This from Dave Weaver:
3rd Alarm (internal) house fire w/ communication 212 & 216 S. LaSalle St. – Photos by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
Photo by Dave Weaver/Radioman911
More photos at firescenes.net and radioman911.com
Excerpts from the Daily-Journal.com:
The demolition team tearing down the old Kankakee Roper factory site came across a bit of history last week. The sign was still intact when they pulled away some of the red brick veneer: West Kankakee Fire Department.
It was a reminder that West Kankakee was once its own entity, with its own fire protection district. That sort of history is in the books, but it’s also stored in the memories of Jim Maass, the fire chief at this station from 1961 until 1982. He’s 92 now and started with the west side department in 1947. He understood the premise: There was no pay at all for the firefighters or ambulance crew members. “You did the job because you wanted to help people,” he said.
“The Roper Corporation built that fire house for us,” he said, “It opened in 1957. And they probably got a break on their insurance having a fire department so close, but they were still very good to us. It was their boiler house man who set off the siren for us.
He can still describe the station on Illinois Route 17 West. He remembers the three bays, one for the ambulance, or what was called the inhalator then. It was named after a breathing assistance device used before CPR was developed.
“We kind of made our own out of a 1954 Ford bread truck,” he said. “Then, later, we bought a real 1963 GMC ambulance. That went to the Kankakee department when we were annexed.” The other two bays were reserved for engines. “I think there was a 1947 Dodge and and 1958 International.”He remembers the calls, too.
“The worst one was probably the downtown Kankakee fire. The 100 block of South Schuyler [Avenue], the west side of the street. We fought it all day and all night.”
The worst for Maass, though, was the Limestone school fire, Dec. 1, 1966.
“I wanted to get up and look at where the fire was coming through the roof. It was just peeling that roof open,” he said. “I was up on a ladder, 21 feet, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I shattered my elbow. Heck, it broke my helmet into three pieces, but I think it saved my life.”
The elbow still hurts today, but talk of the camaraderie among fire fighters still brings a smile to his face. Even as he talks about some of the nightmarish scenes he witnessed.
“There was a case when we were called to a car running into a train. The guys asked me to come and look. The driver… she was hurt pretty bad, they said. There was a lot of blood and her scalp seemed to be just hanging on. “I told them to tie a clean towel around it and get her to the hospital. That’s where they told us it wasn’t quite that bad. The lady was wearing a wig, and we hadn’t come across anything like that back then.”
thanks Dennis
Excerpts from ABC7Chicago.com:
One dog was rescued, a firefighter was injured, and one dog was killed in a Tuesday afternoon fire in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
The 2-11 alarm fire broke out in the 2700-block of North Campbell around 12:30 p.m. The original fire building was at 2720 N. Campbell and had exposures to north and south.
A Chicago police officer was driving on I-90 when she noticed the smoke pouring from the home. She hopped off the expressway, ran into the burning building and helped four people get out. She was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation then returned to her shift.
The fire spread from the originating building to a neighboring structure. There were two dogs inside the burning homes cell phone video shows firefighters running one of them out of the house.
Both buildings are now un-inhabitable. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
thanks Dan
This from Brad Steinweg:
Lansing had a full still around 15:00 Tuesday (6/21/16) for a house fire on the 2900 block of E. Ridge RD. Fire was knocked after I arrived as it was about a block down from the station. Assisting companies included Thornton, Cal City, Munster, & South Holland.
-Brad S.
Brad Steinweg photo
Brad Steinweg photo
Brad Steinweg photo
Photos from Tim Olk of the 4-Alarm fire in Antioch, 6-21-16
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
more photos at firescenes.net
Excerpts from theDailyHerald.com:
One person was injured and a house destroyed in four-alarm fire on Hawthorn Lane in unincorporated Lake County near Antioch, fire officials said.
Chris Lienhardt, deputy chief of the Antioch Fire Protection District, said crews were called to the house at 5:19 a.m. with a report that a male was trapped inside. Heavy fire and smoke were visible in the rear of the structure when firefighters arrived on the scene.
Firefighters entered the house and pulled the male from the fire who was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
“This is what every firefighter trains for; to go in and put yourself in harm’s way to rescue someone,” Lienhardt said.
The fire went to a 4th alarm due to the lack of water in the area.
The house sustained extensive damage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Jun 21
New buggy for Lyons FD Chief 1301
Lyons FD 1301. 2016 Ford Explorer. Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Photos from Gordon J. Nord, Jr.
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Excerpts from theHerald-News.com:
The Lockport Township Fire Protection District has been around for 121 years, and until a few weeks ago the building that was Station 1 had lasted for almost half that time.
But … the 1959 structure at Seventh and Ninth streets needed to be replaced. Fire trustees and officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking for that replacement Friday morning. Construction equipment began moving actual dirt about an hour later. The $3.8 million project is scheduled to be completed in February.
“Some men spent their entire careers working out of that building, many children visited as youngsters including some of our members who would go on to work there,” Firefighters Local 1544 President Jeremiah Gericke said. “There was some sadness as many people came down for a last look, but at the same time the old [station] was not without its issues.”
Fire Chief Dave Skoryi said the old station had insulation and flooding problems, sewer and electrical lines needed to be replaced, most modern equipment was too large to fit in the bay doors and there were no facilities for women firefighters.
The fire district serves 77,000 people in Lockport, Crest Hill and Romeoville. Station 1 typically responds to calls in central Lockport and the northeast section of Lockport Township.
Deputy Fire Chief Frank Blaskey said the engine from Station 1 will operate from Station 4 and the ambulance will be at Station 6 during construction. The Homer Township and Northwest Homer fire districts will also respond for calls near their area.
Lockport Fire District President David Palya said the design of the 7,390-square-foot station will reflect the district’s past while modernizing the structure.
thanks Dennis
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