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Peru City Council commits to hiring more firefighters despite budget constraints

Aldermen pledge meetings with union, explore grant funding to address staffing shortage

Peru Fire Chief Jeff King, walks out of the Fire On Fifth entrance in the Westclox building on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Peru. A working fire started in the storage room inside of Fire on Fifth. The fire started at 10a.m. Fire departments from Utica, Oglesby Peru and La Salle all assisted on the scene. La Salle and Peru EMS were also dispatched. The entire Westclox building was evacuated. Two employees were transported by ambulance for smoke inhalation. A smoke detector inside Star Union Spirits triggered an alarm, prompting a fast response from firefighters.

Peru Fire Chief Jeff King, walks out of the Fire On Fifth entrance in the Westclox building on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Peru. A working fire started in the storage room inside of Fire on Fifth. The fire started at 10a.m. Fire departments from Utica, Oglesby Peru and La Salle all assisted on the scene. La Salle and Peru EMS were also dispatched. The entire Westclox building was evacuated. Two employees were transported by ambulance for smoke inhalation. A smoke detector inside Star Union Spirits triggered an alarm, prompting a fast response from firefighters. (Scott Anderson)

By Tom Collins

The Peru City Council sent a message to city firefighters: We mean to make you fully staffed.

At a Monday meeting of Peru’s committee of the whole, Alderman Jason Edgcomb said the city is mindful of the need for more firefighters and will address it – but the new hires won’t come tomorrow.

“As nice it would be for us today to hire two people,” Edgcomb said, “we have to know how we’re going to pay for them and there’s not currently money in the budget to do that.”

Edgcomb pledged a series of meetings with the firefighters’ union to discuss how to improve staffing overall.

Alderman Tom Payton said he means to reach out to federal authorities and inquire about grant funding and federal aid.

“We will get this worked out,” Payton said.

Monday’s comments follow an anti-climactic meeting on Jan. 26 in which the council simply tabled action on the hiring of two firefighters. A large volume of January fire calls underscored that staffing is too low to ensure firefighter safety and the council had, at one point, seemed ready to fast-track two hires.

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Tom Collins

Tom Collins

Tom Collins covers criminal justice in La Salle County.