The *Naperville Sun* recently published an article discussing ongoing conversations about the potential regional consolidation of fire protection services and how it might affect the City of Naperville.
A task force in DuPage County is currently evaluating the feasibility of merging firefighting services across the county. While some concerns have been raised about the possibility of closing local fire stations to increase efficiency, it seems unlikely that Naperville will see such changes anytime soon.
Mark Puknaitis, the Naperville Fire Chief, is part of a group that includes members from the DuPage Fire Chiefs Association, the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, and DuPage County Board member Gary Grasso (R-Burr Ridge). Their goal is to explore ways to consolidate certain fire department services in order to reduce costs.
Last week, Grasso introduced a proposed quadrant system that divides the county into four sections. Naperville would be located in the southwest quadrant, along with a large portion of Lisle. This approach is part of a broader discussion among DuPage officials who have been working on strategies to improve fire protection while making it more cost-effective.
Puknaitis noted that Naperville’s taxpayers are in a relatively good position when it comes to fire protection costs. He shared a personal example, mentioning that he only pays $100 per year in property taxes for fire services at his home.
He also pointed out that Naperville benefits from a diversified funding model. Unlike many other fire protection districts, which rely solely on property taxes, Naperville’s fire services are partially funded through other revenue sources, such as the city’s sales tax. Puknaitis highlighted nearby districts like Lisle-Woodridge and Plainfield, which are separate taxing bodies and face more financial limitations.
Although no one on the task force has yet suggested consolidating taxing bodies, the quadrant proposal is still in its early stages. Any form of service consolidation would likely require cooperation between different districts.
Puknaitis sees value in the quadrant system and believes that shared services—such as equipment purchases, which can be a major expense—could help improve efficiency. He also supports the idea of using neighboring fire departments for quicker response times if they are closer to the incident location.
Naperville handles roughly 20% of all fire and EMS calls in DuPage County. Over time, the role of fire departments has evolved beyond just structure fires. Today, departments provide a wide range of services, including emergency medical assistance, alarm activations, and smaller fire incidents.
In fact, Naperville averages between 25 to 30 calls per year for significant structure fires, but over 11,000 to 12,000 calls for other types of emergencies. Despite this, Puknaitis remains confident that the entire county can enhance fire protection and make it more efficient without having to close any fire stations in Naperville.
*Thanks, Dan.*
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