Archive for January, 2018

New engines for Chicago (more)

updated photos of the new Chicago engines in the delivery center at the E-ONE Hamburg facility

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

new E-ONE fire engine for the Chicago Fire Department

E-ONE photo

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New engine for Braidwood

From the Alexis Fire Apparatus website, an engine in production for Braidwood

Fire engine being built by Alexis for the Braidwood FPD

Alexis Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Alexis for the Braidwood FPD

Alexis Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Alexis for the Braidwood FPD

Alexis Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Alexis for the Braidwood FPD

Alexis Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Alexis for the Braidwood FPD

Alexis Fire Apparatus photo

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3-Alarm fire in Westmont, 1-31-18

Excerpts from nbcchicago.com:

A massive fire in a Westmont apartment complex sent dozens of people running for their lives Wednesday morning.

The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. in the 6700 block of South Park, a terrifying wake-up call for the many residents who said they awoke to the sound of fire alarms and smoke in their homes.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday morning. 

After residents cleared the building, one firefighter ran back into the building to rescue a cat. Scared, but otherwise unharmed, the animal had been separated from his owner in the chaos. 

The Westmont Police Department is being credited for helping many people to safety. 

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Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District news

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Fire officials in Pingree Grove are taking another stab at asking voters permission to borrow $8.5 million to build two new fire stations, which they say will be better positioned to serve a growing population.

A “yes” to the referendum question on the ballot March 20 would yield a property tax increase of about $90 for a house with a $300,000 market value, Fire Chief Mitch Crocetti said. That’s $27 less than the tax increase projected last year, because the district has grown since voters rejected the proposal in April 2017, he said.

The Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District would repay the bonds over 20 years with $2 million from its general fund — at the rate of $100,000 per year — and $6.5 million with the property tax increase that would expire after two decades, Crocetti said.

Informational sessions are planned at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cambridge Lakes Community Center, 1125 Wester Blvd., Pingree Grove and 7 p.m. Thursday at Station 2, 10N980 Rippburger Road, Plato Center.

The district employs 54 firefighters who responded to 1,096 calls in 2017, up from 1,036 calls in 2016. The 50-square-mile district serves about 15,000 residents in Pingree Grove, the north end of Campton Hills, and unincorporated areas. More residences are expected to be built in Cambridge Lakes subdivisions.

The district has three fire stations, two of which — Station 2 on Rippburger Road and Station 4 on Plank Road — are outdated and would be closed and sold if the two new facilities are built.

Station 2 is unstaffed and Station 4 has trailers for firefighters. “They were built as callback stations, they were never intended to be lived in,” he said. The stations are landlocked, but even if they could be upgraded, they are in the wrong spot geographically, he said.

The two new stations, which would have living quarters for firefighters, would be built on land to be purchased on Highland Avenue just east of Coombs Road, and on Dittman Road about ? mile south of Plato Road. The district has earmarked about $600,000 in this year’s $3.3 million budget to buy property and commission architectural plans.

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Of interest … the Romeoville Fire Academy

From the HeraldNews.com:

Dean Bushala has been in television for 20 years and worked on shows “Ice Road Truckers” and “Deadliest Catch”. He has been making an independent documentary that will star the Romeoville Fire Academy. 

“I’m trying to get a better understanding of how firefighters do what they do,” Bushala said. “I was here in Romeoville for a week to do some work with the recruits and do some rappelling on the training tower.”

Bushala previously worked with the Downers Grove Fire Academy years ago on a project with PBS and had stayed in touch with many of the members who are now instructors in Romeoville. They’ve kept in touch, so now for this project, it made sense to reconnect.

The project is aimed for a late summer release.

thanks Dan

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Buffalo Grove Firefighter/Paramedic John Kevin Hauber; January 6, 1967 – January 27, 2018

Buffalo Grove FD Firefighter/Paramedic Kevin Hauber

Buffalo Grove FD Firefighter/Paramedic Kevin Hauber

From Buffalo Grove Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Local 3177

It is with very heavy hearts that we report that Firefighter/Paramedic Kevin Hauber has succumbed to the cancer that he has been fighting for many years. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling

Arrangements for Firefighter/Paramedic John “Kevin” Hauber who has succumb to his fight with cancer. Please keep his Family in your Thoughts and Prayers.

Wake:

Thursday, Feb 1, 2018
Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

15:00 – 21:00

FD walk through at 19:00, line up at 18:30.

Funeral:

Friday, February 2, 2018
St. Mary’s Church
50 N. Buffalo Grove Rd, Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

09:30 – Family prayer at Funeral Home

10:00 – Procession to Church

10:30 – Funeral Mass at Church

From the Village of Buffalo Grove website:

The Village of Buffalo Grove is mourning the loss of 23-year veteran, Firefighter/Paramedic Kevin Hauber 51, who bravely fought against colon cancer for the last four years before succumbing to the disease Saturday, January 27, 2018. Hauber was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing, which included his wife and four young daughters.

