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Posts Tagged Brookfield Fire Department

Brookfield Fire Department news

Jun 11

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

A woman was found dead after a house fire in Brookfield. The fire broke out early Sunday in the 4300-block of Arthur Avenue. Firefighters arrived at about 6:30 a.m. to find heavy flames and thick black smoke. 

Neighbors told firefighters that there could be a woman inside the home, but firefighters were prevented from initially going in because of the flames. They eventually found the homeowner dead on the first floor. The woman has been identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as 53-year-old Susan Colby. It was immediately unclear what caused the fire.

 

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New ambulance for Brookfield (more)

Apr 30

Posted by Admin in Ambulance photos, Fire Department News, New Delivery | 3 Comments

Brookfield Ambulance 414

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414. Chi-Town Fire Photos

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New ambulance for Brookfield

Jan 24

Posted by Admin in Ambulance photos, Fire Department News, New Delivery | 3 Comments

This from Jon Hultman:

Here are two shots of the new 414 at Brookfield St. 1  It’s a new Lifeline Emergency Vehicles Ford F-550 2WD unit in the new BFD paint scheme.  Images via the Lifeline web site.  Thanks  Jon Hultman?

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414. Lifeline Emergency Vehicles photo

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414

Brookfield FD Ambulance 414. Lifeline Emergency Vehicles photo

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New engine for Brookfield (more)

Oct 13

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Truck photos, New Delivery | 6 Comments

This from Josh Boyajian:

Brookfield’s new Engine Co 411 is about to go into service. It is a 2017 Pierce Enforcer, 1500/500, with a Job #30415. They also are getting a new ambulance with a matching color scheme, unknown the manufacturer.

Brookfield FD Engine 411

Brookfield Engine Co 411 is a 2017 Pierce Enforcer, 1500/500, so #30415. Josh Boyajian photo

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Brookfield Fire Department news

Jul 21

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the RBLandmark.com:

Ed Bermann was always going to be a firefighter, and since 1975 he’s been one. At the end of this month, he will be walking away from the job he loves. State statute requires firefighters to retire at age 65, and on his next birthday in August, he’ll hit that milestone.

A lifelong Brookfielder with deep family ties to not just the village but its fire department, Bermann’s last shift is July 26.  He has held every rank in the department, save the rank of chief, in his years as a firefighter, working his way up from a paid-on-call firefighter to captain.

Born a few years after his parents settled in Brookfield, Bermann recalled playing in the still-developing neighborhood, particularly on the vacant lot — the “prairie” — located kitty corner from home. He wound up buying the home built on that lot and still lives there.

Two of his uncles, Bob and Wilbur Langele, were part-time firefighters in Brookfield. A July 4, 1950 photo of the two men posing with an engine in front of the main fire station along with other firefighters is the screen saver of Bermann’s computer inside the Shields Avenue station.

Shortly after graduating from college, he signed up to be a paid-on-call firefighter, responding to calls between stints delivering cookies, laying carpet, and working for a neon sign company.

One day in 1979, Bermann got offers to become a full-time firefighter at both the Pleasantview Fire Protection District and the Village of Brookfield. 

The department during the next four decades would rely on Bermann to shoulder many responsibilities. In addition to being a mentor to younger firefighters — as he was for Duffek and Patrick Lenzi, the present fire chief — Bermann has been the go-to person for all kinds of things, from radios to department history.

He’s the department’s incident commander, he handles scheduling, and payroll. He became the department’s unofficial historian early in his career as a member of the Firefighters Association.

He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the department’s calls, stretching back for years. At some point in his career he started keeping a running log of fire calls, listing the dates, addresses, severity, and whether there were fatalities.

He can rattle off years and addresses for many fires, like the 1977 fire in the 9400 block of Jefferson Avenue that claimed the lives of five children. Nowadays, there is counseling and stress debriefings available for firefighters who witness such horrific events.

On many occasions, he responded to fires from home on off days. He’s got a set of clothes at the station and another at home in case there’s an alarm when he’s off duty.

Responding from home isn’t an option for many of the department’s firefighters these days. There’s no residency requirement. Bermann, Lenzi, and Duffek are the only ones who still live in Brookfield.

thanks Dan

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New engine for Brookfield (more)

Jun 11

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Truck photos, New Delivery | 3 Comments

From the Pierce Flickr page:

Brookfield, IL so #30415

Brookfield FD Engine 411

Brookfield Engine 411. Pierce composite

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New engine for Brookfield

May 14

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Truck photos, New Delivery | 6 Comments

Inspecting Brookfield’s new engine in Appleton, WI at Pierce’s Plant. An Enforcer PUC 1500/500/30B. 
 
Recessed strip light reported to be a first for Pierce. Also has red strobe on the front of engine. Seating for 5. 
 
Thanx, Jon.
Brookfield FD Engine 411 Pierce Enforcer PUC

Brookfield FD Engine 411 – Enforcer PUC 1500/500/30B

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Brookfield Fire Department news

Apr 29

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from rblandmark.com:

Charles LaGreco, a Brookfield firefighter for 32 years and the department’s chief for 11, died April 22 at his home in Naperville.

