From a reader:
Sad state of affairs down at fleet. CFD could use some new rigs.
Posts Tagged Chicago Fire Department
As seen around … Chicago
Oct 9
This from Josh Boyajian:
Ambulances 11, 12, 23, and 77 receiving new 2023 Ford E350 Wheeled Coach ambulancesEngines 22 & 75 receiving new 2023 E-One Cyclone pumpersThere are (3) additional E-One pumpers being outfitted and there is at least 1 rear-mount aerial being outfitted, with 4 additional aerials coming in the next few months.There is at least 1 rear-mount tower ladder being finished at E-One in Florida.Multiple new ambulances are being built and outfitted. Company numbers for those assignments is unknown at this time.
From a reader:
New cfd ambo about to go in Service
Chicago Fire Department news
Sep 22
Excerpts from cbsnews.com:
For the past two weeks, four firefighters from Germany, have been training with and learning from Chicago firefighters. They’re wrapping up their tour at Engine 116 Squad 5 in Englewood.
“We took them through a course to teach them how to maneuver in tight spaces at a fire,” said Lieutenant Kenneth Cardenas of the Chicago Fire Department.
The CFD put the German firefighters through a couple of different courses at the department’s fire academy on multiple calls, including active fires.
Frank Gramberg is a fire captain in Bremen, Germany. He’s traveled to Chicago three times since 2004 to train with local firefighters. He’s found there’s no border to brotherhood.
The Bremen firefighters head back home on Friday. The partnership between Bremen and Chicago dates back to 2004.
The CFD has also hosted firefighters from countries like Ukraine, Canada, Guatemala, and Switzerland.
Chicago Fire Department news
Sep 19
Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:
A Chicago firefighter was hurt while battling a blaze Monday morning at a home in the Chatham neighborhood after crews were called around 11 a.m. to a three-story apartment building at 8220 S. Maryland Avenue. A firefighter at the scene was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center with “elevated vitals,” officials said and was listed in fair condition.
The blaze was struck out around 12:30 p.m.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or how the firefighter was injured, and there were no other reported injuries.
Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:
Chicago FD Lt. Kevin Ward was remembered Wednesday by his colleagues and family during a funeral ceremony that took place in the heart of Chicago, shutting down Michigan Avenue for several hours and giving the public a chance to share in the sorrow and take a beat to honor the respect and sacrifice of someone who died fighting a fire for the city.
Ward died after battling a house fire on the Northwest Side. He had been hospitalized for 17 days and was unable to breathe on his own. He died on Aug. 28th at 58 years old.
He was celebrated Wednesday for his many specialized careers and hobbies. He was a devoted public servant for 26 years.
There was a walking procession on Michigan Avenue Wednesday morning. The Emerald Society Pipe and Drum Corps led and fire engines followed. One of them was draped in purple and black bunting and carried the casket. Ward’s gear was positioned on the front of that engine.
New firefighters stood with flags in the streets, creating a corridor of honor for the procession. The bagpipe music filled Michigan Avenue as tourists and locals watched the casket, draped in the Chicago flag, moved inside Fourth Presbyterian Church with military precision.
Ward’s family spoke during the funeral service. His former wife talked about how he always had very physically demanding hobbies. He was a glass-blowing artist, a scuba diver, a rescue diver. He even played underwater hockey. Ward had a trained respiratory system for all these interests, but in the end, it was his breathing that ultimately failed him.
Walenda said that Ward loved the Gold Coast church where his funeral took place, saying he believed it represented community and it was what a Chicago church ought to be.
Chicago Fire Department news
Sep 12
Excerpts from wgntv.com:
Several firefighters are hospitalized after a Chicago FD Engine 101 crashed into the side of a home on the city’s South Side just before 10 p.m. Monday at the intersection of 77th Street and Damen Avenue in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
The fire engine was traveling south of Damen when the driver lost control. The two people inside the home at the time of the crash were uninjured. However, they are now displaced.
Five firefighters were transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
Police have not said what caused the driver to lose control of the truck.
thanks Scott
Memorial decal for the LODD of Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin Ward
thanks to FirehouseDecalsAndMore.com
click to download
Excerpts from nbcchicago.com:
Chicago FD Lieutenant Kevin Ward
Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin Ward passed away Tuesday, 18 days after he was injured while working a fire in the 8300 block of West Balmoral Avenue. Ward was one of three firefighters injured in the blaze on Aug. 11. A mayday call was issued during that fire, with two firefighters, including Ward, ending up trapped in the basement of the home.
He was taken to an area hospital for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation, and was originally listed in critical condition. He was later upgraded to serious condition on Aug. 13, with officials saying he was making steady improvement.
He remained hospitalized after the fire, and passed away on Tuesday morning.
A procession will escort Ward from Loyola Medical Center to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday afternoon.
Ward, 59, joined the department in 1996.
