This from the Prospect Heights Fire District:
At 14:42 hours on 8/29/17, Prospect Heights companies were dispatched for a crash at the intersection of Wildwood Drive West and Stonegate West. RED Center reported an auto had collided with a school bus. Chief 901 arrived and reported an occupied school bus was off the road and the auto had heavy damage and was still occupied. The initial dispatch was upgraded to a pin-in response and two additional ambulances were sent by RED Center based on reports from callers. PH companies used a Hurst eDraulics tool to open one door. A9 and A39 each transported patients. A23 and Tanker 9 evaluated all the bus passengers; none were injured. The school principal reported to the scene and took possession of the children who were transferred to another bus. No other hazards were present. Companies on scene: A9, A39, E9, Tanker 9 (was on the air for drill), Wheeling A23, 901, and 900.
Prospect Heights Fire District photo
Prospect Heights Fire District photo
Prospect Heights Fire District photo
#1 by Drew Smith on September 1, 2017 - 5:25 PM
Earlier this year Squad 9 was reassigned as a special service company and is now due only on special teams type incidents (Dive, TRT, and Haz Mat). It is also used as a reserve engine when either E9 or E39 is out of service. The reason for this was to eliminate the Station 9 crew from constantly jumping between E9 and S9 depending on the call type. A review of data for four years indicated no savings in fuel or maintenance expense, an increase in response times, confusion between the PHFD and RED Center, and most importantly that 25 percent of the time S9 (instead of E9) responded on reported fires as it was on the street. S9 has less hose, less water, and less pump capacity than E9. –Drew Smith, Fire Chief, Prospect Heights FPD
#2 by Bob on August 30, 2017 - 5:41 PM
What happened to Squad 9. They haven’t been running with it for a while.