Archive for December 2nd, 2019

New engine for Rockford

From the Pierce Flickr site:

Pierce, Rockford Fire Dept., IL, 33835-3

Pierce Enforcer PUC fire engine

Pierce composite

thanks Al

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Fatal fire in Lake Barrington

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Firefighters from the Wauconda Fire District were called to a structure fire in the 1100 block of Oak Hill Road, a gated community of condominiums in Lake Barrington, at 4:46 a.m. Friday morning. When they arrived they found all the residents had escaped and there was one burn victim. Nothing was showing outside the building, but when firefighters entered they found heavy smoke on the second floor from a bedroom fire that they were able to extinguish with 200 gallons of water.

The victim was transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington, by ambulance and then transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Cook County. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, the 77-year-old woman died at Loyola University Medical Center at 3:50 p.m.

A family dog was rescued by firefighters and given oxygen.

Damage was estimated at $125,000 and the cause of the fire appears to be accidental. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office assisted by firefighters from Lake Zurich, Nunda Township, Barrington, Countryside, Long Grove, Buffalo Grove, and Lake Zurich investigated the fire.

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Rockford Fire Department news

Excerpts from rrstar.com:

City officials say opening the Rockford Fire Department vehicle repair shop on Falcon Drive to other fire departments is paying dividends by covering the cost of an extra mechanic and producing a modest profit for the department. Not only does the program raise revenue, but it also gives the department an extra set of hands to repair and return Rockford fire equipment to service quickly after a breakdown. Now the department is trying to spread the word to other departments that it can repair their fire trucks fast and at good price.

Rockford piloted the program this year. Through October, the program had generated $102,863 by performing fire truck and equipment repairs for area fire departments and districts that might otherwise have to travel into the Chicago suburbs to find a qualified repair shop. The Rockford shop is ASE Blue Ribbon Certified and staffed by fire equipment specialists who are emergency vehicle technician and automotive service excellence certified.

Rockford is now hiring a permanent fourth mechanic to expand the shop’s repair capacity.

When at full capacity, the hope is to bring in $150,000 in revenue, which would cover the cost of a fourth mechanic’s salary and benefits and bring $72,700 a year into city coffers.

The program is the result of work by a 2018 resident-run financial task force in consultation with the National Resource Network. A report from the consultants told Rockford officials they had to change the way they did business in order to avoid severe future deficits as the cost of pensions continues to escalate.

thanks Dennis

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