The Daily Herald has another article detailing the ongoing separation between the Village of Barrington Fire Department and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District. On New Year’s Day, the two fire agencies officially went their separate ways — but not without some last-minute hiccups. At midnight, 19 firefighters who were previously employed by the village were laid off and transferred to the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District. However, they were not allowed to take their custom-fitted safety gear with them, causing a significant challenge for the newly formed district. As a result, the fire district had to borrow equipment from the Fox River Grove Fire Protection District just days before the split. They are also in the process of securing additional gear through leasing over the coming months. This situation has raised questions about how such an issue could have been overlooked during the transition planning. Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler explained that the problem stemmed from the fact that the firefighters were hired through a third-party contractor, Paramedic Services of Illinois, rather than directly by the fire district. "It's taxpayer-owned property, and we can't just hand it over without proper legal procedures," he said. He noted that this issue was discussed with fire district officials in early December, and he was surprised that it wasn’t resolved earlier. Barrington Countryside Board President Tom Rowan, however, suggested that the conversation may have been one-sided. According to him, the fire district assumed that all shared equipment would be divided evenly, as had been the case during their long-standing partnership. The vehicles were indeed split, but the personal gear remained a point of contention. Barrington Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Swanson emphasized that while legal procedures are important, they shouldn’t interfere with public safety. “The firefighters needed the gear on January 1st,†he said. “It should have been handled more smoothly.†Currently, the fire district employs 34 firefighters through Paramedic Services of Illinois. Only the 19 who were transferred from the village were affected by the gear dispute. New, custom-fitted equipment is expected to arrive in the spring, and in the meantime, they’re using leased gear to keep operations running smoothly. Despite the challenges, both departments have reported that they’ve maintained full operational capabilities since the split. The Barrington Fire Department now only covers the village’s five-square-mile area, whereas before it also served the surrounding fire protection district. Rowan noted that morale among the new fire district staff is high. In fact, they even cleaned all their newly received equipment shortly after midnight, showing their commitment and enthusiasm for the new chapter ahead. The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District serves parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Inverness, and unincorporated areas of Cook, Lake, and McHenry counties. On a separate note, here’s what we know about the apparatus division: The Village of Barrington Fire Department currently has: The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District has: At this time, the ownership of the brush unit remains unclear, and we're still gathering more information on that matter. Car Headlight Film have PVC / TPH / Self healing TPU material tint film with high clear transmission and UV resistant and protect your car headlight not damage.And colorful colors to choose to make your car fashion stylish. Car Light Protection Film,TPH Headlight Tint Film,TPU Car Light Film,Car Headlight Tint Film Guangzhou Fuyulai Technology Co.,Ltd , https://www.fylfilm.com