Archive for June 23rd, 2013

Robbins house fire 6-23-13 (rekindle)

Jun 23

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service Photos, Fire Truck photos | 18 Comments

This from Eric Haak:

The Robbins Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a structure fire at 3702 W. 139th Street Sunday afternoon. Robbins units arrived on scene at 1308hrs and confirmed a working fire in an old 2-story frame at the back of a bar’s property. Command requested a MABAS 22 Full Still on Box #2909. Companies went defensive from the start due to the dilapidated condition of the building and a special call was put in for Crestwood’s Truck and a MABAS Canteen. At approximately 1700hrs, companies were called back for a rekindle. Units on scene were Robbins Tower Ladder 4, Robbins Engines 2913 and 2943 and Garden Homes Engine 2543. Midlothian Engine 2723 was brought in to help clean up hot spots from the opposite side of Robbins’ Tower Ladder.

Eric Haak photo

Eric Haak photo

Tags: Eric Haak, fire engines at fire scene, fire trucks at fire scene, Garden Homes Fire Protection District, Midlothian Fire Department, Robbins Fire Department, Squrt articulating device for firefighting, Squrt working at fire scene, tower ladder at fire scene

Extra Alarm in downstate Hoopeston IL

Jun 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News, Firefighting Video | Comments off

An interesting article on the fire last week in the tire recycling plant in Hoopeston, IL:

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – Crews fighting flames Wednesday at an Hoopeston, Ill., tire plant got some unexpected help from Purdue’s fire department and its non-human friend.

A call from the Champaign, Ill., Fire Department came in for Purdue Fire Chief Kevin Ply Wednesday morning, asking for assistance fighting the fire at J&R Used Tire Service in Hoopeston.

The help they got was definitely not what they expected.

“Some of the firefighters, both volunteer and career, from the many fire departments that were there, were a little skeptical,” Ply said. “But, once we were able to deploy it inside the structure, they were able to see it in operation and the impact it was making on the fire, it was very impressive.”

Ply, along with two other Purdue firefighters, took their prototype firefighting robot to help fight the fire.

“We were able to deploy it in an area that had fire involvement, to the point where we had partial building collapse,” Ply said. “It was an area we were not going to put a human firefighter in, due to the risk of injury.”

Professor in Purdue’s College of Technology Eric Dietz is helping develop the robot for a Korean company. He says the use the fire department was able to get out of it was invaluable.

“This is what you dream of if you’re doing research,” Dietz said. “You want to get the user to give you an operational test. That’s what we had. We had some things that we see that need to get tweaked.”

Ply says they ran the robot for nearly four hours, running the battery dead. Now, there appears to be some sort of glitch in the software, causing the hose to go off without being told to.

“(Next we’ll) provide that feedback back to the researchers so, eventually, the production model will be even more sustainable,” Ply said.

“This is also an important economic development opportunity, because the Koreans didn’t want us to just do research, they were also trying to figure out how they can locate a company here,” Dietz said.

Chief Ply says there are still some issues they would like to work out, including rapid battery charging and the ability to change out the battery in the field.

Tags: fire at J&R Used Tire Service in Hoopeston, Professor in Purdue's College of Technology Eric Dietz, prototype firefighting robot, Purdue Fire Chief Kevin Ply

Lincolnwood FD receives grant

Jun 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 2 Comments

From the Village of Lincolnwood:

PRESS RELEASE

VILLAGE OF LINCOLNWOOD –6900 N. LINCOLN AVE.–LINCOLNWOOD, IL 60712 PHONE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 14, 2013

Fire Department Receives Grant Funding

LINCOLNWOOD–Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has recently awarded $305,877 in grants to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois. The purpose of the funding will help support and improve the capability of the department to respond to fires and other types of emergencies.

The Lincolnwood Fire Department was awarded $105,541 for their grant to purchase new breathing air packs for the firefighters.

“Our nation’s firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America’s citizens,” Durbin said. “As these brave men and women put themselves in harm’s way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tools possible to do their jobs well, and today’s grants will help meet that goal.”

The funding is provided through the DHS’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. Since 2001, the AFG has provided approximately $5.25 billion in federal funding to first-responder organizations across the country to help purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, training, and vehicles.

Tags: DHS Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA grant award, Lincolnwood FD receives federal grant, Lincolnwood Fire Department

Lake Zurich 2nd Alarm house fire in Hawthorn Woods 6-23-13

Jun 23

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service Photos, Firefighters working, Firefighting Video | 4 Comments

After midnight on Sunday, the Lake Zurich Fire Department was notified of a fire that was burning on the back deck of a house at 11 Rosewood Drive in Hawthorn Woods. First arriving companies found a fire on the back deck that had communicated to the house, and that all of the residents had evacuated. This area of Hawthorn Wood is without hydrants and the fire was upgraded to a box alarm and then quickly to a 2nd alarm which brought a total of seven water tankers to the scene.

Wauconda’s tower ladder initially setup for an elevated master stream as the fire spread to the attic, but the water supply was insufficient and the defensive attack was conducted with hand lines.

Two portable tanks were dropped and a tanker shuttle was initiated to support the operations through a Lake Zurich engine. The fire consumed the entire rear section of the attic and roof with damage to several second floor rooms.

A contributor submitted two early images from the scene and Larry Shapiro submitted several images and a video.