Archive for April 1st, 2020

As seen around … The Quinn Fire Academy

This from Steve Redick:

Shot this in 2007. It’s made from 10 images.

Chicago fifre trucks

Steve Redick photo

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Chicago Fire Department news

Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:

Chicago’s beleaguered first responders firefighters and paramedics will soon be getting some help, as nearly 36 new paramedics will be hitting the streets in the next couple of days after their training was accelerated.

A no-frills swearing-in ceremony, with social distancing, of course, occurred for 34 new City of Chicago paramedics who were rushed through the fire academy to help battle coronavirus. The state-certified paramedics crammed 10 weeks of training into four weeks and will be reporting to firehouses across the city within the next four days.

The city also announced it has contracted with the Essex Hotel in the South Loop to provide 274 rooms for first responders police officers, firefighters, and paramedics during the pandemic. The mayor says it’s not for those who become sick, but those who worry about unintentionally infecting their families.

The mayor says the city is working on additional hotel accommodations for frontline healthcare workers. Altogether, the city is now renting more than 2,000 hotel rooms for people battling the virus.

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Of interest … Larry Eckhardt ‘the Flagman’

Excerpts from kgrg.com:

Larry Eckhardt, also known as ‘the Flagman’ died Tuesday at the age of 63. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 before suffering from vocal cord paralysis.

In 2006, Eckhardt, of Little York, Illinois, started placing flags along funeral routes to honor first responders police officers, firefighters and paramedics. He received the same honor when he traveled back to Little York after spending a month in Iowa City for hospice care.

He placed nearly half a million flags around the U.S. to honor fallen service members, police officers, and firefighters. 

Larry Eckhardt 'the Flagman" lost his battle with cancer

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