Oak Forest Fire Department Introduces Fire Captain Role

OAK FOREST, IL — The City of Oak Forest has approved of a collective bargaining agreement that will establish the position of a Fire Captain for each shift in the Oak Forest Fire Department.

The agreement, which was initially approved in May, establishes the role by selecting three current lieutenants and promoting them to captain. The city currently has six lieutenants and three captains.

The three selected will receive a wage of $1,500 over the highest lieutenant, and will undergo a 180-day testing process.

"This is not for any additional manpower," said Garrick Kasper, Deputy Fire Chief.

Kasper went on to say,"It is a linear line structure, so one lieutenant, and another in the same rank. If they have an issue, or a disagreement — it kind of ends there, going to the chief. So the addition of a captain adds that additional rank to the structure and allows us, as a chief and deputy chief, to have someone that's going to oversee the shift at both stations."

Kasper said now, each lieutenant is in charge of their own station level, and that the captain is going to be the overseer of the entire station.

Fifth Ward Alderman Jim Emmett is in favor of the role.

"I like this, we had this years ago," Emmett said. "This 15-hundred dollars per person is nothing, but teaches them that they can become the next chiefs or deputy chiefs in the future."