Posts Tagged Kankakee Fire Department

New engine for Kankakee FD

From the Pierce Flickr site:

Pierce, City of Kankakee Fire Department, IL, 36629-1

#chicagoareafire.com; #KankakeeFD; #Pierce; #FireTruck; #Enforcer

Pierce composite

thanks Danny

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2-Alarm fire in Momence, 1-2-22

This from Eric Haak:

Here are some images from the scene of MABAS Division 7’s 2nd Alarm in Momence on Sunday morning. The fire was in a 150 x 300 manufacturing plant that had a truss roof. The plant produced freeze-dried vegetable, fruit, and herb ingredients.

massive flames from factory fire in Momence IL

Eric Haak photo

massive flames from factory fire in Momence IL

Eric Haak photo

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Kankakee Fire Department news

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

Kankakee Fire Chief Damon Schuldt joined the Milford Fire Protection District in October 1984 starting his journey as a firefighter and paramedic. The journey led him to the Bradley department in September 1989, then to the Kankakee in December 1990, where he retired Friday as the department’s chief.

He was appointed the interim chief in May 2017 and then officially became the department’s 19th chief in August 2017.

He met with Mayor-elect Chris Curtis earlier this week and was informed he would be replaced as chief. Curtis has since announced his choice for fire chief will be Kankakee Fire Capt. Bryan LaRoche.

Schuldt said he thought about retiring last winter since he had reached 30 years of service but decided to stay on as the COVID-19 pandemic lingered.

Now there will be time for Schuldt and his wife, Gayle, to work on their collection of classic vehicles, travel and spend time with their two sons and daughter.

Looking back over the past four years as chief, Schuldt said he was able to get most of his five-year plan in place.

“We were able to purchase two much-needed ambulances, including both being the first-four-wheel drive ambulances in the department’s history,” he said. “We also secured two staff vehicles — one all-wheel drive Explorer for shift commanders and a car for the fire prevention bureau. We recently ordered a new pumper with great assistance from our apparatus committee, and laid the groundwork for the refurbishment of an engine.

“I strived to stand up for my department and at times had to go up against some aldermen to accomplish that.”

Helping the department get an ISO 1 rating for the city is another achievement he is proud to have obtained during his tenure.

In October 2020 he became one of 1,400 fire chiefs to achieve the Chief Fire Officer designation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission on Professional Credentialing.  

As he looked back over the past four years, he said he tried his best guiding the department during his tenure.

thanks Dennis

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Kankakee Fire Department news

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

Officials with the Kankakee Fire Department say they are in dire need of a new pumper, but the department will have to wait a few months to purchase the new truck.

Efforts to approve the immediate purchase of a new pumper for $557,787 fell short of the necessary vote at the Kankakee City Council meeting on Tuesday. Normally, purchases of more than $20,000 need to go out for bid by city ordinance, but they can also be approved by a vote of two-thirds of the council members. After much debate among council members and a presentation by Fire Chief Damon Schuldt, the measure failed by an 8-6 vote, which is 57 percent.

The department was using a procurement service cooperative that helps to make government purchases more efficient. The chief said the coop does some of the legwork that a bidding process would do.

Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong said there are exceptions to the bidding process that are allowed with the two-thirds vote, and the fire department pumper truck purchase falls into that category.

Schuldt said the current truck is a 2005 model and has more than 140,000 miles. It required a $20,000 repair earlier this year, is in need of a radiator repair and is leaking oil.

Initially, the motion was for the purchase of the new pumper and also have the current truck sent back to the manufacturer to be refurbished for an additional $299,000. The refurbishment would take at least 18 months due to a backlog, and payment would be made at that time.

The motion was amended to just vote on the purchase of a new truck and consider the refurbishment at a later time. With the vote failing, the purchase of the new truck will now have to go out for bid. No time frame for that process was discussed.

