Archive for June 2nd, 2015

New in-house alert system for Crystal Lake

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

The Crystal Lake City Council unanimously approved buying a new firehouse alert system for all three of the city’s stations …

The new alert system has been something the Crystal Lake Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board … has been working on for two years, Fire Rescue Chief Paul DeRaedt said.

The system … may reduce the department’s response times by getting the firefighters out the door quicker. Information about the [call] will come in as the dispatcher is taking the call, appearing on a screen and notifying the firefighters that they should start to head for their vehicles.

In the future, the alerts also may be limited to [the] one station that needs to respond instead of all three, as is currently the case…

Low bidder APS Firehouse Alerting of Westminister, Maryland, was awarded the contract at just less than $130,000, according to city documents.

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As seen around … the Orland FPD

From Josh Boyajian, a profile of the ambulances in the Orland FPD fleet

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Ambulance 1 – 2006 Ford E-450/Road Rescue Type III (shop ID 6042). Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Ambulance 2 – 2012 Ford E-450/Medtec Type III (shop ID 6002). Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Ambulance 3 – 2012 Ford E-450/Medtec Type III (shop ID 6082). Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Ambulance 4 – 2013 Ford E-450/Road Rescue Type III (shop ID 6062). Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Ambulance 5 – 2009 Ford E-450/Medtec Type III (shop ID 6012). Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Spare Ambulance 7 – 2004 Ford E-450/Road Rescue Type III (shop ID 6022). This is housed at Station 6. Josh Boyajian photo

Orland FPD ambulance

Orland FPD Spare Ambulance 8 – 2006 Ford E-450/Road Rescue Type III (shop ID 6032). This is housed at Station 1. Josh Boyajian photo

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Historic 5-11 Alarm fire with 4 Specials at the Continental Grain Co in 1966

This from Eric Haak:

With things being fairly slow lately, I thought I would share some images of a historical nature.  This would be one of the more memorable fires of the past 50 years.  The abandoned 9-story Continental Grain Company Elevator at 32nd Place & Benson Street stood on the east side of the South Branch of the Chicago River. Just after 7:00 pm on May 25, 1966, the structure went up in flames.  The fire was elevated to a 5-11 with 4 Specials in under 20 minutes.  People old enough to remember this need no description, but for those younger fans, the history of the department is an important thing to bring back into circulation from time to time.  The photographer is unknown and the images are part of my personal collection.

Continental Grain Company Elevator fire in Chicago 5/25/66

5-11 with 4 Specials, May 25, 1966 at the Continental Grain Company Elevator at 32nd Place & Benson Street. Eric Haak collection

Continental Grain Company Elevator fire in Chicago 5/25/66

5-11 with 4 Specials, May 25, 1966 at the Continental Grain Company Elevator at 32nd Place & Benson Street. Eric Haak collection

Continental Grain Company Elevator fire in Chicago 5/25/66

5-11 with 4 Specials, May 25, 1966 at the Continental Grain Company Elevator at 32nd Place & Benson Street. Eric Haak collection

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