From the Quad County Fire Equipment Inc. and Fire Truck Resources Facebook page Homer Township Tower 31 for sale2007 Pierce 100Ft Platform
61,798 Miles
From the Quad County Fire Equipment Inc. and Fire Truck Resources Facebook page Homer Township Tower 31 for sale
2007 Pierce 100Ft Platform
61,798 Miles
thanks Hunter
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Grant funding has allowed Carpentersville firefighters to acquire new air packs and masks.
More than a year ago, the Carpentersville Fire Department learned it had secured funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant program to replace their old breathing apparatus, which were set to be retired next year.
Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling said at the village board meeting Tuesday that funding had been received. A total of $262,300, which included the village’s required 10 percent match, was used to purchase 36 new air packs as well as masks that contain a built-in thermal imaging camera.
As a follow up to the previous post about the newest pumper in St Charles, here are images representing some of their past engines from various contributors.
Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro photo
Bill Friedrich photo
John Tulipano photo
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
After the St. Charles Fire Department retired Engine 102 Saturday morning, firefighters pushed its replacement into the station. The push-in ritual is traditional when new equipment is brought on board, dating back to the days of horse-drawn engines.
“This is a tradition that has been around for a long time to welcome a new fire engine into service,” Fire Chief Joseph Schelstreet said.
Current and retired firefighters participated in the event at St. Charles Fire Station No. 2, which also included a blessing from the Rev. David Peck, and the ceremonial transfer of water from the old truck to the new.
“We take a bucket of water from the old truck and transfer it into the top of the new one, which is symbolic of passing the life blood from one truck to the other,” Schelstreet said.
Peck, a former volunteer firefighter in Rochelle whose father and uncle were assistant fire chiefs in Montgomery and Aurora, respectively, said the rituals help form a bond among fire department personnel.
“This ceremony is a tradition that provides a sense of identity and roots, and that’s good,” he said. “People that grew up as firemen always felt this push-in ceremony was an honor.”
The tradition can be traced to the late 1800s, when fire departments used horse-drawn equipment and hand-drawn pumpers. Since it was difficult to get horses to push equipment backwards, firefighters would move it by hand into the storage bays.
The new engine cost more than $600,000 and was designed with input from the fire department and a number of upgrades. The engine should see about 12 years of active service, followed by another eight in reserve.
Former St. Charles Firefighter Don Frohling, a 37-year department veteran, was on hand for the event Saturday.
thanks Dan
Photos from Larry Shapiro of the new prospect Heights Tanker 9.
2016 Freightliner M2 112 cab and chassis/Alexis 1250/3000 tanker so 2283
Prospect Heights Tanker 9 – 2016 Freightliner M2 112/Alexis 1250/3000 tanker so 2283. Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro photo
Oct 22
Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:
A firefighter and two residents were injured during a house fire in Robbins on Saturday morning.
Upon arrival, firefighters found three people had self-evacuated. Robbins FD Lt. Justin Jackson was among those who made entry into the burning home.
“Started to knock the fire down and out of nowhere just a really strong burst of steam hit me in the face. I thought I was on fire,” said Jackson.
He was not, but upon exiting the house others realized Jackson had been injured. His right ear was severely burned. He was rushed to Metro South Hospital in Blue Island with first and second degree burns to the ear, a ruptured ear drum, and smoke inhalation.
Two of the home’s residents suffered burns, both are expected to recover.
thanks Dan
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Five Park Ridge FD paramedics were recognized recently by the fire department and the city’s elected officials for their efforts in saving the life of a former Rosemont elementary school teacher last spring.
“My wife was a very sick woman the morning of May 11,” Park Ridge resident Tony Saracco said during the Oct. 16 recognition at City Hall.
Firefighter/paramedics Paul Harris, Jeff Laube, Geoffrey Mleko, and Greg Woodford, and Lt. John Ortlund, each received an Outstanding Job Performance commendation for the advanced life support they provided Saracco’s wife, Bonnie, before taking her to the hospital, said Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen.
Excerpts from the Woodstockindependentcom:
Service cuts at Woodstock’s hospital could cost the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional equipment and personnel.
About 44 percent of Woodstock-area ambulance transports in September bypassed Centegra Hospital-Woodstock for other hospitals, according to data from WFRD. By contrast, in January, about 10 percent of WFRD’s transports went elsewhere.
In mid-August, Centegra-Woodstock stopped accepting most inpatient admissions. The hospital continues to run a basic emergency room, and it offers other services, but patients who need overnight stays are being treated at Centegra-Huntley or Centegra-McHenry. That means WFRD’s ambulance runs for people with conditions ranging from serious allergic reactions to pneumonia must be transported out of town.
The additional drive time which comes with taking many patients from Woodstock to Huntley or McHenry has Fire Chief Michael Hill thinking about the future. For decades, Woodstock’s ambulance service has been structured for paramedics to deliver patients to the emergency room and be back on the road quickly — sometimes in just five or 10 minutes.