News of LaGreco’s death was announced by President Kit Ketchmark at the start of the April 24 meeting of the village board. Those in attendance at the meeting observed a moment of silence in memory of Mr. LaGreco, who was 70 years old.

Mr. LaGreco came to firefighting as a second career, signing on in Brookfield in 1973 after five years as an industrial arts teacher in Cicero. And for many of his years with the village, Mr. LaGreco pulled double duty as a firefighter and chief building inspector.

But he never really gave up teaching. He moved his classroom to the firehouse, but he served as an instructor for new firefighters, making sure their training was up to snuff.

“He carried that education background into the fire service,” said Capt. Edward Bermann, who signed on as a paid-on-call firefighter in 1975 and worked alongside Mr. LaGreco until the chief’s retirement in 2005.

When Patrick Lenzi was named chief, succeeding Mr. LaGreco, the new chief said he spent an hour on the phone with his predecessor, who preached public service and communication.

“His message was to learn, to teach and to communicate,” Lenzi said.

Mr. LaGreco, who lived in Brookfield and LaGrange Park from 1975 to 2006, talked about the importance of training during a 2005 interview with the Landmark.

“I wanted training to be a major issue for all personnel, and I wanted them to have the freedom to attend job-related schools to allow them to become stronger members of the organization,” Mr. LaGreco said.

James Mann, the village manager who appointed Mr. LaGreco chief in 1994, called him “a go-getter who was dedicated to the community.” Mr. LaGreco was hired after an internal search and was, according to Mann, “friendly, open and honest.”

“He worked well with people within the department as well as other staff in the village,” Mann said. “It was a loss for the community when he did decide to retire.”

The Brookfield Fire Department was very different in 1973, when Mr. LaGreco was hired, than it is today. Mr. LaGreco had a lot to do with that change.

Early on in his career in Brookfield, Mr. LaGreco was part of the first-ever emergency medical technician class offered in Illinois and he maintained that certification until he retired.

In an interview with the Landmark upon his retirement, he noted that he’d delivered seven babies as a firefighter, the first on a snowy night in the 1970s, alongside John Johnson, who was a paid-on-call firefighter at that time.

Mr. LaGreco, was also instrumental in moving Brookfield from EMT service to paramedic service in the mid-1990s and, according to Bermann, was also a proponent of replacing the contract paramedic service the village employed from 1995 to 2003, with in-house staff firefighter paramedics.

From 1981 to 1994, Mr. LaGreco worked as the village’s building inspector in addition to his role within the fire department. Prior to becoming a teacher, Mr. LaGreco worked construction during summers in Oak Brook and, according to Lenzi, he had a particular affinity for the job of inspector.

“He excelled in the building code/fire code area,” Lenzi said. “The tradesmen always appreciated Charlie, because he could understand what they were talking about.”

Mr. LaGreco is survived by his wife, Cynthia J. LaGreco (nee Ceretto); his children, Dana (Mike) Umbenhower and Ryan LaGreco; and his grandchildren, Anna and Dylan Umbenhower.

Visitation will be on Saturday, May 13 from 1 p.m. until the time of a 4 p.m. memorial service at Johnson Funeral Home, 3847 Prairie Ave. in Brookfield.

Memorial donations are appreciated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, Tennessee, 38101-9908.

thanks Dan

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Area apparatus orders

Oct 28

Posted by Admin in New Apparatus Order | 16 Comments

From Fire Apparatus Magazine –

E-ONE-Aurora Fire Department, two top-mount pumpers. Cyclone cabs and chassis; Cummins ISL 330-hp engines; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pumps; UPF Poly 780-gallon tanks; 50-gallon foam cells; Akron foam eductor foam systems. Sold by Greg Hansen, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in November.

E-ONE-Bloomington Fire Department eMAX rescue-pumper. Quest severe-duty cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; UPF Poly 750-gallon tank; “Bloomington” low hosebed; Onan 6-kW generator; Command Light KL415 light tower; Whelen warning and scene lighting. Sold by Craig Hamrick, Banner Fire Equipment, Roxana, IL. Delivery in December.

E-ONE-Buffalo Grove Fire Department pumper. Typhoon cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 780-gallon tank; Will-Burt Night Scan Chief NS1.8 light tower; Smart Power 6-kW generator. Sold by Greg Hansen, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in December.

E-ONE-Buffalo Grove Fire Department 78-foot aerial quint. Cyclone II cab and chassis; Cummins ISX12 500-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gapm pump; UPF Poly 400-gallon tank; Smart Power 10-kW generator; two hydraulic cord reels with Holmatro CORE Technology™ hose. Sold by Greg Hansen, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in December.

Pierce-Clarendon Hills Fire Department heavy-duty rescue. Enforcer cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; 15-foot walk-around rescue body; Will-Burt Pow X NS6.0 light tower; Harrison 20-kW generator. Sold by John Kenna, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL. Delivery in July 2017.

