This from Larry Shapiro:
Calls reporting a house fire at 102 S. Chester came in to the Park Ridge Fire Department shortly before 10AM on Saturday (2-15-14). After spotting a header while in route, units arrived at the house on the corner of Chester and Garden to find the back porch on fire and a worker with burn injuries. The alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 for the working fire. Engine 35 encountered a frozen hydrant at the corner, so firefighters hand jacked hose from the Tower 36 to another hydrant half a block south of the incident.
Companies made quick work of knocking down the main fire, and found that there was minimal communication to the second floor. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, apparently in the final stages of remodeling.
Units at the scene were Park Ridge Engine 35, Tower 36, both Park Ridge ambulances and Battalion 35. Rosemont and Niles responded with trucks, Morton Grove with a squad, Norwood Park and North Maine with engines, plus ambulances from Lincolnwood and Elk Grove Village.
I arrived well after the fire was out and have images of the scene.
Mutual aid companies on Chester. Larry Shapiro photo
Rear of the house as seen from Chester. Larry Shapiro photo
Norwood Park Engine 101. Larry Shapiro photo
Park Ridge Engine 35 at the corner after finding a frozen hydrant. Larry Shapiro photo
Tower Ladder 36 alongside the house on Chester.Larry Shapiro photo
Deputy Chief Jeff Sorensen giving a press briefing. Larry Shapiro photo
The hydrant in front of the house was froze. Larry Shapiro photo
Park Ridge Tower 36 had two lines off. Larry Shapiro photo
A Park Ridge firefighter picks up hose. Larry Shapiro photo
The fire was on the rear porch of the house. Larry Shapiro photo
Supply hose stretched to a secondary hydrant after the first hydrant was frozen. Larry Shapiro photo
Norwood Park Engine 101. Larry Shapiro photo
More images can be viewed HERE.
#1 by Ed Simmons on February 27, 2014 - 4:09 PM
For the record, Park Ridge E36 was very much in service today (2/27) at 3:10 p.m. as it followed its ambulance to a medical emergency at the downtown commuter station. It looked very good. Crew of two on the engine and two on the ambo. There may have been some staffing changes.
#2 by Rob on February 18, 2014 - 10:24 AM
Will you replace the 1995 and 1996 Pierce Saber Engines?
#3 by Jeff Sorensen on February 18, 2014 - 10:13 AM
Our new BC 35 buggy will be in service late this week, or early next week. It is a 2014 Expedition. For 15 years or more, we have not numbered the Ambos. This is because we have purchased three (3) new ones at a time, and consistently rotate them to keep two (2) in service at all times and in effect, spread the milelage. This too is supposed to change next year when we will purchase only two new. I would expect they will be numbered 35 and 36 at that time
#4 by T. B. on February 17, 2014 - 10:05 PM
Drew, I get where you are coming from. I know what the ACT is. I have heard RED dispatch calls in towns who were on the ACT, and the company officer has pulled their apparatus off the ACT to go on the calls in their town! Kudos to the company officer. What training justifies missing an actual fire, or emergency call? If I was on the ACT and I heard a call come in for a fire or an emergency in my town or my neighbors and we were close in proximity, guess who would go? WE WOULD! The company Officer on the ACT should be monitoring the radio. RED is amazing but so is a good company Officer!
#5 by Sebastian on February 17, 2014 - 3:28 PM
Why are park ridge’s ambo’s not #’d?
#6 by Rob on February 17, 2014 - 11:00 AM
Any plans for 2014 to replace any of the engines and the BC buggy?
#7 by Drew Smith on February 16, 2014 - 11:38 PM
Park Ridge Station 36 does not staff E36, they staff TWR 36 and usually with four members. E36 is held in reserve.
As for Niles E2, I would assume that since Niles had Truck 2 at this fire that they would not send E2 also. If a Niles engine would also be due, it’s about the same distance for either E2 or E3.
Personally, I would not make any other assumption other than most departments are not going to send more than one suppression company mutual aid to the same incident unless it is on different levels of alarm or there is another agreement in place.
As for the ACT (active company training) program I have no idea why one could assume that that has anything to do with this. If a company is on ACT then RED Center would simply send the covering company.
#8 by Jeff Sorensen on February 16, 2014 - 11:22 PM
Auto aid for this area is Rosemont Truck and Norwood Park Engine. Park Ridge E36 is not staffed at Minmums, rather we staff Engine 35 with 3 and Tower 36 with 4. All of Park Ridge code 3’s get 2 Engines, 2 Ambulances, 2 Trucks in total, along with BC 35.
#9 by T. B. on February 16, 2014 - 4:59 PM
They must have been on the ACT Program?! It sounds like this program is more important then emergency calls in Niles?
#10 by RPF on February 16, 2014 - 3:01 PM
Isn’t Niles engine 2 due in that part of Park Ridge?
#11 by Sebastian on February 16, 2014 - 6:52 AM
Is parkridge engine 36 still oos? If so do they have plans of turning it into e 35 or selling it?