Archive for May 28th, 2013

Stone Park 4-11 Alarm fire 5-28-13

This from Drew Gresik:

Hello everyone,
I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of submissions about this fire, so I’ll keep it short. Here are just a couple of more than 500 photos I took at this job in Stone Park. Fire was in a grocery store with occupied attached apartments, multiple master streams and handlines used. There were a lot of issues with bad hydrants as well, forcing command to request addition engines from many area departments. Thanks again guys.
From,
Drew Gresik
5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

Images from Tim Olk
5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Tim Olk photo

Tim has a gallery with many more images.

Images from John Tulipano
5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

John Tulipano photo

No injuries were reported following an extra-alarm fire that broke out in the potato chip aisle of a grocery store in west suburban Stone Park late this morning, authorities said.

The five-alarm blaze started about noon in the 1600 block of North Mannheim Road, according to a spokeswoman for Stone Park police.

As of about 1 p.m., the blaze was mostly out, but smoke and some flames were still visible from the 2-story brick building, which houses the Durango Supermercado on the first level and about four apartments on the upper level.

No injuries have been reported and the blaze burned through its roof, causing a partial collapse of the building.

Thick, black smoke roiled from the building at one point and about 15-20 fire departments remained on the scene.

Firefighters were pouring water on its roof and through one apartment window using two tower ladders.  Several onlookers were standing outside gawking and it appeared that all occupants of the building had escaped.

Manager Jose Rivera was in his office doing paperwork when he heard the smoke alarm go off but he said it’s “very sensitive” so he thought it could just have been cooking smoke that activated it.
When he went to check it out, he found the potato chip aisle was on fire, and the chips were burning.

Rivera sprang into action, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out.

“I ran for the extinguisher and managed to control it,’’ Rivera said.

He then raced through the rest of the store, telling the eight customers to “drop their possessions and leave,’’ Rivera said.

Rivera went back inside but the fire had worsened and there was nothing left in the extinguisher. Rivera said he knew he had to leave at that point.Fire officials on the scene said they were letting the fire burn, in a “free burn’’ and would not be able to go inside until it was safe.Rivera’s mother, Imelda Rivera, who is the owner of the store, was outside and appeared very shaken up.

Occupants of the second-story apartments on the building’s south side escaped without being hurt.

Rivera does not know what started the blaze.

Fire department officials said they were performing a “free burn’’ and will not go inside until it’s safe.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Deerfield-Bannockburn FPD Centennial

The Chicago Tribune has an article about the Deerfield-Bannockburn FPD celebrating their centennial:

One hundred years ago, volunteer firefighters in Deerfield had two ways of hauling their “fire cart” to a blaze. They could attach the two-wheeled cart to a horse-drawn buggy — or to a car, if available.

The cart carried a single coil of hose, which unrolled and attached to an onboard water tank, to be replenished at the scene by bucket brigades.

Ambulances from converted hearses would come later. And much later came mobile intensive-care units, literally rolling emergency rooms, linked to hospital ER staffs and central dispatchers, performing EKGs, defibrillation and other life-saving procedures to stricken patients while en route.

May is the centennial month of the formation of the Deerfield volunteer department, which in 1942 became the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District, now with 42 sworn firefighter/paramedics in stations at 500 Waukegan Road in Deerfield and on Illinois Route 22 in Bannockburn.

The two-wheeled cart from the last century has been replaced by a fleet of modern rolling stock, including three pumpers, one aerial ladder truck, two squad trucks, three paramedic ambulances, one command vehicle and five administrative/support vehicles.

The largest vehicle, a 2005 truck, is nearly 13 feet high, 8 feet wide and about 41 feet long. The truck, which can run with as few as two firefighters, cost more than $500,000, with $425,000 coming from a FEMA grant. The replacement cost today would be $1 million.

“Just like all fire departments up here, we are an all-hazards response department,” Fire Chief Ian Kazian said. “So we are cross-staffed with ambulances, paramedics and firefighters. We respond to all calls, so from an operational standpoint, EMS, fire, special rescue, high-angle trench rescue and hazardous materials are daily challenges everybody faces.”

In 2012, medical rescue calls were 56 percent of the total, with fires 3 percent. False alarms accounted for 25 percent of calls.

The entire article is HERE.

Tags: ,

Area updates from CARMA Chicago

From Chris Ranck:

Received credible information that Downers Grove Fire Department is going to Starcomm TG FDSCENT1 as of 5-15-13 at 7am for portables only.
Rig radios still are VHF. Also Westmont Fire will be using it too soon. on the same talkgroup.

 

(Dave Weaver) posted many behind the scenes photos and videos from the Chicago Fire set including closeups of the Motorola gear on the “Watch Tower” which is the name for the firehouse desk with the computer terminal and portables. NBC actually had a complete replica of CFD Engine 18’s house recreated in a large film studio complex near Mt. Sinai Hospital on the old Ryerson Steel property. There is an antique radio on the bookshelf in Fire Chief Boden’s office which is actually a Simpson marine radio.

These images and videos are available on the Radioman911.com Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/Radioman911

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Libertyville 2nd Alarm Fire 3-27-13 (pt 3)

Third posting about the 2nd Alarm Fire on Memorial Day at the Jamaican Gardens (north) in Libertyville. Here are images from larry Shapiro and a video.

 

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

large fire in Libertyville at the Jamaican Gardens nursery

Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery with more of Larry’s images is HERE.

The second article with images from Tim Olk is HERE.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,