La Grange Park’s Village Board indicated on March 12 that it is set to renew its arrangement with Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) to meet the Village’s needs for paramedics/firefighters for another two years.
La Grange Park’s use of PSI technically began in 2018, but its previous provider, Public Safety Services, Inc., entered into a merger/acquisition agreement with PSI and had been the Village’s provider since 2002.
“In the past when we’ve researched it, it’s debatable, but we think PSI is still the higher quality company,” Fire Chief Dean Maggos said in response to trustee questions about possibly putting the service out to bid. “That’s based on our experience with them.”
The existing contract expires on April 30, and the new contract is expected to be formally approved at the next Village Board meeting. The proposed contract runs for two years, ending April 30, 2026, but there is an option to renew it through April 30, 2027.
The PSI agreement provides six paramedics/firefighters, the arrangement being that two work 24 hours straight, followed by 48 hours off.
The proposal calls for a $5,000 raise in the first year for current personnel and elevates base starting pay to $72,000, up from $67,000. The second year would see another $5,000 raise for all existing employees, and elevate base starting pay to $75,000.
The staff memo broke down the costs to the Village as follows: for the first contract year, the annual cost would be $751,608, or $62,634 monthly. The second year’s annual cost would be $810,804, or $67,567 monthly.
Trustee Joe Caputo, chair of the Public Safety Committee, thought the proposal good.
“It’s important to note that there are factors in considering the pricing,” he told his colleagues in introducing the measure. “The EMS staffing shortage still exists, and the EMS employee market is very competitive and still volatile.”
Caputo went on to note that the proposed pricing costs were significant but indicated that staff believed the two-year renewal would enhance the Village’s ability to recruit and retain quality EMS staff.
“I think it’s a fair proposal over the next 2-3 years,” Caputo said noting that wages and the cost of living were increasing.
The next La Grange Park Village Board meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. March 26, in the Village Board Room, 447 N. Catherine Avenue.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
