Homewood firefighter Tom Paris (right) ties a rope around Amy Tunstall, a firefighter recruit, as the two practice water rescue techniques in Dolphin Lake.

Intergovernmental cooperation is common with many park and recreation agencies in the state of Illinois. But most of these agencies cooperate with schools and villages. The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District does that, and a little more. For the last several years, the Homewood Fire Department and the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District have cooperated on a number of projects. From CPR class training for Park District staff, to special event cooperation, the list is quite long.

In 1990, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District asked the Fire Department to work with the lifeguard staff at two of the district's outdoor pools to better train them for emergency situations. The Fire Department has taken that one step further by conducting an extensive training program each year for the lifeguard staff. "The Fire Department comes out several times each summer to train staff on emergency response in many situations such as an accident or drowning," said Superintendent of Recreation Jill Bartholomew. Fire Department staff members play victims, they time the staff on how quickly they respond, and they bring out the dive team to simulate a cooperative rescue at the district's recreational lake.

Homewood Fire Chief Ray Presnak says that the Homewood-Flossmoor pool staff have come through each training with flying colors. "We really enjoy working with the Park District on lifeguard training. It helps us all learn how to work together in a crisis," said Presnak. In fact, the Homewood Fire Department is sending an instructor to Ellis Water Safety School so that their staff is trained in same course as the Park District's staff.

"The Fire Department's involvement with our lifeguard staff is critical," said Bartholomew. "Their paramedics are the first ones we call in an emergency. It makes the transition with the victims go much smoother if my staff knows what the Fire Department needs in a crisis situation."

The Fire Department also calls the Park District pools when bad weather is fast approaching the Homewood or Flossmoor areas. "We have access to the National Weather Services updated information, and we try to notify the Park District so the community has plenty of time to take cover

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in a storm situation," said Presnak.

The Homewood Fire Department cooperates with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District in many other ways, too. Special events such as Halloween are held in conjunction with the Homewood Fire Department. "The Fire Department buys all of the candy and prizes to give out to the trick-or-treaters, they build the bonfire for the community to enjoy, and they help with the judging," said Bartholomew. The Park District provides maintenance staff to assist with the bonfire, and recreation staff to help with judging, setup and crowd control the night of the event. The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District also assists with the publicity for this special event. Other events that are handled in this same fashion include the July 4th Parade and Picnic, Egg Hunt, and the Community Tree Lighting.

"We serve as chauffeur for the Bunny at the Egg Hunt and Santa for the Tree Lighting," said Presnak. "At the July 4th race, we provide the lag van and water station volunteers, and our paramedics are on hand to assist with any possible race casualties," said Presnak.

This Intergovernmental agreement helps both sides in different ways. For example, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District's Dive Team Captain Bill Wright said, "This year was the first year in a long time that we've been able to conduct winter ice rescues at Dolphin Lake. It hasn't been cold enough in recent years, but this year the lake froze over and we were able to practice," said Wright. He explained that the Fire Department conducts a diving training session each spring and fall at the Park District owned Dolphin Lake. "It's very important for our dive team to practice in all types of weather conditions. The Park District is very flexible when it comes to how often, and when we use the lake," said Wright.

The Homewood Fire Department has also practiced demolition or construction rescues at Park District facilities. "When the Irwin Community center was under construction in 1985, the Homewood Fire Department practiced a rescue in the building before any stairways were installed. This made it difficult for them, just like a real-life scenario," said Bartholomew.

Bartholomew feels the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District's relationship with the Homewood Fire Department is exceptional. "Both parties are willing to listen to each other and are willing to try new things in the interest of overall community safety. That's important with our growing population in the Homewood-Flossmoor area," said Bartholomew.

How will the Park District move into the information age, and still maintain the great relationship with the Homewood Fire Department? Future possibilities include remote learning via in-home cable programs for people with disabilities. The Fire Department could conduct a first aid class, or fire safety lecture for residents as part of the Park District's cable learning channel. The list is endless.

Overall, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District feels the working relationship with the Homewood Fire Department to be an excellent way to maximize service to the community. "This is an ideal relationship. We couldn't ask for anything better as far as intergovernmental cooperation is concerned," said Bartholomew. When government bodies work well together, it also maximizes the resident's tax dollar. If more public bodies cooperate on joint ventures like this, then there would be increased recreational opportunities for residents, without increasing the costs in more cases.

Lisa M. Gann-Wick is the former Public Information Supervisor for the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District. Lisa now works for Star Publications.

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