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Fiscal Voices candidates to take Oath of Office for Trustee for Orland Fire District Monday
The Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety candidates will be sworn in to their seats as Trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District at a special meeting of the Fire District on Monday, May 5, 2025, beginning at 5 PM.
Taking the oath of office for Trustee will be Beth Damas Kaspar, who is currently an OFPD Trustee. OFPD Commissioner Donald “DJ” Jeffers will be sworn in as a Trustee. Former Palos Heights Police CSO Bridget Eileen Tolan will be sworn in as a Trustee.
Damas Kaspar and Jeffers will be sworn in to six-year seats. Tolan will be sworn in for a two-year term. Jeffers and Tolan will succeed former OFPD Trustees John Brudnak and Jayne Schirmacher, who retired with honors from their Trustee positions.
Damas Kaspar, Jeffers, and Tolan won the confidence of the District’s voters in a landslide election on April 1, 2025, defeating two slates that were backed by former Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady, which sought a takeover of the Fire Board.
The three successful Fire District Trustee candidates promised to prevent a takeover, or merger of the Fire District by local politicians and activists who sought to control it, and to continue to keep politics out of the Fire District, which is one of the nation’s top-performing Fire Districts. The OFPD enjoys the highest “Cardiac Arrest Save Rate” of 71 percent, compared to a national average of only 10-15 percent, and has the best-trained and performing Firefighters in the nation.
Damas Kaspar has a distinguished career in healthcare, decades of community involvement, and a passion for service. Damas Kaspar brings a unique blend of leadership, expertise, and compassion to this important role. She served both as a Fire Commissioner and Trustee, and has demonstrated an ability to make thoughtful decisions that prioritize public safety and fiscal responsibility.
As a highly accomplished healthcare professional, Damas Kaspar holds advanced degrees in dentistry and endodontics and serves as a consultant for Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Her experience as a small business owner, leading an all-female endodontic practice, has taught her the importance of teamwork, accountability, and careful resource management. An active parishioner at St. Michael’s Church, she is a proud wife and mother of two children.
Jeffers has served as a Commissioner on the Orland Fire Protection District since 2023. He is a successful small business owner/operator, who graduated from Saint Xavier University with a B.A. in Business. His education also includes graduating from Marist High School, and he is a St. Michael’s Church Parishioner. The father of four, three sons & one daughter, Jeffers is a lifelong Beverly/Orland Park Resident.
Tolan is the Founder and CEO of Loch Alainn Construction and heads the John Tolan Foundation Charitable Fund. She is a former Palos Heights Police Department Community Service Officer (CSO) who worked alongside First Responders for many years, and a Marist High School alumnus. A member of St. Alexander Church Parish, she is a lifelong Palos/Orland Resident.
Damas Kaspar will be sworn in to office by retiring OFPD Board Chairman John Brudnak. Jeffers will be sworn into office by Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings. Tolan will be sworn into office by Senator Michael Hastings.
For more information on the Orland Fire Protection District, visit www.OrlandFire.org.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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