Archive for September, 2023

Elk Grove Township Fire Department news (more)

Excerpts from the journal-topics.com:

Petitions to file for a referendum in one of the necessary steps to dissolve the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District have been collected and are stored in the offices of the fire district’s attorneys. 

Those petitions, could be filed with a judge who could then order a referendum be placed on an upcoming ballot allowing voters to dissolve the district. Collecting petitions was a preliminary action to be prepared for the district’s dissolving, but said no action beyond that has been taken. Fire district trustees acknowledge funding is unsustainable as annexations have shrunk the boundaries of the fire district and with that, shrunk available property tax revenue. 

Another step in the dissolution process, which the fire district took at its Aug. 17 meeting, was to declare district assets as surplus and able to be sold, specifically the fire station itself. On Aug. 19 the fire district ran a legal notice in an area newspaper declaring the fire station as surplus and setting the valuation for the building at $850,000.

An item on the fire district’s Thursday, Sept. 21 meeting agenda was to declare additional fire district assets including vehicles as surplus, able to be sold, but no vote to do that was taken at the Sept. 21 meeting. Fire district trustees also voted to engage a surveyor or engineer to create or confirm a boundary and territory description.

Also filed in the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court on Sept. 21, in the hours before the fire district meeting, was an amended motion by attorneys for the village of Mount Prospect and Elk Grove Township, separate governmental entities from the fire district, seeking a preliminary temporary restraining order to prevent the fire district from declaring any further assets as surplus. A court date is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3 on the requested restraining order in Cook County Chancery Division. The village and township filed for an initial temporary restraining order on Sept. 11 to stop the fire district from selling its assets after the August vote declaring the fire station surplus property. 

The village and township attorneys contend that any assets of the fire district should be transferred to the municipal government taking over firefighting responsibilities for the district. Additionally, Stream Data Centers was recently granted annexation of the Roppolo Subdivision in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, into the village of Elk Grove Village, which would become effective in early 2024. To be annexed into Elk Grove Village, Stream had to have all 55 homes in the subdivision under contract. Stream and Elk Grove Village officials said closings on those 55 homes would happen in two phases with the first round of closings beginning next month.

All of the fire district trustees live in the Roppolo Subdivision. The fire district board could function with a quorum of three trustees. Fewer trustees than that would fail to reach a quorum and would not be able to conduct fire district business in a public meeting.

Attempts have been made for several years to secure an agreement between the fire district and surrounding municipalities to dissolve the district and keep a continuity in fire fighting and emergency medical response, but a recent effort involving Elk Grove Village, Des Plaines, and Mount Prospect failed. Mount Prospect village officials have proposed a special service area, which would allow Mount Prospect to take over the entire Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District coverage area. A public hearing is scheduled by Mount Prospect in early November. 

Also at the Sept. 21 meeting, fire district trustees adopted a calendar year 2024 budget and set a property tax levy without discussion.

thanks Martin

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Elk Grove Township Fire Department news

#chicagoareafire.com; #ElkGroveTownshipFD; #FDclosing;

thanks Rob

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Fire Service news – technology update

Excerpts from wdio.com:

The Duluth Fire Department recently put a new apparatus into service adding a features unique to the vehicle. 

The HAAS safety cloud … a system that alerts drivers using Apple maps, or Waze, or those that have a Jeep, Chrysler or Dodge that’s 2008 or newer. This system will alert them when a fire truck is approaching and attempts to determine if the apparatus and private vehicle will intersect either head on or from the side. It will tone down the stereo and it will pop up an alert saying ‘warning, emergency vehicle approaching’.

Once the apparatus arrives on scene and is placed in park, the vehicle automatically will set up a surrounding geofence. 

“Any vehicle that’s going to be intersecting that fire truck or that scene is alerted that there’s an emergency scene ahead,” said Deputy Chief Mike Consie. “And what that does for us, especially on I-35, is really important to slow drivers down, to reduce accidents and fatalities. We also are excited about it from the standpoint that it helps our community be alerted and not be surprised when we pop up on them, because with vehicles being more soundproof now, it’s a little bit harder to hear our sirens.”

The fire department hopes to eventually retrofit their current vehicles with this new technology. 

“Another benefit as we get this and more apparatus, we can upgrade the software and the technology to do driver training. So when two fire trucks are going to intersect each other, it will flash and indicate that there’s an emergency vehicle approaching,” said Consie. “This is just one more layer that prevents accidental collision with fire apparatus.”

This alert system has been proven to work in other areas, saving lives. 

