen to the recordings, and at least four were canceled. On one particularly strange occasion, local police were called in.
On November 21, Burr Ridge police responded to a reported burglary at the Tri-State station on Madison Street. According to police reports obtained by the BGA through the Freedom of Information Act, Strenzel claimed someone had "broken into" a safe containing tapes and notes. However, after investigation, the police found nothing missing and reclassified the incident as "suspicious circumstances."
Strenzel, who reportedly has the only key and combination to the safe, asked an officer what to do if someone had erased the tapes using a magnet. The officer advised her to contact authorities, according to records.
Later that night, police returned after midnight when Strenzel asked them to help move items from the "compromised" safe to a new one. While the officers didn’t physically assist, they watched as she transferred several envelopes, plastic bags with audio tapes, and a recording device to a different safe.
This incident occurred just days after another odd event involving the tapes. On November 18, before a regular board meeting, Strenzel fell outside the station and broke two empty tape recorders, according to meeting minutes. A district employee was sent to purchase a new recorder so the meeting could proceed.
What’s happening during these executive sessions remains unclear. At a December 17 board meeting, the trustees voted (with Strenzel and Gibbons in favor, Orrico against) to keep the minutes from several closed sessions confidential.
Meanwhile, another development is unfolding at Tri-State. Paramedics and EMTs employed by Public Safety Services Inc. but working at the district are organizing to form a union. Over 50% of workers have signed cards seeking representation, according to an official with the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics. An election is set for the end of the month, with results expected by the New Year.
In the midst of this, Fire Chief Michelle Gibson announced that Shelly Carbone, who managed the paramedics at Tri-State, had been offered a new role at PSSI and would no longer serve as EMS coordinator. PSSI did not respond to requests for comment.
With all the recent turmoil, it seems the Tri-State Fire Protection District is beginning to show cracks. Firefighters, ever watchful, continue to monitor the rising smoke.
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*Thanks Dan & Scott*
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