Silver Lake FD to replace tires on other engine

silver-lake-fd-doorThe Silver Lake Fire Department will be replacing the 17-year-old tires on its other engine, SLFD Chief Dave Kordecki said today.

The age of the tires had caused the engine to be put out of service in May.

A set of tires for one engine and the tender (tanker) truck were already replaced earlier this month. At that time, the plan was to wait on any further tire replacement until 2015.

But Kordecki, who was just appointed chief last week, said he felt there was enough money in the department budget to buy the tires for the engine now.

The tires are expected to be installed early next week, Kordecki said.

On May 21, then acting Fire Chief Roger Pattie said he was taking all of the department’s the trucks out of service because of the age of the tires. He cited standards that would have called for the tires to have been replaced at least once by now. The old tires, regardless of mileage or outward condition, made the trucks unsafe to operate, Pattie said. The tires had not been changed since the equipment was purchased after a 1997 fire destroyed the firehouse and most of the equipment inside.

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10 Comments

  1. What a disgrace says:

    So let me get this straight – The fire department had in it’s budget the money to replace the tires all along? So then why did Roger Pattie run to the press and disgrace his fellow brothers (and sister)? Oh ya, they needed that money to pay for someone to sit at the station all day and do rig checks. This entire tire fiasco was a ruse to try and discredit the new village board members and make the regular members of the FD look bad. Thank GOD they replaced the leadership at the FD with someone who is not a puppet of Greg, Jeff and Pattie. Now that the Chief has replaced the old tires, he also needs to get rid of Greg and Pattie and their agenda to destroy the fire department.

  2. Bernard Punsley says:

    Good move!

  3. To what a disgrace says:

    Boy have you got it wrong. The board would not authorize any money to be spent. The fire department can not make a purchase with out board consent. So the board is the ones making themselves look bad. The board said the tires were fine we do not need new tires. I guess they found out different. You better learn how things work. They now do not have enough money to make it through the year. Disgrace you need to pony up some cash.

  4. Ughh says:

    Go look at what Bristol is doing. That’s called “the right way”!

  5. Embarrassed SL resident says:

    Silver lake does not have the intelligence to run a village the way Bristol is able to. Their administrator points out that the fire deot has savings from over the years so they can purchase such items such as monitors. It’s a total embarrassment on how this place is run

  6. To Embarrassed SL resident says:

    It is very sad. I have to say you are correct. We are screwed in SL. When they make us bankrupt each home owner will be stuck with the bill. Maybe Bristol will share their village administrator with us.

  7. Bernard Punsley says:

    Seems like our new fire chief concurred with Roger Pattie’s assessment that the tires DID need to be replaced, and he immediately sought to do so. His boss, Roger Johnson insisted previously that the tires did NOT need to be replaced.
    “What a disgrace” infers that the fire department has a big pile of cash lying around, and they merely “tapped it” for the new tires……no..that pile of cash is across the railroad tracks in the other village “rented” building. The fire department budget was already severely strained due to the significant CUTS that the NEW board made to it. Without “contingeny reserves”, fire will soon run out of funding. And the BEST thing that the new chief could do would be to rely on the experience and expertise of Roger Pattie and Greg Galich. They are the backbone of the SLFD and helped to hold it together when Chief McFarlane was run out by the board.

  8. Bernard Punsley says:

    I would recommend to Chief Kordecki that he ask Andy McFarlane to return, then name him, Roger Pattie, and Greg Galich as his Battalion Chiefs. They have a solid understanding of the “nuts and bolts” daily operations of the fire department, and having a BC assigned to each shift would minimize the overall work load to the Fire Chief…remember folks, these are not full time positions. Sometimes, daily operations need to take place during “business hours” when the village hall is open. Not everything can be done “after hours”. A part time Fire Chief cannot always be around during the day if he has a full time job committment. This move would minimize that. In addition, Chief Kordecki could “run interference” with the village board, it appears he has a good working relationship with them(ok, most of them!). While some folks may bristle at my suggestion, I think it makes perfect sense. McFarlane, Galich and Pattie have been the “glue” holding this department together for a long time…………now is not the time to “transfer them”.

  9. Worried Firefighter says:

    I’m with Bernard on this one…I think his plan has merit and could add to the healing process we are currently undergoing. It’s a pro-active move, one that I think the Fire Chief would find support for amongst his troops. The board? Probably not. But it’s worth a consideration.

  10. Silver Lake Resident says:

    Well, Bernard……..I don’t always agree with you, but you do seem to have a knack for “feeling the pulse” of our village, even when it is “flat line”. No doubt the SLFD is in a “transition period”…..having the first “outside” fire chief in their history(no knock on the chief, just an observation). He will of course have some “growing pains” as he learns the ropes……..more importantly, as he learns how the “political process” works in Silver Lake. I think he already received a very valuable lession his first night in town! He should embrace the strengths of the department, starting with Andy McFarlane, Greg Galich, and Roger Pattie. With Chief Kordecki, they could form a solid nucleus upon to rebuild the rich history of the Silver Lake Fire Department. Love him or despise him, that Bernie….he does get us thinking!! Sometimes fuming!

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