From the Carpentersville Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4790 Facebook page:
Huge shoutout to the Carpentersville Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4790 for making a little girls birthday so special today, amidst the shelter in place. Engine 92 rumbled down the street with lights blazing and they stopped in front of her home to give a proper birthday sound off! Smiles like this were just what we all needed today!
Photographic Art By AZ
Photo by AZ
Photo by AZ
Excerpts from Carpentersville village board meeting minutes:
TO: Village President and Board of Trustees
FROM: John?Paul Schilling, Fire Chief
DATE: January 31, 2020
RE: Ladder Tower & Engine Replacement with Multi-Function Vehicle (Quint)BACKGROUND
The current engine and ladder tower assigned to Station 91 were purchased in 2000 at a cost of $280,000 for the engine and $642,255 for the ladder tower. For many years the Village’s Capital Replacement program has had these two vehicles scheduled to be replaced in FY 2020. During the FY 2017 budget process, the fire department recommended that instead of replacing both vehicles, it would be more advantageous to replace the two vehicles with one multi-function vehicle it can provide the services of an engine and a ladder truck at a greatly reduced cost.At the beginning of May of 2019, we discovered a catastrophic failure of the support structure of the 100-foot ladder. A cost versus benefit analysis was conducted and determined that due to its age and the scheduled replacement in FY 2020, it was not worth the cost of repairing the damaged support structure.
Over the past four months, fire department and fleet maintenance personnel formed a committee to determine the mission of the replacement multi-function vehicle and the specifications to not only support the current level of service provided to the community but to also increase the level of service at a lower cost.
ANALYSIS
Use of an established purchasing cooperative bid program which alleviates the time and cost of conducting an open bid process. The results of utilizing the Houston Galveston Purchasing Cooperative bids, reduced the initial base cost by $42,998. The committee took a very conservative approach in the design and specification of the vehicle. The resulting specifications only included needed items and not any items that are outside of meeting it mission or considered bells and whistles.Knowing the recent history of structural issues with the old ladder/tower and a front line engine from the same manufacturer, we were able to garner an additional $50,000 discount from the manufacturer. One hundred percent prepayment will result in a $32,755.00 price reduction. Since we are recommending the 100 percent prepayment it is imperative to incur the cost of a performance bond at a cost of $2,984. The Carpentersville and Countryside Fire Protection District Board was successful in obtaining a levy increase with the emphasis on the purchase of this new vehicle and their residents and businesses having a direct benefit from this purchase. The levy increase is estimated at an additional $120,000 for fiscal year 2020 and subsequent years. It should be noted under this section that if the village does not initiate this purchase prior to February 14, 2020, the manufacturer will be instituting a three percent price increase which would result in an $32,629 cost to purchase the vehicle.
During the evaluation time period of 2001 through 2018 the fire department responded to 672 structure fires involving properties with total value of $204,397,000 which resulted in $192,041,000 in property value saved. Conservatively estimating that the telescoping ladder was used as part of an effective firefighting force 10% of the time, this would show that the old ladder truck had a part in saving $19,204,000 in property. The initial investment of the old ladder truck was $642,255 and during its service life participated in saving $19,204,000 worth of property value. This would indicate that the ladder truck saved a property value of 29.9 times more than the villages initial investment.
Solely based on historical data, it is estimated that the new Quint will respond to at least the same number of structure fires as in the past (672) and that the return on this investment would be even greater being that most property values are higher than in the past 18 years. Carpentersville is home to over 100 multi-family residential buildings. The odds of a successful rescue of multiple victims from the third floor are increased significantly when an aerial ladder is utilized.
The Insurance Service Office (ISO) which sets the standards for fire departments Public Protection Classification (PPC) states the following for the necessity of a ladder truck in a fire protection areas; “Individual ladder/service response areas with at least 5 buildings of 3 stories or 32 feet or more in height (ground to eaves) or with at least 5 buildings that have a Needed Fire Flow greater than 3,500 gpm or with at least 5 buildings meeting any combination of those criteria must have a ladder company.” As noted throughout this report, the Village of Carpentersville definitely meets this ISO requirement. It should also be noted that should the village not provide an aerial ladder truck, the current Public Protection Class (PPC Class 2) would be in jeopardy of increasing to a PPC Class 3 or higher and increased insurance premiums for commercial properties.
