The Fiscal Voices for Orland Fire, the three independent candidates running for re-election and election to the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) in the April 1, 2025, General election, endorse the following platform of issues and vision to guide the protection of the Fire District:
We are Independent: We are NOT slated by other local mayors, supervisors or union activists who want to take control of the fire district for their own political aims.
We oppose the “merger” and “consolidation” proposals that have been discussed in the shadows by these mayors, supervisors, and union activists. The OFPD has a fully funded pension because of independent fire district trustee leadership and these politicians see that funding as a “bank” to borrow, exploit, and use. We are determined to protect the interests of our firefighters.
We support maintaining a professional leadership for the OFPD to ensure that its achievements over the years remain strong, most importantly, the achievements of protecting lives and fighting fires better than any other fire department or fire district in the Midwest and maybe in the entire country.
The OFPD enjoys the HIGHEST CARDIAC ARREST SAVE RATE. Cardiac Arrest victims in the Orland Fire District have a 71 percent chance of survival, compared to the far lower National Recovery Rate of only 10 percent to 15 percent. That is nothing to ignore and it is something we must protect or even strengthen and work to increase. Taxpayers in the Orland Fire Protection District, because of professional non-political leadership, have a 5 X better chance of surviving a heart attack in the Orland Fire District than they do anywhere else.
The OFPD enjoys the highest ISO-1 Rating which reflects the training, response, and professionalism of our great firefighters. The high ISO-1 rate means that homeowners/taxpayers in the Orland Fire District pay the lowest home and business insurance costs. Lower ISO ratings (2 to 5) reflect less training, response, and professionalism and higher insurance costs.
We support a fiscally-responsible financial management of the Orland Fire District that maximizes the emergency services we can provide to the taxpayers. Taxes have gone up everywhere, mainly because of the decision by Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi to shift the burden of property assessments from businesses to homeowners. Those artificially increased assessments by Kaegi have caused property taxes to rise significantly.
We support a strong union AND a strong board that should be independent of each other to preserve and protect the interests of the taxpayers. A strong board and strong union should negotiate with each other to provide the best conditions, benefits, and wages to firefighters that also reflect respect for the needs and hard work of our taxpayers. A board should not be controlled by a union so that collective bargaining and negotiations can be done fairly with concerns of both in mind and with transparency.
We support full transparency including in our financial disclosures receiving a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officer Association (GFOA) and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award since 2018. Our financial reports are filed annually, on time, fully, and with the commitment to help taxpayers fully understand how we spend money to fight fires and save lives in the Orland Fire District.
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Financial Reporting Recognition:
The Orland Fire Protection District has been recognized for its excellence in financial reporting by the Government Finance Officer Association (GFOA).
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Distinguished Budget Presentation Award:
The district has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award since 2018. Click here for more
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Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR):
The Orland Fire Protection District has an ACFR available for review. Click here for more
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Fiscal Stewardship:
The Orland Fire Protection District has been honored for its fiscal stewardship. Click here for more
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Revenue Sources:The primary revenue source for the Orland Fire Protection District is property taxes, accounting for nearly 90% of the income, with the remaining 10% coming from special fees and grants. Click here for more
Our commitment to you is to provide the highest quality services in the most efficient and cost-effective manner to extinguish fires and save lives