The Daily Herald has another report on the recent separation between the Village of Barrington Fire Department and the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District.

The two fire agencies officially went their separate ways on New Year’s Day, but not without a few hiccups. Despite the 48-square-mile fire district taking in 19 firefighters who were laid off by the village at midnight, they weren’t allowed to take their personal safety gear with them. This led to an urgent scramble for equipment, as the fire district had to borrow from the Fox River Grove Fire Protection District just days before the split and is now planning to lease more in the coming months.

Village Manager Jeff Lawler explained that the issue stemmed from the fact that the fired firefighters were hired through a private contractor, Paramedic Services of Illinois, rather than directly by the district. “This is taxpayer-owned equipment, and we can’t just hand it over without following the proper legal procedures,” he said. He mentioned that the matter was discussed with fire district officials in early December, and he was surprised that the issue wasn’t resolved earlier.

However, Barrington Countryside board President Tom Rowan claimed that the conversation Lawler referenced was one-sided, and that the fire district didn’t recall any such agreement being made.

According to Rowan, the shared equipment was co-owned during their long-term partnership and was meant to be divided evenly—just like the vehicles—when the relationship ended. But that didn’t happen.

Barrington Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Swanson emphasized that while rules should be followed, they shouldn’t compromise safety. “The legal process could have been handled over time, but the firefighters needed the gear right away,” he said.

The fire district currently employs 34 firefighters through Paramedic Services of Illinois. Only the 19 who were previously with the village were affected by the gear dispute. Swanson noted that new, specially fitted equipment for these firefighters won’t arrive until spring, so they’ll be using leased gear in the meantime.

Despite the challenges, both agencies have reported that they’ve continued to fulfill all their duties since the split. The Village of Barrington Fire Department now only covers its five square miles, while Barrington Countryside continues to serve a larger area.

Rowan added that morale among the newly hired firefighters is high. In fact, they even took the time to clean all their equipment thoroughly just hours after receiving it from the village on Wednesday morning.

Barrington Countryside covers 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 split:

The Village of Barrington Fire Department has:

  • One engine
  • The quint
  • The battalion buggy
  • Two ambulances

The Barrington Countryside FPD has:

  • Two engines
  • The squad
  • The tanker (including a newly acquired one)
  • Two ambulances

At this time, the ownership of the brush unit remains unclear. We’re still gathering information on that and will update as more details come in.

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