Excerpts from the Herald-News.com:
The proposed acquisition of a quint faced stiff opposition from Joliet firefighters, while the mayor said the city needs to do something about obscene amounts of overtime. Firefighters at a city council workshop meeting Monday said putting a quint in downtown Station 1 would threaten public safety in the older section of the city.
The quint would allow the department to cut back on staff and save on overtime spending. It would replace an engine and a ladder truck at Station 1. Each requires a three-firefighter crew, so using a quint would cut back the number of firefighters at Station 1 by three. Firefighter said it would also reduce the number of firefighters that first arrive at the scene of a fire.
Fire Chief Joe Formhals said he did not consider the vehicle a threat to public safety but it might allow him to get some control of the overtime. “The purpose of the quint is to free up those three individuals so we would have them somewhere else,” Formhals said.
The mayor pointed to $300,000 spent on fire department overtime in December. The truck would cost $842,000.
#1 by Mike Guzzi on February 9, 2018 - 3:59 PM
well thanks for the information, Im not from the area but have many relatives in that area, Im in the Boston area, which Boston just had a major overhaul of both Eng & Lad co’s with more coming in July. Amazing turn a round. Sounds like mismanagement in Joliet but we all like to express our opinions whether we understand the inside workings or not. Still running a 25+ yr old Quint is pretty crazy. Their profile on the Chicago Area Fire website needs updating.
#2 by Bill Post on February 9, 2018 - 3:19 PM
It almost sounds like the Joilet Fire Department is following in the foot steps of the Detroit Fire Department of a few years ago. Detroit apparatus, which had been relatively new, was being run into the ground. Detroit was in such bad shape both financially and physically that they started browning out fire companies, meaning that every week or so they would temporarily take fire companies on a rotating basis. It was a way of sharing the burden of not being able to run the fire department at full strength. It got so bad that they had to take some companies permanently out of service. I understand that Detroit has finally been getting new rigs, some companies are going back in service, and fire companies are starting to go on EMS runs for the first time. Until recently only the ambulances and sometimes the squads would go on EMS runs. They were running 30 to 40 years behind the times.
As old and worn out as some of Chicago’s front line rigs may be, Chicago is still very, very lucky. There are quite a few major fire departments that went to rolling brownouts during the height of the recession just a few years ago and some ended up taking companies out of service.
One of several examples that I can think of is the Los Angeles City Fire Department that ended up taking 11 engine companies out of service and 7 trucks. So far about half of those engines have been put back in service and they have plans to bring back more. None of the truck companies have been put back in service and as now there aren’t any immediate plans to do so. A major difference between Los Angeles and Chicago is that Los Angeles has over a million more people and more than twice as much land area. They are currently running with 96 engine companies, down from 101 before the recession plus 42 trucks instead of 49. Of their 49 trucks, 48 of them were assigned a pumper that would run as a second piece forming a Light Force. The second piece which was known as the ‘2 series’ engine only ran with a engineer, however it would let the five-man truck crew take a line off if necessary. It would also feed the ladder pipe if an elevated stream was needed. Their trucks in effect are really two piece quints however an engine company would also usually run with them. If the engine company wasn’t availble the Light Force would still have the ability to get water on a fire.
Even New York City closed down six engine companies in 2003.
So Chicago has been lucky not to initiate brownouts or take companies out of service.
#3 by Rich on February 9, 2018 - 12:55 PM
Station 6 is running rev.truck 11. The some what new truck 9 is unmanned. And it is to tall to go downtown. So it sits it might have 1000 miles on it if that. Quint 9 is 25 to 30 years old and is only 75′. I’m the 90s Joliet was one of the BEST departments. Not so much any more.
Tower 6 smashed there basket into their own house. They F–kied it up. Three thinking of taking the basket off. Plus they used a couple times as brush truck f–kied it up. Yes a tower as a 4×4 brush truck. What a concpect
#4 by Mike Guzzi on February 9, 2018 - 12:01 PM
Thank you for that info, so Joliet a large city runs only 1 ladder truck in downtown? Tower-6 oos with bucket damage and a 25+yr old quint in the far end of the city, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. And Sta-6 temp just running an Amb>? No spare to run for the Tower?
#5 by MABAS 21 on February 9, 2018 - 10:40 AM
At one time did JFD run with 3 on an ambulance?
#6 by MABAS 21 on February 9, 2018 - 10:39 AM
If Tower 6 is O.O.S., why doesn’t JFD use Reserve Truck 11 or Truck 9, which is unmanned, in it’s place?
#7 by Behind the Mic on February 9, 2018 - 7:22 AM
As of today, Joliet has an engine, truck, ambulance and battalion chief at Station 1 (Downtown) with manning of 3/3/2/1, Station 2 houses fire investigation equipment only and is unmanned. Station 3 (Race Track) has an engine & ambulance manned at 3/2, Station 4 (Draper Ave) is an engine and ambulance house with 3/2, Station 5 in the St. Francis University area has an engine and ambulance at 3/2, Station 6 (near St. Joseph Hospital) was a tower ladder and ambulance manned at 4/2, but that rig is down right now (and the one they want to convert to a quint). I *THINK* they are currently at 3/2 there also. Station 7 (airport) is an engine and ambulance manned at 3/2, Station 8 (Essington/Caton Farm) is an engine, ambulance, and battalion chief manned at 3/2/1. Station 9 -which used to quarter an engine, truck and ambulance is now a quint (25+ year old rig) ambulance house manned at 3/2, and Station 10 (far west) has an engine and ambulance with 3/2.
If they shut down the trucks and make them all quints, that will effectively wipe out one side of town anytime there is a structure fire of any significance.
#8 by Mike Guzzi on February 8, 2018 - 3:37 PM
For some of us out of the area maybe someone with knowledge could enlighten us to Joliet. How many Engine Co’s Ladder Co’s Quints, Towers, Amb etc are actually in service and running with manpower. Once when I was in Joliet Station 9 was running an Eng and I think a Ladder. And the 94 EmerOne Quint was running at Sta-8 That was some years ago Thank you
#9 by Mike on February 7, 2018 - 9:40 PM
This department is in trouble. They browned out an ambulance last week and never told the public. Now they want to reduce the response by an engine and truck with running this quint concept. So what’s gonna happen if this goes through? Are they gonna act as an engine or a truck? And who’s gonna pick up the suites of the other conpany. Quints don’t work. If they did everyone would use them.
#10 by Big Moe on February 7, 2018 - 4:05 PM
Fire trucks don’t put out fires, firefighters do. I’ve always said that I would rather have a 4 person crew on a 20 year old rig than a 3 person crew on a new rig. We would put out more fire all day.
#11 by Rich on February 6, 2018 - 8:06 PM
They need to hire. Station 9 running 30 year old quint???? While true truck 9 sits due to no man power and is to tall. Tall to go downtown. Talk about shit management!!!! What about tower 6 basket??? Fix or made into a ladder?? Joliet has money just don’t know where to fix it.