“Grand Rapids, Michigan had a huge problem with collisions on the interstate,” Concise said. “Right before they put this into their vehicles, they were actually looking at buying just cheap fire trucks that are like used somewhere, and they would run to fire trucks on scene and use one for a blocking agent. But now with the institution of the system, they don’t actually need that extra blocking edge, and it’s greatly reduced their near misses on the freeway.”

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Peoria Fire Department news

Excerpts from 25newsnow.com:

The Peoria Fire Department released more details Thursday evening about a fire earlier in the day that led to an emergency mayday call when a firefighter got separated from his crew while fighting a fire that destroyed a home in the 2200 block of Northeast Madison Avenue, in Peoria’s North Valley.

Firefighters got the call about 10:50 a.m., and they spent about 4 1/2-hours on the scene.

The mayday call came when several firefighters were attacking fire in the basement. The firefighter became separated from the group, and a Rescue Intervention Team (RIT) found the firefighter, who was not injured.

Forty three firefighters were at the scene. Because of heat, fire, and heavy smoke, firefighters were not able to prevent the fire from spreading to the first floor, which eventually collapsed into the basement.

An emergency demolition of the home was ordered, and damage was estimated at more than $100,000.

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Palatine Firefighter Memorial Ceremony

Please see attached press release about the Village of Palatine’s Line of Duty Death Memorial on Sunday October 1st , 2023.  On this date 77 years ago, Firefighters Wesley Comfort, Jr. and Leonard Nebel were struck by a train at Brockway Street as they responded from the Slade Street Fire Station for the report of a house fire.  The Palatine Fire Department will hold a ceremony at the Palatine Firefighter’s Memorial at the corner of N. Brockway Street and W. Slade Street in downtown Palatine at approximately 9:00 AM.  Please help us remember the lives lost on this tragic day.

Palatine Firefighter Memorial Ceremony

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New ambulance for the Bloomingdale FPD

This from Tim Right:

Here is a shot of the new International Bloomingdale Medic 23 deliver sometime last month. 

 
Tim
#chicagoareafire.com; #ambulance; #BloomingdaleFPD;
 

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Wilmington Fire Protection District news

Excerpts from wjol.com:

The Wilmington Fire Protection District is reporting the death of Firefighter Paramedic David Pollack.

He was involved in a motor vehicle accident Friday, September 22nd while off duty and sustained unsurvivable injuries.

Pollack became a member of the fire district in January of 2018 as a Firefighter Paramedic and was currently assigned as a Shift Leader at Station 2. He was a member of the MABAS Division 15 Technical Rescue Team and also a part time member with the Coal City Fire Protection District.

According to the Facebook post by Wilmington Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Todd Friddle, “David will be an organ and tissue donor where, as he did in life through his profession, will continue to save many lives. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with David, his wife Julissa, David’s parents and family during this very difficult time.

Visitation for David Vincent Pollack will be held at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Rd. (at Essington Rd.), Joliet, IL, on Monday, October 2, 2023, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. and will continue Tuesday morning, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of Celebration of Life at 11:30 a.m.  Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL.

To read the full obituary click here.

Donations for David’s family can be directed HERE.

 

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Fatal fire in Stickney, 9-27-23

Excerpts from wgntv.com:

One person is dead and two others are injured following a fire at the Gas-N-Wash gas station in the 3800 block of South Cicero in Stickney around 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

“One of the victims was out of the RV in front of the store. The other one was close to the car wash at that point. After interviewing him, we heard there was a third victim and that he did not make it out,” said Stickney Fire Chief Jeff Boyajian.

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Calumet Park Fire Department history

This from Mike Summa for #TBT:

For TBT-The Calumet Park Fire Dept.’s Truck 2204, HME/Alfco 100′ midship.  Sorry, I do not know year or specs.  Please feel free to respond.  Enjoy and comment.

Mike Summa
#chicagoareafire.com; #TBT; #FireTruck; #HME; #AmericanLaFrance; #CalumetParkFD; #MikeSumma;

Mike Summa photo

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Urbana Fire Department news

Excerpts from wcia.com:

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Urbana City Council has approved $1.5 million for building two new fire stations.

A grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity gave a total of $2 million to the city for community development, affordable housing, violence prevention, and administrative costs. The fire department said the Philo Road and North Lincoln Avenue stations are long overdue for upgrades, but using the money for the stations wasn’t a unanimous decision from the city council.

Some city council members were opposed to giving such a large sum of that money to the department, saying that the spirit of the DCEO grant was intended for economic opportunities in these low-income neighborhoods and not for the government buildings of these neighborhoods.

One new station will be built across the street from the current Philo Road location. The other will be between Goodwin and Bradley Avenues. The Philo Road station has not been remodeled since it was built in the 1970s.

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