New Lenox Fire District to Hire EMTs to Combat Paramedic Shortage

New Lenox Fire Protection District Meeting | September 2025

Article Summary: Confronted with a statewide paramedic shortage, the New Lenox Fire Protection District Board of Trustees has approved an agreement with its firefighters union, Local 5097, to begin hiring Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). These new hires will be required to become fully certified paramedics within 18 months of their start date to help fill critical staffing gaps.

MOU with Local 5097 Key Points:

• The board unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the firefighters’ union.

• The agreement is a direct response to a paramedic shortage verified by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

• The district currently has three vacant paramedic positions.

• New hires under this agreement will have 18 months to upgrade their certification to paramedic.

The New Lenox Fire Protection District Board of Trustees on Monday, September 22, 2025, unanimously approved a new agreement with its union to change its hiring practices in an effort to overcome a persistent, state-verified shortage of paramedics.

The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with New Lenox Professional Firefighters Local 5097 that allows the district to hire state-certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) for its three current openings. Under the terms of the agreement, any EMT hired must agree to become a fully certified paramedic within 18 months of their employment date.

The move is a direct response to a staffing crisis affecting fire departments and EMS providers across the state. According to the meeting minutes, the Illinois Department of Public Health has officially verified the shortage, which has made it increasingly difficult for districts like New Lenox to fill vacant paramedic slots.

“There continues to be a paramedic shortage,” district officials stated in the meeting. “We have talked to the union about moving forward to hire EMTs.”

This temporary change in hiring protocol is applicable only for the duration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and is designed as a focused solution to the immediate staffing challenge. By hiring EMTs who are on a career path to becoming paramedics, the district can fill its open positions now while building its future paramedic workforce from within.

The motion to approve the MOU was made by Trustee Levey and seconded by Trustee Cory Scanlan. It passed with a unanimous roll call vote, with Trustees Skip Sauter, Scanlan, Brian Fischer, Keith Popp, and Levey all voting in favor.