AboutJohn Grussing Expertise I am able to answer questions related to fire service careers, fire suppression tactics, technical rescue procedures, emergency medical services, as well as fire department management and supervision questions.
Experience I am a 19 year veteran of the Normal, IL. fire department and currently hold the rank of Captain. I am also a past member of the MABAS Div. 41 Technical Rescue Team.
Organizations Golden Key Honor Society
International Association of Firefighters
McLean County EMS communications committee
Publications Fire Engineering Magazine (Roundtable Discussions)
Education/Credentials I hold an Associates degree in Fire Science from Illinois Central College as well as a bachelor of liberal arts degree from Western Illinois University. My emphasis of study was fire and disaster response planning. In addition, I hold numerous certifications in firefighting, Hazardous Materials, Technical Rescue, and Fire Department Administration from the Illinois Fire Service Institute.
Question I am a career Lieutenant and volunteer in my home town. We recently stirred the pot pushing the bosses if you will, to get educated. We have a safety officer not certified as even a FFII, Chief with no Fire Officer training and the story goes on. Where can I find information on volunteer fire districts are held to the same standards as all other fire districts in Illinois as well as the nation? The Trustees say they are basically above the law, because we are volunteer we do not have to follow the NFPA Standards, let alone the OSFM guidelines that they signed to follow within training. As you know the dept. lawyer will say what ever the feeding hands want to hear. Please guide me in anyway where I can look this up and show them proof, before someone else ends up on LODD. Frustrated in the northwest country.
Answer Richard,
I don't envy your position. It sounds like you have an administration with their head in the sand. The first thing you need to find out is whether or not your town has adopted NFPA by reference. If so, this means your village has agreed to attempt to comply with NFPA. The NFPA standards are consensus standards and do not have the force of law. However, your Chief needs to realize that they are considered the fire service standard and your department is not exempted simply because it is volunteer. There is a great deal of case law that has established this just as your department must comply with OSHA standards even if it is volunteer. In addition, recent changes in the law allow employees to sue the Chief PERSONALLY if they are injured due to the department's failure to comply with recognized standards. There is a case pending in St. Louis County as we speak concerning this very issue. That means if it is found that his department failed to comply with standards and this failure was a proximate cause of the firefighter injury/death, his personal assets can be attached to the suit. The other thing you may explore is whether or not your department has received grants/funding from the state or federal government. If they have then they had to agree to follow certain standards and if they haven't they could be guilty of fraud. Get your own attorney with a background in fire service cases to explore these issues. If you can't find any locally, contact J. Dale Berry in Chicago. His office will be able to refer you to someone. As far as as your safety officer, legally the safety officer must be trained to the level of the incident. If he is not a firefighter II he cannot function as a safety officer at a fire scene. I would also suggest you talk to Chief Greg Mohr of the Carlock, IL. Fire Dept. He is an excellent volunteer Chief and would be happy to talk with you about how his department deals with these issues. Tell him Capt. Grussing told you to call him. Legal stuff aside your Chief's primary responsibility is the safety of his firefighters. It sounds like he is not doing his job. A last resort is to go public with your concerns and pressure the trustees for a new chief but if you do this the rank and file must be firmly united. I hope this helps- if you have any questions that arise please contact me again. Best of luck and stay safe!
