Archive for September, 2015

Mt Prospect chief to take job in Lake Zurich (more)

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The [Lake Zurich] Village Board voted unanimously Sept. 21 to approve the appointment of Mt. Prospect Fire Chief John Malcolm,   to become Lake Zurich’s new fire chief starting Oct. 19.

Malcolm served 29 years in Mt. Prospect including 12 years as a firefighter and lieutenant, as chief for five years and deputy chief for 12 years. He was selected as part of a process that interviewed 43 candidates.

As head of the Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department, Malcolm will oversee four fire stations serving the village comprising seven square miles and the Lake Zurich Rural Fire Protection District, which spans 18 square miles across four neighboring communities and unincorporated Lake County. The district also serves Deer Park and North Barrington, and has 59 full-time employees and a 2016 budget of $11 million.

Malcolm plans to review a 2015 study of the Lake Zurich department by the International City/County Management Association Center for Public Safety Management and to work with the village staff to determine whether any changes are needed.

Malcolm replaces embattled former Fire Chief David Wheelock, who retired in May.

 

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New engine in Dolton

This from Dennis McGuire, Jr.:

This is Dolton, Illinois Engine 1445, a 2014 PierceDash CF PUC 1500/500 Serial# 27444.  It was bought as a demo.

Pierce Dash CF PUC

Dolton Engine 1445 – 2014 Pierce Dash CF PUC 1500/500 so 27444. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

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New tankers for Kankakee Township

From the Pierce Flickr site

Kenworth Pierce tanker fire truck

Pierce composite

Pierce so #286441-1

thanks Al

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Franklin Park fire chief retires

Excerpts from theChicagoTribune.com:

Franklin Park Fire Chief Steve Iovinelli is retiring.

“On Sept. 29, 1980, I started my career with the Franklin Park Fire Department. I’ll be completing my journey retiring on my 35th anniversary,” Iovinelli said.

Before joining the department, Iovinelli had been working alongside his father at a heating and air conditioning company. In his mid-20s he said he saw an ad for the Franklin Park Fire Department and after passing the fire exam, began a career that spanned over three decades with Franklin Park.

In his time with the department, he’s served as secretary of its pension board for 21 years and has worked to stay current as a paramedic in good standing with Loyola University. In June of 2010, he became the department’s interim fire chief before being officially appointed to the position in September later that year. Iovinelli is described as having the respect and admiration of rank and file members of the department and knowledge as a firefighter and fire chief that Village President Barrett Pedersen called astronomical.

During his time as chief, Iovinelli was able to successfully pursue over a million dollars of grants for the village and oversee an initiative to have the village’s fire department go back to offering paramedic services, a move he said allowed the village to save money by not outsourcing it to private companies.

Battalion Chief Bill Brehm, who’s been with the department since 1993, will succeed Iovinelli as Franklin Park’s new fire chief.

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Palatine FD remembers fallen firefighters

General Release

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Vintage CFD fire scene

From the collection of Wayne Stuart – unknown dates, locations, and photographers.

Vintage Chicago fire scene

Vintage Chicago fire scene From the collection of Wayne Stuart – unknown date, location, and photographer.

Vintage Chicago fire scene

Vintage Chicago fire scene From the collection of Wayne Stuart – unknown date, location, and photographer.

Check HERE for a previous post.

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2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 9-25-15 (more)

Excerpts from ABC7Chicago.com:

A house fire that killed a young girl and injured eight people on the city’s South Side Friday night was caused by “careless use of smoking materials,” fire investigators said, and the fire began on a back stairwell and quickly spread. Because there were no working smoke detectors inside the home, 12-year-old Tatiana Joseph had no warning and became trapped.

Firefighters arrived at the two-and-a-half story house around 10 p.m. Friday to find heavy dense smoke and flames shooting out of the building’s roof as a group of children and teens were sleeping in the attic.

Witnesses say all of them except Tatiana jumped from a front window to safety after the back stairwell to the attic, which was littered with clothing, became engulfed in flames. By the time the fire was out, eight people were left seriously injured and Tatiana was dead. She was found near an attic closet. The most seriously of the injured was a 16-year-old boy who jumped to safety from the attic window. He suffered broken bones and deep cuts.

“There were a lot of firefighters on hand because we knew there was a little girl missing,” said Asst. Deputy Fire Commissioner Mark Nielsen, Chicago Fire Department.

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New engine in Mt Prospect

This from Tyler Tobolt:

Stopped by the MPFD open house and here are some pictures of the new Engine 12.

Thanks Tyler Tobolt
Pierce Quantum fire engine

Tyler Tobolt photo

Pierce Quantum fire engine

Tyler Tobolt photo

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Filming for the tv show ChicagoMed

Images from Tim Olk downtown this weekend during a taping for the new tv show ChicagoMED

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

Scene from the taping of an episode of the tv show Chicago MED

Tim Olk photo

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Gary to cross-train police officers and firefighters

Excerpts from the NorthwestIndianaTimes.com:

The city is expected to follow the lead of other cities like Benton Harbor, Mich., in cross-training police and firefighters.

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, who spoke about the proposal at Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting, said the idea could help hold down costs while providing more of a police presence on the streets. The incentive for public safety officers to acquire such skills would be an increase in pay as well as a chance to increase their marketability, she said.

The city’s proposed budget for next year already calls for a $5,000 increase in pay for police and firefighters. This follows an earlier $2,500 increase approved for the current year and the mayor is proposing another $2,500 increase for 2017.

With the proposed raise for next year, patrol officers would see their pay increase from $41,804 to $46,804. As a public safety officer trained in both police and firefighting skills, a person would be paid more than $50,000. Cost savings, she said, would come from needing fewer people overall in the two departments.

Freeman-Wilson thought it might be next year before the city would see its first public safety officers and indicated there would always be those who want to do one job or the other and not both.

… with the possibility of other cities luring public safety officers away once they complete their training in Gary, the mayor said that at one time the city required officers to have to pay back the cost of their training if they did not serve three years with the city, and the administration is looking into the possibility of re-instituting such a policy.

thanks Dan

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