Archive for January 10th, 2017

Cancer in the fire service (more)

Excerpts from wtvr.com:

A Richmond fire chief battling stage four cancer is using journey, and the journey of his new scooter, to spread a critical message to firefighters across the country.

Battalion Chief David “Chico” Creasy said his chemotherapy treatments have severely limited his mobility since his cancer diagnosis in 2014. Richmond Firefighter Roger Myers knows the realities of cancer intimately, so he devised a plan to help Chief Creasy. He lost his father to cancer in December, so he decided to give him his father’s scooter.

“[My dad] built a bond of friendship with Battalion Chief Creasy while the two battled cancer,” Myers said. “[My dad] expressed that if he ever lost his battle, he wanted his friend Chico to have anything he could provide to help him continue his.”

Myers arranged the largest bucket brigade ever to deliver the scooter from Florida to Richmond. Dozens of fire departments in five states have signed on to help transport it, but the firefighters helping out will also receive a message from Creasy.

“The more we got to talking about it, the more we realized this was a platform to spread Chico’s message to the fire service,” Myers said.

“When you’re battling the fire, you also have to realize you’re battling a lot of toxic materials,” Creasy said. “[and] need to be more aware about how we can get cancer, what we can do to avoid it.”

Creasy said he has no family history of cancer, so his doctors believe his 48 years battling fires likely led to his illness. He points to studies that have found firefighters are exposed to up 50,000 toxins or carcinogens when responding to a structure fire and hopes every firefighter helping his new scooter along the way will research the cancer risks they face on a daily basis.

His doctors say he is doing better than most patients in his circumstance. Creasy credits that, in part, to the support of he has gotten from firefighters across the country.

The financial challenges of cancer are also impacting Creasy’s journey. He said he pays thousands of dollars out of pocket each month to pay for treatments not covered by his insurance. It is one reason Creasy urges all firefighters to explore their cancer insurance options.

On top of the scooter, Myers set up a Pay Pal account to help the family pay for medical expenses.

You can track the scooter’s journey of Facebook; it’s expected to arrive in Richmond on January 12.

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Overseas request

Hey firefighters from Chicago.

I´m sorry that my english isn´t the best! I´m a german paramedic and firefighter. I´m looking for Patches from your Fire Department Chicago because I was there 2008 and visit my friend. He lives in East Troy (Wi) .
Maybe it is possible to send me some Patches from your Department or City.
I can send you some patches, too.
I hope for an answer.
Have a nice day!
With best regards:   Jonas Wassermeyer
                             Fire Department 40
                             Oldenburg in Holstein
                             Germany
German firefighter

Jonas Wassermeyer
Fire Department 40
Oldenburg in Holstein
Germany

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Knollwood Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Trustees from the Rockland Fire Protection Board – which oversees the Knollwood Fire Department – met with Libertyville officials to hear a proposal from the department about taking over firefighting services, according to Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani. The Libertyville Fire Department has provided ambulance service to Knollwood for the last two years.

The proposal will likely be discussed at the Jan. 9 meeting of the Rockland Fire Protection District board scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Knollwood Fire Station, 14 Skokie Highway, Lake Bluff.

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2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 1-8-17 (more)

Excerpts from WGNTV.com:

Three people were injured in an extra alarm fire Sunday morning on Chicago’s West Side, leaving a long-time resident looking for a place to live as authorities investigate the cause. Two people suffered smoke inhalation, and another was treated for exposure to the extreme cold Sunday morning.

Patrice Ammons said she did lose a lot in the fire that destroyed her West Side home of 20 years – but not everything. For one, she had gratitude for the firefighters who saved her.

“You can replace material things, but you can’t get your life back, and all of us are safe because of them,” Ammons said. “I really want to tell the firemen thank you, I got my brother out, and I couldn’t get back. That fireman did not hesitate, he took off his cap, he went in blind and I wish I knew who he was, so that I could say thank you.”

Ammons said sometime between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday, her brother told her something was burning. The back of the two story building was in flames, which ripped through the roof, and engulfed the whole back wall.

The fire had escalated to two alarms –at the time temperatures in the city were hovering around zero degrees. Eventually more than 100 firefighters responded.

Patrice Ammons lost her home and most of what she owns, you can’t control the circumstances, she says, but you can control your attitude.

thanks Dan

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