Mitch Crocetti, chief of the Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District, earns $117,500 annually in his current role, but he also receives a pension of $124,037 per year from his previous 30-year career with the Wood Dale Fire Department.

Crocetti is among at least 15 suburban fire chiefs who are earning six-figure salaries while collecting pensions and potentially building toward a second public pension, according to a Daily Herald analysis of fire pension records.

He argues that smaller fire departments benefit from being able to offer lower salaries to retirees on pensions. “That’s how a lot of these smaller departments can afford to hire experienced, educated chiefs,” Crocetti said. “Without these kinds of benefits, I don’t know how a smaller community could attract someone like me.”

However, state Rep. Grant Wehrli, a Republican from Naperville, wants to put an end to this practice. He plans to introduce a bill next session that mirrors the legislation he passed last year for police officers. That law will take effect in January, preventing retired police officers from taking new police jobs and still qualifying for a second pension.

“It’s an abuse of the pension system that allows someone to collect a retirement benefit while still working in the same field,” Wehrli said.

The 15 fire chiefs analyzed by the Daily Herald earn an average salary of $137,597, while their average pension is $104,762 per year.

Robert Hoff, chief of the Carol Stream Fire Protection District, receives more from his Chicago Fire Department pension — $122,472 — than from his current salary of $113,645. Most others, however, earn more from their active job than from their pension.

Alan Wax, fire chief of Des Plaines, has the highest combined income among the 15, with a salary of $161,709 and a pension of $125,624 — totaling $287,333 annually. Next year, after 10 years with Des Plaines, he will become eligible for a new pension under the district’s program.

Madeleine Doubek, vice president of policy at the Chicago-based Better Government Association, called the situation “triple dipping.” “A pension is meant to be something you receive when you’re no longer working full-time,” she said. “That’s clearly not what’s happening here.”

In Warrenville, Dennis Rogers Jr. serves as fire chief while also receiving a pension from his previous role as a sheriff’s deputy. He is also part of the local fire district’s pension plan and will eventually qualify for a second pension.

Several other fire chiefs are collecting pensions from their former departments but have opted for different retirement options at their new positions. Some have received up to 15% of their annual salary contributed to 401(k)-style retirement accounts designed for public employees.

Firefighters typically contribute about 9.5% of their pay toward their pensions. Most fire pension funds expect a 7% annual return on investments. If that target isn't met, taxpayers must cover the shortfall. Many towns haven’t fully funded their pensions for years, leading to increased tax burdens each year.

Crocetti criticized the funding shortfalls as the main reason public pensions have come under scrutiny. “I don’t get to say I’ll contribute less now and catch up later,” he argued. “That’s what caused the problem, and we’ve lost out on all that investment income forever.”

Firefighters typically receive 75% of their final salary as a pension after 30 years of service, with payments starting at age 50. Their pensions grow by 3% annually.

Most other public employees cannot collect multiple pensions. Jobs such as teachers, librarians, judges, legislators, city workers, and university professors are covered under statewide retirement systems. This means a librarian can’t retire from one town, collect a pension, then work in another and start over. Most public workers need over 40 years of service to maximize their retirement benefits.

Meanwhile, there are more than 600 separate and autonomous police and fire pension boards in Illinois. This fragmentation is the primary reason firefighters and police have been allowed to collect pensions from multiple departments.

“There are many groups that recognize the inefficiency of 600 different pension funds,” Doubek said. “There are definitely better ways to handle this, and the police reform should serve as a model for all public employees.”

Wehrli’s bill will close this pension loophole for police in the coming weeks. While police officers won’t be able to start a new pension from another department in most cases, they could theoretically work for a state agency, a school, or even become a legislator and begin building a new pension.

Thanks, Martin

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