Archive for January 4th, 2019

Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:

David Griffin, currently a lieutenant with the Oak Forest Fire Department, was arrested Friday and charged with official misconduct, theft of government funds and forgery, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Griffin, 42, is accused of using city funds to pay for work on his personal vehicle. Between Oct. 31, 2014, and Oct. 16, 2016, he allegedly signed off on forged invoices and purchase orders, claiming that he was paying for repairs to a Chevrolet Impala owned by the city and registered for fire department use.

An investigation revealed that those repairs were never done to the city vehicle and the work was actually done on Griffin’s personal Pontiac Grand Prix. A total of $3,623.24 was paid by the city of Oak Forest to repair the Pontiac. Griffin appeared in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday and has been released on his own recognizance. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 25 at the Bridgeview Courthouse.

Griffin submitted a letter of resignation as fire chief on March 18, 2016s. The city council accepted his resignation at its March 22, 2016 meeting.

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Plainfield Fire Protection District news

Excerpts from the herald-news.com:

Plainfield Fire Protection District Fire Chief David Riddle recently announced that he is retiring. He talked about the number of challenges and accomplishments the district had including the groundbreaking of its new headquarters to train not only its own personnel but regional and national emergency service personnel. The district received its ISO Class 1 rating in November 2017 and is exploring becoming an accredited fire agency through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The district also expects recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association for abiding by the standards outlined in its Excellence in Financial Reporting program.

Plainfield Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton said he will be sworn in as the new chief Tuesday. He’s been with the department since 1994 and has been a deputy chief since 2005.

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MVA in Highland Park, 1-2-19

This from Max Weingardt:

Highland Park MVA Wednesday afternoon at second st & Laurel Ave

car crash in downtown Highland Park IL

Max Weingardt photo

Highland Park FD Engine 32

Max Weingardt photo

head on crash in business district

Max Weingardt photo

Highland Park FD engine and ambulance

Max Weingardt photo

police car and fire trucks at crash site

Max Weingardt photo

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Of interest … Africa Fire Mission

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Many firefighters in and around Nairobi, Kenya, wear equipment labeled for the Chicago Fire Department. Hank Clemmensen and 13 other retired and active firefighters from throughout the United States returned Dec. 13 from a two-week trip to Kenya, where they hosted an annual training seminar attended by more than 250 firefighters as part of the nonprofit organization Africa Fire Mission.

Planning documents list Clemmensen as a speaker on leadership for about 25 chiefs from nearby brigades who listened on such topics as interacting with politicians and community stakeholders.

David Moore Jr., executive director and founder of Africa Fire Mission, retired from the Glendale Fire Department in Ohio and met Clemmensen who was a board member with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, a job that made him an ideal recruit due to his national connections and vast experience in dealing with industry issues, Moore said.

Moore started the nonprofit after seeing the living conditions while he was on a trip to Africa as part of Mission of Hope International. He said Africa Fire Mission now has about 30 regularly active participants, and has decided to focus on training due to the $20,000 cost of shipping the used equipment to Africa.

“What often happens with a lot of donations, generally speaking, to third world countries is they end up sitting in storage somewhere because nobody ever teaches the recipients how to use the stuff, especially when the user manuals and labels are all in another language,” Clemmensen said.

Moore credited Clemmensen and Lt. Brooks Watson of the Chicago Fire Department for the recent donation of equipment, adding that fire departments in the U.S. require extensive paperwork and assurances that their donated items are leaving the country since regulations prevent their use after a decade of service.

For the longest time, there was only one fire truck in the Nairobi area and it was based at the airport because the Kenyan federal government wanted to reassure international travelers, and many of the embassies and bigger corporations had their own private fire response teams.

The most vulnerable people are the one million residents of five “slums,” Clemmensen said, where small dwellings are built from scrap material.

Some participants in Africa Fire Mission's December training near Nairobi, Kenya, wore protective gear donated by the Chicago Fire Department. (Africa Fire Mission photo)

Some participants in Africa Fire Mission’s December training near Nairobi, Kenya, wore protective gear donated by the Chicago Fire Department. (Africa Fire Mission photo)

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