Now, Hill said, a trip to an out-of-town hospital can take an ambulance out of service for 35 to 40 minutes. For a district that runs about 12 calls a day, that time adds up. On occasion, if all three WFRD ambulances are out, crews from neighboring towns are called in to cover.
“If you go to the Woodstock hospital and drop off your patients, you’re ready to respond. An ambulance is available,” Hill said. “If you’re out in McHenry or Huntley, you’re too far away. You’re not available.”
A Centegra official said the health system is working with WFRD and that Woodstock’s ER can provide emergency care to the vast majority of patients.
“Our collaboration with Woodstock EMS is a work in progress, and we continue to discuss the ways to best serve patients in Woodstock and its surrounding communities,” Catie Schmit, Centegra’s director of emergency services, wrote in an email. “We are identifying additional opportunities for education to be sure patients are taken to the emergency room that provides the most appropriate care for their conditions.”
Hill cautioned WFRD’s most recent data only takes into account about a month’s worth of transports, so it’s still too early to decide if the district will need to hire more staff or buy another ambulance. But he said there’s a chance WFRD — and, by extension, taxpayers — will need to spend more to make up for the reduction in services at Woodstock’s hospital.
Buying a new ambulance would cost about $210,000, and hiring more employees to staff it would cost easily more than $100,000 a year in salaries, benefits and other expenses.
In the case of walk-ins to Centegra-Woodstock, private ambulances are being used to transport patients to other hospitals at their expense. (Insurance typically covers at least part of this cost, which can run in the thousands. WFRD ambulance trips come with a bill, too, ranging from about $500 to $900 for residents.) When patients call 911 for an ambulance, they will be taken directly to the hospital which can best treat them. Ambulance crews are directed by hospital doctors as to where to go.
Hill is worried that injured or sick people will decide to skip the ambulance altogether by driving themselves to the hospital when they’re in no shape to do so.
“Don’t be afraid to call 911. The most disturbing stories I’ve heard were of people that needed help and didn’t want to call the ambulance because they weren’t sure what was going to happen,” Hill said. “We, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, are going to take care of you. We’re going to get you to the correct hospital and get you the treatment you need.”
thanks Dan
From Momence fire protection district Facebook page:
Introducing the new Brush 95! Momence Fire took delivery of the new brush truck on Saturday, October 21st. The new brush truck was manufactured by 1st Attack Engineering Inc. in Indiana. Brush 95 is a 2017 Ford F-550 with a 300-gallon water tank, 350-GPM Darley fire pump, dual man-wells behind the cab and front spray nozzles.
This new unit replaces a nearly 20 year old Chevy 3500 that had a 250-gallon water tank and 200-GPM fire pump.
New Brush 95 meets current NFPA safety standards for brush/wild-land apparatus. Some features are a much greater ground clearance, front spray nozzles, “Man-Wells” for improved safety, Rigid scene lighting, 5-gallon foam cell with a Scotty inductor, and storage compartments with lighting.
Momence FPD Brush 95. 2017 Ford F550/ 1st Attack Engineering Inc. 350/300. Momence FPD photo
Momence FPD photo
Momence FPD photo
thanks Hunter
Excerpts from the dailynorthwestern.com:
The Evanston Fire Department announced at a Tuesday meeting that it is considering the implementation of mobile healthcare as part of its community outreach program.
In its first ever community meeting, the fire department sought input from Evanston residents for a review of their 2014 strategic plan, which remains in effect until 2020. Division Chief Paul Polep said though EFD primarily interacts with community members at their worst moments, the department is trying to expand its outreach.
But four police department officials were greeted Tuesday night by an empty room at the Levy Senior Center.
In a discussion of their strategic plan, Fire Chief Brian Scott said the department was considering investing in a cutting edge mobile integrated healthcare program to Evanston.
The mobile healthcare program would allow residents to be treated in their own home instead of at the hospital. Under the new model, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant capable of making diagnoses and writing prescriptions would be sent to the patient’s home.
“It’s a better way to better serve the community,” Scott said. “It’s a better way to address people who have chronic health issues because sometimes 911 is all they have.”
This program could also be used by residents who suffer from serious illnesses like diabetes.
The mobile physician assistants and nurse practitioners would be provided by Presence Saint Francis Hospital and NorthShore University HealthSystem.
Scott said he looked to the Rockford Fire Department for inspiration after it implemented the program in 2014 through a partnership with SwedishAmerican. The fire department saw a 54 percent decrease in emergency department visits, a 38 percent drop in ambulance runs and a 28 percent reduction in hospital admissions by patients enrolled in the program.
The department’s goals extend beyond the mobile healthcare program. Scott said he also foresees the potential use of drones in future operations.
Scott, himself a recreational drone owner, said the drones could be used for extended operations including lakefront rescues and surveillance of buildings damaged by large disasters.
There will be two more community meetings on Nov. 4 and Nov. 15 where residents will have the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the strategic plan, Scott said. There is also an online survey where residents can express their expectations for the department.
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For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
