PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. – Fire services in Peoria Heights will now be taken care of by two municipalities.
Village trustees approved a contract with the city of Peoria at its regular meeting Tuesday evening. The village will spend more than $300,000 to have Peoria supplement and help out on fire calls Peoria Heights receives.
With the assistance of the Peoria Fire Department, 90% of Peoria Heights will have a response time of under four minutes for fire calls.
The contract is needed because volunteers within the Peoria Heights Fire Department have decreased, to the point where disbanding the 106-year-old department was considered.
Trustee Matt Wigginton says every penny spent to provide fire services in Peoria Heights is worth it.
“If we’re not going to invest in public safety, then I don’t see, as a trustee, what I’m there for,” Wigginton said.
Peoria Heights is also seeking a new fire chief, who will be tasked with trying to increase numbers in the department.
“When we select a new chief for the volunteer fire department, I will give that person the same mission to continue to reach out and increase volunteer numbers,” Wigginton said.
According to Wigginton, previous chiefs have tried cadet programs at Peoria Heights High School to help increase numbers. But adds that there’s still struggles to find volunteers.
Wigginton says applications for a fire chief have come in, and interviews should be happening in the near future.
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