E-ONE-Gurnee Fire Department 95-foot rear-mount platform quint. Cyclone II cab and chassis; Cummins ISX 500-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; UPF 300-gallon tank; 20-gallon foam cell; FoamPro single-agent foam system. Sold by Andrew DiVerde, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in February 2017.

E-ONE-Gurnee Fire Department heavy-duty rescue. Typhoon cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 380-hp engine; 20-foot walk-around rescue body; Will-Burt LED light tower; SpaceSaver cascade system and fill station; ladder tunnel for ground ladders. Sold by Andrew DiVerde, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in May 2017.

Alexis-Fox Lake Fire Protection District, Ingleside, pumper. Spartan Metro Star cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; Pro Poly 1,000-gallon polypropylene tank; Will-Burt Night Scan 5.4 light tower; Smart Power 10-kW generator. Sold by K. Jeffrey Morris, Alexis Fire Equipment, Alexis, IL. Delivery in May 2017.

E-ONE-Long Grove Fire Protection District pumper. Typhoon cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 780-gallon tank; 50-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 2001 single-agent foam system; Will-Burt night Scan Chief NS1.8 light tower; Smart Power 10-kW generator; stainless steel pumper body; SpaceSaver SCBA fill station; four-bottle cascade system; Whelen LED scene lights. Sold by Greg Hanson, Fire Service, Inc., Naperville, IL. Delivery in July 2017.

E-ONE-Peoria Fire Department, two Extreme Duty pumpers. Typhoon cabs and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engines; Waterous CS 1,250-gpm pimps; UPF Poly 500-gallon tanks; three quarter side body with Zico ladder rack; Amdor roll-up compartment doors; Firetech Hiviz LED lighting. Sold by Craig Hamrick, Banner Fire Equipment, Roxana, IL. Delivery in June, 2017.

Pierce – Brookfield Fire Department PUC pumper. Enforcer cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; UPF Poly 500-gallon tank; 30-gallon foam cell; Pierce 1,500-gpm single-stage pump; Husky 3 Class B foam system; Harrison 10-kW generator. Sold by John Kenna, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL. Delivery in April 2017.

Pierce – Marengo Fire Protection District top-mount pumper. Enforcer cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 380-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon tank; Will-Burt Chief NS2.6 light tower. Sold by Tracie Madden, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL. Delivery in February 2017.

Pierce – Western Springs Fire Department pumper. Saber cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon tank. Sold by John Kenna, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL Delivery in March 2017.

thanks Josh

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Towns plan to consolidate emergency dispatch

May 18

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the RBLandmark.com:

The Illinois General Assembly has given small towns all across the state an order to consolidate their emergency police and fire dispatch centers by mid-2017, forcing municipalities to scramble to either join existing dispatch centers or form their own.

And by July 1 the state wants written plans for just how such consolidation is going to be handled — a task that has brought Brookfield, North Riverside and Riverside together to form a joint dispatch center.

Tentatively called WC3, the joint dispatch center for all three villages will be located inside the North Riverside Police Department and will be governed by a board of directors that will hire an executive director to manage operations.

Earlier this month, all three villages signed off on a consulting contract to hire Northbrook-based GovHR USA for $25,000 to assist them in implementing the plan.  Representatives from all three villages, including village managers, police and fire chiefs, and dispatch supervisors have been meeting weekly with GovHR USA consultant Paul Harlow, who formerly served as village manager and public safety director of Glencoe.

Last summer, the General Assembly passed the consolidated dispatch law bill which  mandates that all towns with populations less than 25,000 consolidate services to reach that population. The cost to create the joint dispatch center would be borne equally by all three municipalities.

There are many moving parts to the consolidation process. In addition to physically upgrading the North Riverside dispatch center to include a third position and some new equipment, Brookfield is not presently on the same dispatch radio frequency as Riverside and North Riverside, and Brookfield belongs to a different fire department mutual aid division.

In addition, the records software used by North Riverside and Brookfield is not used by Riverside, and all dispatchers will need to be trained to provide what’s called Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), which is a higher level of dispatch service that’s being mandated along with the consolidation. While some of the dispatchers currently employed have been trained in EMD, none of the three villages presently provides EMD service because it requires a second dispatcher to be on hand 24 hours a day.

All three towns say the full-time dispatchers they currently employ will be retained, but the future of part-timers is not so clear. Eventually, however, the dispatchers will go from being municipal employees to being employees of WC3, and a new collective bargaining unit will be created for those employees, who are now members of three separate units.

One of the other changes that will come as dispatch services consolidate is that Brookfield and Riverside police will no longer have personnel at their front desks 24 hours a day. During the overnight hours, North Riverside will have dispatch personnel available to handle walk-ins, but some sort of phone/video system will need to be installed at Brookfield and Riverside to allow anyone walking up to the front doors of those departments to reach a dispatcher in North Riverside.

In June, all three municipalities will sign an intergovernmental agreement to set up the WC3 board, which will include officials who have already been meeting informally with the consultant. 

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