Archive for January 11th, 2017

Chicago Fire Department news

Excerpts from a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune:

With the ringing in of another new year usually comes a fuzzy feeling of renewed hope. For some 30,000 retired City of Chicago workers, however, the arrival of Jan. 1 brought with it the stark reality that they no longer have the health care coverage that they were promised when they were hired decades ago. It is truly a sad time in the history of this great city.

The retired firefighters and paramedics we represent risked their lives each day throughout their careers to protect Chicago’s citizens. Many suffered severe and debilitating injuries and illnesses directly linked to their public service. Now, in their time of need, the city has chosen let them become someone else’s responsibility.

A previous court settlement had split the cost of a retiree’s health care coverage three ways; the retiree, the retiree’s pension fund and the City of Chicago would all contribute to pay premiums. Sounds fair, doesn’t it? But Mayor Rahm Emanuel had other ideas. Even though this plan of “shared sacrifice” was in practice for decades, the city decided it wanted to “get out of the retiree health care business” altogether. These elders have now been left to fend for themselves. Many of these affected, including widows in their 80s and some in their 90s, are already living near the poverty level. Some no longer have the mental capacity to understand what is happening to them. Others are being forced to consider going back to work. Realistically, who will want to hire them? In others words, Chicago helped balance its budget by kicking former public servants to the curb. Nice.

Chicago calls itself a sanctuary city; a place where people can come to feel safe and secure. I guess that’s true just as long as you’re not one of these unfortunate former employees.

Tom Ryan, president
Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2

thanks Dan

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Carpentersville Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

For the second time in less than six months, Carpentersville firefighter-paramedics have been able to save a life with the aid of an automatic CPR device.

Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling told village trustees at a recent meeting that firefighters responded to a person whose cardiac monitor rhythm had flatlined. With the use of the Lucas Chest Compression System, which provides uninterrupted chest compressions in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, the patient was revived.

 The device frees up first-responders firefighters to do other critical life-saving tasks, such as ventilation, drug therapy and defibrillation.

“If you have to move a patient, it still does CPR. In the past, before having this, when you moved the patient, there was a pause in CPR because it’s difficult for somebody to compress a chest when you can’t put an arm behind them,” Schilling said. “But this machine wraps around the torso and continually does compressions.”

The device, which cost about $14,000, was paid for by the village.

Emergency responders Firefighters were field-testing the device in July when they were able to use it to revive a woman in cardiac arrest.

“We try to save lives every day, but sometimes the patient is not physically revivable, whether it’s due to poor condition of their heart or they don’t respond well to the drugs or compressions with the machines,” Schilling said. “But there are patients where, if we can get to them quick enough and they’re in good physiological shape, we can make a difference. This case proves it.”

thanks Dan

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Long Grove FD orders new engine (more)

Production at E-ONE has begun on the new Typhoon engine for Long Grove so#140766

fire engine being built

E-ONE photo

fire engine being built

E-ONE photo

fire engine being built

E-ONE photo

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Vintage 5-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 2-17-74

This from Steve Redick:

February 1974 5-11 and 2 Specials 26th & Rockwell. Found some news clippings to share. This is one fire I will never forget, one of the largest I have ever seen.

Vintage Chicago Tribune news clipping of a 5-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, February 17, 1974 Vintage Chicago Tribune news clipping of a 5-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, February 17, 1974

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