Archive for August 19th, 2013

House fire in Chicago 8-17-13

Aug 19

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Firefighters working | 12 Comments

This from Eric Haak:

The still time for this fire was 1702 hrs. Although the fire was out before I arrived, I wanted submit these because it was kind of an interesting job. This vacant 2.5 story frame was located in the middle of the 6900 block of south Winchester. The block has a cul-de-sac at the south end of the block. What was really odd was that there was a block party going on when this happened! A couple of hundred people barbecuing and dancing with kids playing up and down the street and then this house just “randomly” catches fire and gets this advanced before any companies could arrive. No one on the scene reported seeing anything unusual happening. One witness just stated that one minute the home was fine and the next there was fire everywhere. Engine 101 used their deck gun to knock it down and kept it from communicating. I was only about 2 miles out when Engine 101 reported on scene and there wasn’t much to see once I got there. Engine 129 and Truck 50 were the other still companies along with Truck 41.

Eric Haak photo

Tags: Chicago Engine 101, Chicago Fire Department, Eric Haak, firefighters doing overhaul, firefighting overhaul, firemen overhaul after fire, house fire in Chicago, Spartan fire engine at Chicago house fire

Long Grove house fire 8-19-13

Aug 19

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service Photos, Firefighters working | 1 Comment

This from Larry Shapiro:

Residents called the Long Grove FD around 6:30 this morning reporting some type of explosion and fire in the garage area of their home at 3238 Victorian Lane. The alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 prior to the first units arriving on scene. They found all residents out of the home and heavy fire throughout the attached three-car garage and the bedroom windows above. The cedar roof shingles along that side had the roof involved as well. A quick blitz attack was initiated which then allowed companies to make an interior attack. The fire was contained to the area that was involved on arrival with slight extension further into the house.

Companies at the scene included engines from Long Grove, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Palatine, Arlington Heights, and Wheeling. Tankers from Long Grove, Countryside, Fox Lake, Prospect Heights, Barrington, and Fox Lake responded along with a Deerfield squad and Libertyville, Long Grove, and Lincolnshire-Riverwoods ambulances.

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Engine 51 was on a dry hydrant near Route 53. Larry Shapiro photo

LDH from Engine 55 to the Lioncolnshire-Riverwoods engine. Larry Shapiro photo

Long hose lay down the private lane. Larry Shapiro photo

Long Grove Engine 55 and Buffalo Grove Quint 27. Larry Shapiro photo

Sector A with multiple lines out and the quint to the roof. Larry Shapiro photo

Buffalo Grove Quint 27 . Larry Shapiro photo

Companies in front of the house after the fire had been knocked down. Larry Shapiro photo

Hitting hot spots on the rof. Larry Shapiro photo

A Buffalo Grove firefighter working on the roof. Larry Shapiro photo

One of three vehicles damaged or destroyed by the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Mundelein firefighters mask up before entering the house for salvage work. Larry Shapiro photo

Small fire still on the ridge line over the garage. Larry Shapiro photo

Buffalo Grove firefighters exit the house. Larry Shapiro photo

A supply line was stretched from the Long Grove engine to the Countryside tanker. Larry Shapiro photo

Countryside tender prepared to supply water. Larry Shapiro photo

Long Grove Engine 55 pulled into the driveway followed by Tanker 55 to supply up to 3,000 additional gallons of water before a supplemental water supply was established. Then Palatine Engine 82, the next engine to arrive, dropped a supply line down the length of the private road from a dry hydrant near Route 53. Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Engine 51 arrived next and established the water supply drafting from the pond.

A gallery with more images can be found HERE.

Tags: Buffalo Grove Fire Department, Buffalo Grove Quint 27, Countryside Fire Protection District, dry hydrant, female firefighter at fire scene, fire department water tanker, fire engine pumping at fire scene, fireman pulls large diameter hose, firemen draft from dry hydrant, house fire in Long Grove, house fire on Victorian Lane in Long Grove, Larry Shapiro, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD, Long Grove Engine 55, Long Grove Fire Protection District, Long Grove Tanker 55, Palatine Fire Department

Harvard FPD to access new service fee

Aug 19

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

The Northwest Herald has an article about a decision by the Harvard Fire Protection to begin charging a fee for multiple calls over time for lift assists from the same address.

HARVARD – Several times a week, the Harvard Fire Protection District gets a call from someone who’s sunken into a chair or fallen onto the floor and can’t get up.

It’s a simple solution, and it’s not exactly an emergency: Responders head over, help the man or woman to their feet and go along their way.

But the calls have gotten so frequent – some coming from the same individuals three or four times a week, Trustee Jim Carbonetti says – that the district has decided to implement a fee for excessive visits.

Starting in September, individuals will be charged $100 for every lift assist call after the third within a year of the first.

“For a once-in-a-while occurrence, we don’t mind,” Carbonetti said. “But when it’s three to four times a week, that’s becoming a little excessive. You probably need to be looking into some home health care.”

Carbonetti said that at $100 a hit, he doesn’t expect the new ordinance – passed unanimously by the fire protection board Tuesday night – to be much of a moneymaker.

Rather, he said, he hopes it will encourage people to make “other arrangements” so they don’t find themselves in need of assistance so often.

“It’s not a cheap proposition to roll out an ambulance all the time,” he said.
Carbonetti added the measure wasn’t an original idea and said Harvard modeled its fee off one in Hebron.

But at least three other McHenry County departments reached Wednesday said they didn’t charge for lift assists.

McHenry Township Fire Protection District, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue don’t currently have a fee in place.

“We have not considered that,” said Tony Huemann, fire chief in McHenry, adding that the station “occasionally” piles up calls from the same individuals.

“We try to get them help so that hopefully in the future they don’t keep having those problems,” he said.