Archive for January 20th, 2011

Cable show about the Villa Park FD

Jan 20

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | Comments off

Dennis McGuire, Jr. came across a listing for a cable TV program depicting the Red Shift in Villa Park. Check out the description HERE.

Just like the Police Department, Firefighters and Paramedics are always on duty and as we know run in the direction of dangerous situations rather than away from them. No family lives in a community for very long without having contact with a Firefighter or Paramedic. For some, contact is made in an emergency and for others interaction with the Fire Department may be in the community at an event or training program.

Included in the specials are items of interest from fire departments and emergency services in many other communities. The programs schedule for cable television will be announced in late January. Viewers in communities outside of Villa Park will be able to see the programming on their cable systems in the future or on the Internet at www.vpnettv.com.

Tags: cable TV show, Dennis McGuire Jr., documentary, Villa park Fire Department

Chicago new apparatus assignments – update

Jan 20

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News, New Delivery | 11 Comments

The fifth new Spartan/Crimson 103′ rear mount aerial in Chicago will be assigned to Truck 59. That makes Truck Companies 9, 31, 51, 56, & 59 the recipients of the five aerials that have been delivered to date. Each of these companies currently runs with a 1996 Seagrave except Truck 51, which has a 1995 Seagrave, the oldest ladder in front line service in Chicago. After these new rigs go into service, there will be two remaining 1996 Seagrave trucks that are assigned to Trucks 61 and 62.

As a side note, there are three 1996 HME 1871/Simon-LTI 100′ tower ladders currently assigned to Tower 21, Tower 37, and Tower 39. Due to an accident with their 2002 Pierce Dash Tower Ladder, Tower 34 is running again with their 1988 E-ONE Hurricane 95′ tower ladder.

Chicago Fire Department Truck 59 1996 Seagrave

Chicago Truck 59 and Truck 31 at the Quinn Fire Academy yesterday. All three shifts of the five companies receiving the new Spartan/Crimson aerials are rotating through the academy to receive training on the new apparatus before getting the rigs. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department Truck 31 2010 Spartan Crimson

The rear of Truck 31 shows that all ground ladder storage is within the center of the truck. A first for Chicago is full compartmentation on both sides of the rigs. Steve Redick photo

Tags: Chicago Fire Department, Chicago Towe 39, Chicago Tower 21, Chicago Tower 34, Chicago Tower 37, Chicago Truck 31, Chicago Truck 51, Chicago Truck 56, Chicago Truck 59. Chicago Truck 9, Crimson, Dash, E-ONE, Gladiator, HME 1871, Hurricane, Pierce, Simon-LTI, Spartan, Steve Redick, tower ladder

Libertyville Box Alarm 1-19-11

Jan 20

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News, Fire Service News | Comments off

The Libertyville Fire Department in Lake County received calls about a house fire at 516 Wrightwood Terrace just after 9PM Wednesday evening. An off-duty firefighter reported fire in the unoccupied home. Libertyville companies were met with heavy fire originating at the rear of the house and called for mutual aid. As fire vented through the roof and engulfed the entire rear porch area, firefighters went defensive. Libertyville Quint 462 and Engine 461 setup in the ‘A’ Sector in front of the house. Both units are equipped with Wil-Burt telescoping light towers and provided a bright and safe working environment for firefighters confronted with snow and icy conditions. The 75′ aerial was extended over the house to provide additional lighting from the flood lights positioned at the tip of the ladder. The Metropolitan Emergency Support Services (MESS) was at the scene with a canteen plus a warming bus. The fire was brought under control in about an hour’s time. The house was completely gutted and required extensive overhaul.

Larry Shapiro took in this fire … and arrived after the bulk of the fire suppression had been completed. Nevertheless, here are some images from the scene and a complete gallery can be viewed HERE.

Libertyville Fire Department house fire Wrightwood Terrace

The house on Wrightwood Terrace with light smoke and steam escaping after the fire was knocked down. Larry Shapiro photo

Libertyville Quint 462, a 2008 Pierce Velocity 75' quint was designed with a mid-ship mounted Wil-Burt telescoping light tower. This is extremely useful for night events since the quint is often positioned directly in front of the structure. Larry Shapiro photo

MESS Canteen Metropolitan Emergency Support Services

The MESS canteen was setup next to the rehab ambulance providing snacks and hot beverages for firefighters. Behind the canteen is the MESS warming bus. Larry Shapiro photo

Libertyville's Quint 462 in the foreground and Engine 461 in the background both have deployed their light towers to illuminate the fire scene. The American flag graphic on the grille is attractive. Larry Shapiro photo

Libertyville Engine 461 is on a Dash chassis with everything, including the pump panel, behind roll-up doors. Libertyville has Pierce apparatus featuring the Dash, Velocity, and Quantum chassis in the fleet. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: 75' quint, Dash, house fire, Larry Shapiro, Libertyville Fire Department, MABAS Box Alarm, MESS, Metropolitan Emergency Support Services, night fire, Pierce, Pierce Dash. Pierce Quantum, Velocity, Wil-Burt light tower, winter fire scene

Apartment fire in Arlington Heights 1-19-11

Jan 20

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News | Comments off

Arlington Heights firefighters were called to 2150 S. Goebberts Road on Wednesday afternoon for a report of smoke in the hallway of a two-story apartment building measuring roughly 45×200. While en-route to the scene, the police department reported black smoke coming from one of the units, and the alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 (working fire). Although the first arriving unit (Arlington Heights Engine 3) reported nothing visible from the direction that they came in, they found smoke upon entering the building and pulled a pre-connect. Mt. Prospect Engine 12 arrived next and assisted with securing a supply line before entering the building. The fire was contained to one unit and extinguished quickly.

Larry Shapiro arrived at the tail end of the suppression efforts and submitted a few images. Several more can be seen in a gallery HERE.

Arlington Heights Fire Department apartment fire Goebberts Road

The first engine on the scene had one line off. A second line was pulled from a different engine. Arlington Heights Engine Company 3 was using a spare engine today. All of the engines in the current fleet are from Pierce on Quantum chassis. Larry Shapiro photo

Light smoke is visible escaping from the first floor apartment. Larry Shapiro photo

Both Arlington Heights and Mt. Prospect have Pierce Quantum engines. Behind Arlington Engine 3 is Mt. Prospect Engine 12. Both have first generation Quantum cabs. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: apartment fire, Arlington Heights Fire Department, Code 4, Larry Shapiro, Mt. Prospect Fire Department, Pierce, Quantum, working fire