Archive for April 24th, 2017

Oak Lawn Fire Department news

Excerpts from chicago.cbslocal.com:

A house explosion and fire in Oak Lawn injured two firefighters and killed pets who were trapped inside around 4 p.m. Friday at 163rd and Kedvale, alongside Interstate 57.

Neighbors say they heard a large explosion. The home owner and his family were OK, but animals inside the home were killed.

Two firefighters were hurt when they were inside the house when an explosion occurred, and they were taken to the hospital.

Cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Lake Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoSuntimes.com:

A firefighter was injured while battling an attic fire Saturday evening in north suburban Lake Forest.

Crews responded to the home near Everett and Waukegan roads about 5 p.m. and found a moderate amount of smoke coming from the attic, according to Lake Forest Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Gallo.

They were able to prevent the fire from spreading, and the blaze was extinguished within about 45 minutes.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury. No other injuries were reported and damages were estimated at about $50,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Hammond Fire Department news

Excerpts from the nwigazette.com:

April 24, 2017-Hammond firefighters responded to call after call last night with at least four structure fires included in the mix.  All of the fires occurred in the Robertsdale area. The calls included one house fire,  three garage fires and numerous trash can fires throughout the area. Battalion Chief Don Koerner confirmed that arson is suspected in all four blazes. Hammond Police have not yet issued a statement, but Chief Koerner confirmed that a person of interest is in custody. No one was injured in any of the fires, but one cat was burned to death in the garage fire on Lake Street.

The fire on Caroline was called in by a neighbor who saw flames shooting from the vacant house. On Lake, which is steps from the fire station, a neighbor told us that firefighters were refilling with water when they saw the flames shooting from the garage.

Here is what we have derived from the scanner at this point:

  • At approximately 4:25 a.m. Fire Fighters were called to 2009 Wespark for a garge fire.
  • At approximately 5:30 a.m. Fire Fighters were dispatched to the 1933 Caroline for a fire in a vacant house
  • At approximately 5:40 a.m. Fire Fighters were called to 2019 Stanton Avenue for a garage fire.
  • At approximately 6:02 a.m. Fire Fighters saw flames shooting from a garage at 2024 Lake Street.

NIPSCO crews could be seen in the area making repairs at multiple locations.

thanks Dan

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Lisle-Woodridge and Darien-Woodridge FPD news (more)

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

A proposal to combine the resources of the Lisle-Woodridge and Darien-Woodridge fire protection districts is being touted as a way to enhance service and improve firefighter safety.

That’s providing little comfort, however, for residents near Downers Grove who will lose their neighborhood fire station if the intergovernmental agreement is approved.

The Darien-Woodridge fire board last week unanimously supported the automatic response agreement that would have both districts operate as a single entity. Lisle-Woodridge’s board is expected to take a deciding vote on the deal Tuesday.

“The advantage for us is we’re going to have more efficient use of staffing and resources,” said Keith Krestan, Lisle-Woodridge’s interim fire chief. “Instead of our five stations and their three stations, it’s going to be seven stations. And we’re going to intermix our resources — our engines, our trucks, our ambulances and our people.”

The plan calls for Darien-Woodridge Station 88 at the southeast corner of Belmont Road and 59th Street to close on May 1. Officials say the closure would be for a trial period that would end Dec. 31, 2018.

Some residents served by that station fear it will never reopen.

Fire officials said the neighborhood would be served by other stations, including one in the Lisle-Woodridge district that’s less than two miles away. As a result, response times to those homes would go up. Officials, however, insist the quality of service would improve.

Now, Darien-Woodridge is able to assign only two firefighters to engines and the ladder. By closing Station 88 and shuffling staff, the department would be able to assign three people per vehicle. Lisle-Woodridge already does that.

“This is the best thing from a fire chief’s perspective for everybody involved,” said Darien-Woodridge Chief Steven Gorsky, adding it’s unfair to residents and patently unsafe for firefighters to have fewer than three people on a fire suppression vehicle.

While the arrangement might sound like a money-saving move, Darien-Woodridge board members say it’s about safety.

Lisle-Woodridge and Darien-Woodridge officials spent more than a year developing a functional cooperation plan after a 2016 study by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association examined what the impact would be on emergency services if the districts operated as one.

Krestan said the departments aren’t ready for consolidation at this point, so they decided to start with cooperation.

While the deal has been in the works for years, residents served by Station 88 said they were only recently notified about the plan.

DuPage County Board member Liz Chaplin, who lives in the area, said neighbors were notified about the closure in a leaflet that arrived in the mail less than a week before the vote by Darien-Woodridge.

Art Thompson, a district vice president with the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois — the union that paid for the 2016 study — said no one went into the talks with the intention of closing a fire station.

“The idea was how could we better utilize the resources we have to better serve the community,” he said.

thanks Scott

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