“Kevin fought long and hard all while still on the job protecting the people of Buffalo Grove, which was his true passion. He grew up in Buffalo Grove and became a firefighter because his childhood dream was to protect and serve,” the Hauber family said in a statement.

Growing up, he and his twin brother Jim, also a firefighter/paramedic with the Buffalo Grove Fire Department, idolized the characters on the 1970’s show, EMERGENCY! which profiled the crew of a California fire department. In 2014 while undergoing chemotherapy treatments, Hauber met one of the stars of the show, Randy Mantooth, and was able to explain to him how the show motivated he and his brother to become firefighters. Mantooth signed a picture of them as little boys during the meeting, an experience that Hauber cherished.

Hauber began his full-time career in Buffalo Grove in 1994 as a firefighter/paramedic. In 2004, he joined the Associated Firefighters of Illinois (AFFI) Honor Guard, which exists to provide final honors to fallen firefighters throughout the State of Illinois.

According to Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Mike Baker, Hauber deeply believed in the mission of the AFFI Honor Guard, and always made himself available to serve at events that honored fallen comrades.

In 2018, the AFFI Honor Guard presented Kevin with the 2018 Donald J. Bower Commitment to Excellence Award for his dedication and commitment to the Honor Guard.

“Kevin was a caring, loving person who was always happy and never had anything bad to say about anyone, even when he was sick,” said Chief Baker. “He is already missed.” 

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Fatal crash on I-294, 1-29-18

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

Illinois State Police said one person is dead and three people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash that involved three semi trucks and one passenger vehicle near O’Hare Airport on I-294. The crash happened in the southbound lanes at about 8:15 p.m. just south of Balmoral Avenue. All four lanes of traffic were closed due to the crash before reopening Tuesday morning.

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

fatal truck crash on I-294 1/29/18

Tim Olk photo

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North Riverside considers privatizing the fire department (more)

Excerpts from the rblandmark.com:

The Village of North Riverside ran out of legal avenues to force the unilateral termination of union firefighters when the Illinois Supreme Court on Jan. 22 announced that it had denied North Riverside’s petition to appeal an appellate court ruling upholding an Illinois Labor Relations Board decision on the matter.

Back in September 2017, the Illinois Court of Appeals upheld the labor board’s ruling that the village had committed an unfair labor practice by seeking to terminate its contract with union firefighters while that contract was subject to arbitration.

Village attorney Burt Odelson, however, convinced officials to petition the Illinois Supreme Court to hear the case, believing the appellate court ruling created significant constitutional issues. The Supreme Court, apparently, disagreed by refusing the case.

Arbitration had been on hold since January 2015 while the village pursued all legal channels to force out union firefighters and replace them with a private company. The village filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court in September 2014, asking a judge to rule on whether North Riverside could summarily terminate its union contract, which had expired April 30, 2015. The village claimed contract negotiations were at an impasse, giving them the right to get out from under the contract.

Police officers and firefighters operate under no-strike/no-lockout contracts since they provide critical public safety services. Without the recourse to strike, when firefighter and police contracts expire they remain in force until a new deal can be negotiated or settled in arbitration. When the village filed its initial lawsuit, firefighters invoked their right to arbitration. The village responded by issuing termination notices to firefighters, though deferring action while the legal action was pending.

The village lawsuit would have required a judge essentially to overturn decades of accepted interpretation of the Illinois Labor Act.

Union leaders and village administrators have been meeting informally for many months, but those talks will now turn into serious negotiations or both sides may seek to have matters settled by an arbitrator. The core issues that prompted the 2014 lawsuit remain the same. Firefighters want a deal they believe is fair to union members and maintains staffing levels and village officials want to contain costs, particularly with respect to pensions and overtime costs.

In the meantime, there are signs that the hard feelings between union firefighters and the department’s new command staff have eased. Since 2014, six firefighters have left the department – four via retirement and two who were fired for cause. None has been replaced so far, however two probationary firefighters are likely to be sworn in at the village board’s next meeting on Feb. 5, the first such hires since late 2013 or early 2014.

thanks Dan

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New engine for the East Joliet Fire Protection District (more)

This from Scott Matthews:

Here are the January 29th production pictures from Ferrara Fire Apparatus. The body has been mounted on the chassis. 

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

Fire engine being built by Ferrara Fire Apparatus

Ferrara Fire Apparatus photo

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Fire Department Ice Rescue Training

FD Ice Rescue Training

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