This from Jeff Rudolph:
Skokie responded for an mva around 1800hrs today at Dempster and Crawford. A17 &E17 found 3 vehicle with heavy damage and a traffic signal down. A pin-in response was requested for 2 pts trapped in one of the vehicles. Battalion 16 would upgrade the alarm to include 2 additional ambulances and E18 for manpower. In all 3 pts where transported to area hospitals, and several pts refused at the scene.Jeff Rudolph
#1 by John H on March 22, 2013 - 9:33 AM
Erik – you should post copies of all your receipts and monthly spending habits on this forum and then we can all tell you what you waste money on…
#2 by Erik on March 22, 2013 - 2:03 AM
Sounds like rescue truck 17 is a waste of money to me
#3 by Bill Post on March 21, 2013 - 7:31 PM
Squad 18’s function is your typical “squad stuff” such as extrication, special duty calls like as stuck elevators, gas leaks, ice rescues, and providing addtional manpower at the scene of a fire where they can man an extra line or assist with truck work. As they are a squad/pumper, they also can act as an engine company. During the last year, Engine 18 has been browned-out on some days and evenings so Squad 18 would go out on runs in place of the engine.
Rescue 17 is for practical purposes an engine, but it also does some truck and squad type work. It is used for extrications as well, especially when Squad 18 is not available or they need another Hurst tool for a multi-vehicle accident. The squad responds village-wide on structure fires and pin-ins. Rescue 17 doesn’t unless the squad is not available or it is special called.
Perhaps Jeff can give you more information. As previously mentioned it was an ALS engine until they put Ambulance 17 in service and it does extrication work on the east side of town, but the squad will normally be dispatched as well.
#4 by Keith Grzadziel on March 21, 2013 - 2:54 PM
Bill or Jeff, with that being said, what is Squad 18’s function in comparison to Rescue 17?
#5 by Skokie FF on March 20, 2013 - 11:45 PM
I swear, you buffs care more about this shit than we do……..weird
#6 by Bill Post on March 20, 2013 - 9:37 PM
Mike, I will tell you what I know about Skokie Rescue 17, (including some history) and maybe Jeff or someone from the Skokie Fire Department could fill in any information that I may have missed.
Rescue 17 basically functions as the second engine on fires in Engine 17’s district on the east side, and it also has some squad and and truck equipment such as cutters, spreaders, and extra ground ladders. That is the reason for the elongated design, because some ladders are carried inside body.
Before October 20, 2003, Rescue 17 was called Rescue Truck 17 and was an ALS (paramedic) engine that provided first responder service on Skokie’s east side. On October 20, 2003, Ambulance 17 was put in service at the new Station 17 at 8157 N Central Park. The rescue truck lost it’s ALS status and went from being a four-man company to a three-man company like Skokie’s other engine companies. So Skokie didn’t have to increase their payroll when they put Ambulance 17 in service, Squad 18 also lost it’s fourth man making it a three-man company.
Rescue Truck 17 originally was put in service in 1980 as Rescue Truck 2, using a Ford C-Series, Emergency One, 750-gpm pumper specifically designed to be an ALS engine. It replaced Skokie Truck 2 which was originally Truck 1 until they renumbered the fire companies to match their station number. Prior to Rescue Truck 2 going in service in 1980, the Skokie Fire Department had three engine companies, three aerial equipped truck companies, and the squad company. One of the trucks was a Snorkel and the other two were straight aerial ladders. Skokie had run with three trucks and three engine companies for 11 years beginning in July of 1969 when Skokie Truck 3, the Snorkel (as it was originally numbered) was put in service at the new Station 1 at 7424 Niles Center Road.
Fire departments with one to one engine to truck ratios are very very rare, and as you know just about all major fire departments run with more engines than trucks. It made more sense to replace Skokie Truck 2 on the east side with a paramedic equipped engine than to have a third full truck company in service.
Since 1980, Skokie had a north side truck company (Truck 18) and a south side truck company (Tower Ladder 16) with the boundary line being Main Street. Rescue 17, being a rescue/engine, can also act as a service truck if needed since it carries extra ground ladders.
That should be the next rig on the replacement list as Tower Ladder 16 was rehabbed a year or two ago, however I don’t know what the plans are considering Skokie just received a new unit for Engine 17. Perhaps Jeff or someone else might know?
#7 by Mike on March 20, 2013 - 9:02 AM
Do their squad and rescue truck have different responsibilities? They both look like rescue pumpers. Or because Skokie is so densely populated and they want to make sure they have sufficient coverage with engine that’s why they have both units?
#8 by Jeff on March 18, 2013 - 8:05 PM
Rescue 17, Squad 18, Truck 18, Battalion 16, on the special where A 16 & 18, AND E18.
#9 by Bill Post on March 18, 2013 - 3:34 AM
Jeff , who did they dispatch when they upgraded the accident response to a pin in response besides Squad 18? Did also dispatch RT 17 and Truck 18 or was it only the Squad and Engine 18?
Thanks.