Archive for January 29th, 2016

Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District news

From the Barrington and Countryside FPD website:

The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) Board of Trustees has established a team of experienced officers to lead an orderly transition of fire department operations before Fire Chief/Administrator Jeffrey A. Swanson’s three-year employment agreement ends in July 2016, Fire District President Thomas C. Long, M.D., announced.

The resolution approved at the Board’s December 21st meeting establishes a Transition Team of Deputy Chief James Kreher, Deputy Chief Donald J. Wenschhof, Assistant Chief Nick Asta, and Assistant Chief Scott Motisi to work closely with Chief Swanson over the next several months.  It also outlines specific department functions each member will take the lead in overseeing:

  • Deputy Chief Wenschhof – Operations.
  • Deputy Chief Kreher – Administration.
  • Assistant Chief Asta – Vehicles and equipment.
  • Assistant Chief Motisi – Training.

“My fellow trustees and I have been extremely impressed by the professionalism and dedication shown by the officers who comprise the Transition Team,” Dr. Long said.  “This represents an opportunity to leverage their experience for the benefit of our residents while we begin the process of finding our next fire chief.”

Chief Swanson was hired by the Board of Trustees in 2013 on a three-year employment contract to establish a new fire department that provides higher levels of service to district residents.  The BCFPD began independent operations in January 2014, after years of purchasing fire and emergency medical services from a neighboring community.

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Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District chief resigns

Excerpts from theDailyHerald.com:

Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District trustees were poised to bring on two new board members Thursday to help the district deal with some of the biggest changes its leadership has ever contemplated.

Trustees though accepted the resignation of Carl DeLeo, the district’s chief of operations and de facto chief. It was actually the third time DeLeo quit, according to Ken Shepro, the attorney for the fire district.

Trustees are expected to announced an interim chief possibly as soon as Friday … [and] a group of dozens of district residents put trustees on notice this week that they didn’t like DeLeo’s plans to convert the full-time staff into part-timers in an effort to save money and at least stall the need to ask residents for a tax increase.

The district has been running on a shoestring budget for many months. The district had only about $48,000 in reserves coming into the fiscal year. That total was bolstered by the sale of some rental property. But the one-time boost won’t be enough to sustain operations in the long term. Finances are so perilous that trustees have even contemplated what would happen if the district was forced to dissolve.

Three trustees interviewed replacements for former President Jim Gaffney and Terry Jeglum, who previously resigned. The interviews occurred in closed session. It appeared there were no more than three people interested in the trustee positions.

thanks Dan

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Anniversary of multiple LODD at the Hubbard Street Fire January 28, 1961

From Chicagofirefightersmonument.org:

On January 28, 1961, at 6:30 a.m., the Chicago Fire Department responded to a seven-story warehouse fire at 614 W. Hubbard St.  The structure was heavily involved and within 20 minutes the alarm was raised to a 5-11. The response brought more than 300 men, 67 pieces of equipment, and two fireboats pumping water from the Chicago River.

Battalion Chief George Kuhn led several firefighters onto the roof of an adjacent two-story building  to run a hose into the burning warehouse. Without warning, the adjoining warehouse wall collapsed onto the smaller building, burying Chief Kuhn and his firefighters. Other firefighters raced to rescue those buried in the rubble and, as they worked, the roof of the smaller building collapsed, burying the initial victims and rescuers.

In all nine fireman perished, including two battalion chiefs.

  • Battalion Chief George Rees, Engine 40, Battalion 1
  • Battalion Chief George Kuhn, Engine 19, Battalion 5
  • Lt. Charles Rauch, Engine 114
  • Lt. Louis Repkin, Truck 19
  • Firefighter Hillard S. Augustine, Squad 10
  • Firefighter William Hillistad, Engine 44
  • Firefighter Stanley Sliwinski, Engine 26
  • Firefighter Ciro Zuccarello, Engine 26
  • Firefighter Robert Burns, Squad 2

thanks Dan

hubbard_street_sully_kolomay-1 hubbard_street_sully_kolomay-2

Click the link above for a photo gallery that is Courtesy of the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago

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New engine for Glenwood

From the HME Fire Trucks Facebook page:

HME side-mount pumper heads for service with the Glenwood Fire Department, Village of Glenwood, IL. Features: tight-turning HME 1871-SFO custom chassis, 2000-GPM HME Hydra Technology™, 750-gallon tank, corrosion resistant pumper-style body, storage solutions and more. Congratulations to the Glenwood Fire Department and Fire Chief Kevin Welsh.

new fire engine for the Glenwood FD

HME Fire Trucks photo

new fire engine for the Glenwood FD

HME Fire Trucks photo

new fire engine for the Glenwood FD

HME Fire Trucks photo

fire engine pump panel

HME Fire Trucks photo

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