Archive for October 23rd, 2018

Fire service news

Oct 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Over $77,000 will be shared by 78 Illinois fire departments through Illinois American Water’s 2018 Firefighter Grant Program.

Since the program was created in 2010, more than 500 grants totaling over $493,000 have been awarded to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area. American Water’s Firefighter Grant Program helps provide personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs.

Illinois American Water is providing grants to the following local fire departments: Homer Township Fire Protection District, Lemont Fire Protection District, Northwest Homer Fire Protection District, Orland Fire Protection District, and Plainfield Fire Protection District.

Tags: Homer Township Fire Protection District, Illinois American Water's 2018 Firefighter Grant Program, Lemont Fire Protection District, Northwest Homer Fire Protection District, Orland Fire Protection District, Plainfield Fire Protection District

Lincolnwood Fire Department news (more)

Oct 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

A former Lincolnwood firefighter who is suing the village’s fire department is now naming his former chief, deputy chief, and battalion chief as defendants in his lawsuit where the ex-firefighter alleges he was harassed, and discriminated and retaliated against for defending a female coworker and reporting what he called a supervisor’s drug use.

A motion to name the three additional defendants was made Oct. 9, as part of the lawsuit Josh Weller first filed Aug. 30, 2017 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

“Over the course of discovery in this case, particularly through a written answer from (Paramedic Services of Illinois Inc.) provided on June 28, 2018 and depositions at the Village of Lincolnwood on September 27, 2018, as well as related investigation done by plaintiff’s counsel in light of the revelations, plaintiff is now prepared to name three individuals, all senior employees of PSI at the time the comments were made, who he alleges defamed him,” the motion reads.

This latest motion states that an official provided false information about Weller to Chicago Police Department officials when they called to do a background check after Weller applied for a job there. The defendant then bragged about it in public. The officials also falsely accused Weller of threatening to assault a Lincolnwood police officer, the motion alleges.

In a response dated Tuesday, attorneys for PSI wrote that Weller did not state a claim for relief, which would render the allegations futile, among reasons for dismissing the motion. Defense attorneys also wrote in the response that defamation actions are subject to a one-year statute of limitations, which has expired.

In his complaint, Weller says he was employed by PSI starting in October 2010, and the company placed him in Lincolnwood in December 2015, where he worked until he was fired the following July.

In the lawsuit, Weller describes what he called a pattern of harassment.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, harassment lawsuit filed against Lincolnwood Fire Department, Joshua Weller, Lincolnwood Fire Department, Paramedic Services of Illinois named in lawsuit

Knollwood Fire Department news (more)

Oct 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Fire protection and emergency services for residents of the Rockland Fire Protection District are now officially the responsibility of Lake Forest and Libertyville, following a failed attempt by supporters of the Knollwood Fire Department to prevent the new agreement from going into effect.

Earlier this month, the towns of Lake Forest and Libertyville began providing the fire and emergency services to residents of RFPD through an intergovernmental agreement with the district and the municipalities and the Libertyville Fire Protection District. Previously, the residents of RFPD, which includes the unincorporated area of Knollwood and the Sanctuary housing complex in Lake Bluff, received those services from the Knollwood Fire Department. Under the new arrangement, Libertyville will oversee the northern half of the RFPD, Lake Forest the southern half.

On Sept. 27, the Friends of Knollwood Fire Department filed a temporary restraining order in Lake County Circuit Court, hoping to stop the intergovernmental agreement from going into effect, however Judge Margaret Marcouiller denied the temporary restraining order, stating there was no likelihood of success on the merits. On Oct. 11, the case was continued to Thursday.

For now, the Knollwood Fire Department has stopped operations. In the first week of the new arrangement, Lake Forest Fire Chief Peter Siebert reported one call came in from the RFPD and Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani said they had two.

Lake Forest anticipates responding to about 120 calls per year from the RFPD, and Libertyville is expecting approximately the same amount.

Tags: fire district to be taken over by neighboring fire departments, http://chicagoareafire.com/blog/2018/09/knollwood-fire-department-news-more-9/, Knollwood FIre Department, Knollwood Fire Department is going away, Libertyville FD and Lake Forest FD provide fire protection to the Rockland Fire Protection District, Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani, Rockland FIre Protection District

New ambulance for Oak Park

Oct 23

Posted by Admin in Ambulance photos, Fire Department News, New Delivery | 2 Comments

This from Dan McInerney:

This is our new ambulance, a 2018 Ford F550/AEV. It features four wheel drive and a power cot. It will run out of OPFD Station 1 with A612, and manpower permitting, A613 will run out of E603.