With input from the fire department and fleet service, the new vehicle should have a minimum requirement of a 100’ telescoping main ladder, a single-axle chassis, a minimum of a 1,500 gallon-per-minute pump, and a minimum of a 500-gallon water tank.
Base price for qualifying vehicles from three apparatus builders are $817,000, $794,000, and $1,261,000.
thanks Ron
Jan 10
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
West Dundee is forging ahead with efforts to consolidate local fire departments. Trustees voted 4-1 to continue discussing a possible intergovernmental agreement with the Rutland-Dundee Fire Protection District that would have both departments working under one management team.
Monday’s discussion follows on the heels of the East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District’s decision to terminate an intergovernmental agreement with West Dundee that was approved in 2016 and had West Dundee Fire Chief Randy Freise taking the helm of both departments which began Jan. 1, 2017.
The agreement called for the cost of the chief position to be shared equally by each village. In terms of hierarchy, the East Dundee Fire Protection District’s deputy chief began reporting to Freise, and Freise reported to both the West Dundee village manager and the East Dundee Fire District board. West Dundee officials had hoped the two agencies could then work with Rutland-Dundee in coordinating joint fire management services.
But citing budget concerns, the East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District board voted in September to give 90 days notice of its intent to opt out of the agreement.
The proposed structure for the new joint fire management services concept would include utilizing the existing management staffs of the two departments, as well as the creation of a three-member board, with one member from Rutland-Dundee, one from West Dundee, and one to be agreed upon by the respective elected officials of both organizations, to serve as an oversight committee.
The chief and deputy chief would report directly to the board in regards to operations and day-to-day management issues, and the individual board members would report back to their respective full boards. West Dundee’s village manager would also serve as an ex-officio member to aid the fire staff in its day-to-day responsibilities.
The discussion does not exclude Carpentersville, which has been part of the effort in recent years to share resources and standardize operations. Carpentersville has expressed its desire to further evaluate the concept and leaders from both villages plan to meet in the coming weeks to discuss it.
Several West Dundee board members expressed their support for moving the concept forward for discussion.
Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
Carpentersville firefighters responded to a house fire in the 1500 block of Amarillo Drive about 3:40 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to find flames and smoke billowing out the west side of the home, Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling said. They extinguished the fire in about 10 minutes.
The couple that lives in the house wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but a neighbor told firefighters that two dogs were inside. While searching the home, firefighters found that one of the dogs died in the fire, but they rescued a 3-year-old female pit bull. The pit bull was unresponsive but breathing, so firefighters administered oxygen through a mask at the scene for about 20 minutes before taking her to Dundee Animal Hospital. By the time the dog was receiving treatment at the animal hospital, she was more responsive and had her eyes open.
The cause and total damage of the fire remains under investigation.
Carpentersville FD photo
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Grant funding has allowed Carpentersville firefighters to acquire new air packs and masks.
More than a year ago, the Carpentersville Fire Department learned it had secured funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant program to replace their old breathing apparatus, which were set to be retired next year.
Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling said at the village board meeting Tuesday that funding had been received. A total of $262,300, which included the village’s required 10 percent match, was used to purchase 36 new air packs as well as masks that contain a built-in thermal imaging camera.
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Carpentersville fire Battalion Chief Todd Middendorf’s death was brought on by anaphylactic shock after being stung by bees, according to a medical examiner’s report.
The report, obtained by The Courier-News from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center through a Freedom of Information Act request, notes authorities in Sevier County received a 911 call on July 16 concerning Middendorf, 46. Middendorf died July 18 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn., in Knox County. The report lists the cause of death as “anaphylaxis due to bee sting.”
The Middendorfs have a home in the Sevierville, Tenn., area, where friends said the family intended to retire. The family was on vacation there last month at the time of the incident that led to Middendorf’s death.