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Kankakee FD squad for sale

Found on Govdeals.com:

1986 Ford Walkin Cargo Body

Auction Ends6/15/20 3:55 PM ET

Ford Cargo Star squad for sale

FD photo

Ford Cargo Star squad for sale

FD photo

thanks Dennis

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Kankakee FD ambulance for sale

Found at govdeals.com:

2008 Ford F-450 SD Regular Cab 2WD DRW

Auction Ends6/15/20 3:40 PM ET

Kankakee FD 2008 Ford Type 1 ambulance for sale

FD photo

Kankakee FD 2008 Ford Type 1 ambulance for sale

FD photo

Kankakee FD 2008 Ford Type 1 ambulance for sale

FD photo

thanks Dennis

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Kankakee Fire Department news

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

The Kankakee Fire Department has received the highest rating for a fire department, placing it among a group of just two dozen departments statewide. Other towns with the highest rating are typically much bigger cities or wealthy suburbs, including Chicago, Naperville, Plainfield, Springfield, Champaign, Skokie, Tinley Park, and Batavia.

The Insurance Services Office rates each department on a 1 to 10 scale, with 1 being best. The rating is based on factors such as water supply, emergency communications, creation of plans to fight fires in specific buildings, hose testing and response times, among other things. Historically, Kankakee has been rated at 3 or 4, but five years ago, the number improved to a 2, and now, it’s a 1.

By comparison, Bourbonnais and Manteno are 3s, and Bradley is a 4. It’s harder for smaller fire districts to get a 1 or a 2 because they take in rural areas where it’s harder to respond as quickly to fires. In Manteno, the fire rating improved to 3, from 5, a couple years ago in the rural areas outside village limits but within five miles of a fire station.

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Kankakee Fire Department news

Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:

Kankakee Fire Chief Damon Schuldt was set to acquire a new ambulance for the fire department last week, however at least several members of the 14-member Kankakee City Council had no idea this purchase was about to take place since it was not brought to any committee to OK the expense.

At last week’s council meeting, Schuldt went over the process of seeking demonstration ambulances, which could be purchased at a lesser cost. He was recommending the purchase of a $167,379 ambulance from Alexis Fire Equipment Co.

The council members were not disputing the need for a new ambulance, but noted such a costly purchase needs to travel through the appropriate committees so aldermen are aware of what is taking place and what financial commitments are being made. Schuldt had discussed the need for a new ambulance at the committee level on at least a few occasions, but not the specifics of the Alexis ambulance. The matter was pulled back, and Schuldt said he would bring the information to the two committees for approval. The matter could come back to the council for vote in June.

Schuldt explained he did not send out bids because he was seeking demo models that would allow for a less expensive vehicle as opposed to bidding out specific requirements for a Kankakee ambulance. He received five proposals from ambulance providers. The costs ranged from the $167,379 vehicle up to the most expensive at about $245,000.

The new ambulance would replace an 11-year-old vehicle that is no longer reliable.  The department also operates with a 2017 ambulance. The newer ambulance will be paid off this year.

thanks Dennis

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4-Alarm fire in St Anne, IL 4-22-18 (more)

apparatus photos of units that responded to the 4-Alarm fire in St Anne, IL 4-22-18

Kankakee Township FPD Engine 82

Eric Haak photo

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4-Alarm fire in St Anne, IL 4-22-18

This from Eric Haak:

The town of Saint Anne, Illinois had a 4th Alarm MABAS Box on Saturday afternoon (4/22). The call came in just before 3:30 pm with the report of flames seen from the closet. It was quickly obvious that this was a little more than that as the fire was boxed nearly on arrival and was escalated to a 2nd Alarm minutes later. Very low water pressure led to available resources being spread thin and thousands of feet of 5 inch being dropped across the neighborhood. Eventually a tanker operation was set up as well as a MABAS 27 Engine Task Force request.

St Anne FPD Engine at work

Eric Haak photo

Firefighters battle building fire with heavy smoke

Eric Haak photo

Firefighters battle building fire with heavy smoke

Eric Haak photo

Firefighters battle building fire with heavy smoke

Eric Haak photo

Firefighters battle building fire with heavy smoke

Eric Haak photo

Firefighters operate multiple hose lines at fire scene

Eric Haak photo

Aroma FPD quint at fire scene

Eric Haak photo

fire department water tender dumps into a portable tank

Eric Haak photo

Beaver FPD Tanker 2 at work

Eric Haak photo

rusted fire hydrant with hose attached

Eric Haak photo

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