Middendorf was well-respected by his fellow firefighters in Carpentersville and surrounding communities. His wake and funeral services July 27 drew a large number of people.
Knox County Chief Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Lochmuller, an associate professor of pathology with the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, said this summer the center has seen two or three cases, including Middendorf’s, involving anaphylactic shock and stings. Lochmuller said he couldn’t recall a single similar case in his seven years at the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Severe allergic reactions to insect stings or bites are not seen on a regular basis but are not uncommon, said Dr. Mohammad Zaman, who oversees the emergency department at Elgin’s Presence St. Joseph Hospital.
According to statistics provided by Elgin’s Advocate Sherman Hospital, from January 2016 to Aug. 15, 2017, that hospital’s ER had 116 patients who were seen for “toxic effect of venom of bees.”
An allergic reaction to an insect sting or bite can develop at any age, even if someone had been stung before and had no adverse reaction. Such allergies can develop at any age.
Hymenoptera is the insect order that can sting and contains venom. The insects most commonly causing this condition are honeybees, hornets, yellow jackets, fire ants, and wasps.
A key is getting help as soon as possible, as anaphylaxis can happen within five to 20 minutes or up to two hours later, depending on the person and the details of the stinging incident.
Immediate treatment for reactions involves receiving a dose of epinephrine from an injection such as Auvi-Q, Epipen or a generic, then antihistamines and steroids.
thanks Dan
Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
Firefighters on Monday were called at about 6:30 p.m. to a single-story, single-family home on Sparrow Road. They arrived to find one of the home’s residents attempting to extinguish an exterior fire with a garden hose. The fire spread into an attic area and one of the bedrooms. The home was deemed uninhabitable.
The fire is under investigation.
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Friends, family, and fellow firefighters from throughout the region gathered at St. Mary Catholic Church in Huntley Thursday to pay their final respects to Carpentersville Battalion Chief Todd Middendorf.
Among those in attendance were members of the Hazel Green (Wis.) Fire Department, where Middendorf worked his first stint as a volunteer firefighter from 1992 to ’94.
Middendorf joined the Carpentersville Fire Department 23 years ago, starting as a firefighter and working his way up to battalion chief.
Middendorf, 46, died July 18 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn. Middendorf , his wife Daisy and son Tyler were on vacation at their home in Sevierville, Tenn., a place where the couple planned to eventually retire. Family members have not publicly discussed the circumstances leading to Middendorf’s unexpected death and the medical examiner has not yet released the cause of death.
Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
The village of Carpentersville is mourning the unexpected death Tuesday of Battalion Chief Todd Middendorf.
“He was basically one of the cornerstones of the department,” Fire Chief John-Paul Schilling said. “He was well-loved within the entire region.”
Middendorf, 46, was a resident of Carpentersville and member of the fire department for 23 years, starting as a part-timer in 1994 and moving to full time in 1997. He functioned in the role of acting deputy chief and assisted in the administration of the department.
The firefighter and paramedic is survived by his wife, Daisy, and young son, Tyler.
A Facebook post shared by the local police department and the Carpentersville Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4790 said Middendorf’s death was sudden and unexpected.
To all our followers out there, this is an extremely hard post to make but we have to sadly announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our Battalion Chief Todd Middendorf. B/C Middendorf has been resident of Carpentersville and a member of our department for 23 years. Todd leaves behind a loving family including his wife and their young son. Please keep his family in your prayers as they will need them more than ever. Details on services are TBD.
According to reports, during Middendorf’s first call as a paramedic in March 1997, he and three other Carpentersville firefighter-paramedics responded to an accident involving a woman who was eight months pregnant. The woman showed no signs of life, but the crew knew they might save the child if they kept working, sending blood and oxygen through the mother and baby still in her womb.
Alerted by the paramedics, the hospital’s trauma and obstetrics teams and a neonatologist were waiting at Elgin’s Sherman Hospital and performed a rare postmortem C-section, saving the newborn’s life.
A memorial service for Middendorf is being planned.
thanks Dan
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