Posts Tagged North Chicago

Gurnee MVA on Rt 120

Jeff Rudolph sent these images from an MVA this morning with this description:

Gurnee 1321 and 1342 responded to a morning MVA caused by black ice on RT. 120 at a railroad overpass in Park City. Three vehicles were involved;  two sustained heavy damage. Extrication was required by Engine 1321. Waukegan and North Chicago ambulances where requested for a total of three ambulances transporting to Condell and Vista East.

Gurnee Fire Department ambulance at MVA

North Chicago Ambulance 1546 on-scene at an early morning multiple vehicle accident in Park City was one of three units that transported patients. Jeff Rudolph photo

Park City MVA

One of three vehicles involved in an MVA on Route 120 in Park City. Jeff Rudolph photo

Park City Gurnee MVA

Gurnee Engine 1321 on the scene of an MVA on Route 120 in Park City that involved three vehicles. Jeff Rudolph photo

Gurnee Fire Department Engine 1321 at MVA

Firefighters used tools from Gurnee Engine 1321 to free at least one victim that was trapped in a vehicle as the result of a collision this morning on Route 120 in Park City. Jeff Rudolph photo

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North Chicago is on the site

North Chicago Fire Department patch

In northern Lake County, the North Chicago Fire Department runs a fleet of Pierce and Medtec units out of two stations. Their 8 square mile district borders the Great Lakes Naval Training Center on two sides. Their newest piece of apparatus is an 85′ tower ladder from Pierce which replaced a 1977 Hendrickson 1871-S/Pierce/LTI 85′ tower ladder. North Chicago is expecting another new Pierce in January. This will be a Pierce custom Contender engine to replace a 1986 Pierce Dash engine with open jump seats.

North Chicago Fire Department Hendrickson Pierce LTI 85' tower ladder

North Chicago's 1977 Hendrickson 1871-S/Pierce/LTI 85' tower ladder which was disposed of recently with the arrival of the new tower ladder. Larry Shapiro collection

North Chicago Fire Department Pierce Arrow XT 85' tower ladder

At North Chicago Station 2 on Buckley Road is their newest ambulance. Purchased in 2009, this was a Medtec demonstrator that was built in 2002. It arrived with blue decals which was the design that Medtec had created so the unit would appeal to a traditional rescue squad. The blue was subsequently removed and replaced with red graphics. This explains why this ambulance design is different looking than the other North Chicago ambulances.

North Chicago Fire Department Ford Medtec Type III ambulance demonstrator

Prior to changing the graphics on this 2002 Medtec demonstrator that North Chicago purchased in 2009, it was in service for a short time with the blue graphics seen here. This photo was taken on-scene at a 2nd alarm fire response in Libertyville in July of 2009 shortly after the new ambulance was delivered. Larry Shapiro photo

North Chicago Fire Department Ford Medtec Type III ambulance

The ambulance with updated red graphics.

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New order for North Chicago

The North Chicago Fire Department in Lake County is expecting delivery of a new engine this coming January. Evidently we missed announcing the order previously. They  have a Pierce Custom Contender engine on order that will feature a 1,500-GPM pump with a water tank for 1,000 gallons in addition to a 30-gallon foam tank. Similar to their 2009 Pierce tower ladder, the new engine will be painted black over red. When this unit goes into service, they will dispose of Engine 1514 which is a 1986 Pierce Dash.

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Lake Bluff is added to the site

Lake Bluff Fire Department patch

Another Division 4 department has been added to the site. The Lake Bluff Fire Department is another volunteer department covering the roughly 4 square miles of Lake Bluff along Lake Michigan between Lake Forest and North Chicago. This is mostly a Pierce department with four Pierce units plus a brush rig built by Danko.

There are several interesting points with regard to the apparatus here. First of all, each of the suppression rigs bears a unique name on the front of the cab. Lake Bluff has always gone to the local third grade class for help with a name when a new piece of equipment is ordered. The current names are ‘The Volunteer’, ‘The Defender’, ‘Guardian’, and ‘Centennial Pride’.

Lake Bluff Fire Department rescue 520

Built-in, color-coded, cross-lays are located amidship. Larry Shapiro photo

Lake Bluff Fire Department Pierce Saber pumper squad

Rescue 520 has a rear pump along with rescue squad type storage and a full complement of hydraulic tools. Larry Shapiro photo

Lake Bluff has an interesting rescue/pumper. Rescue 520 is a Pierce Saber with a squad body that features a rear 1500-GPM pump, built-in cross-lays, and has a roof-mounted, Will-Burt Night Scan, light tower. As a matter of fact, all three of Lake Bluff’s engines also have a Night Scan.

Lake Bluff Fire Department Ford C-8000 Pierce engine

At one time, all of the Lake Bluff engines were built by Pierce on Ford C-Series chassis. When they purchased their last Ford unit in 1990, they were informed by Pierce that this unit would be the last Ford-C-8000 that Pierce would build on.

Lake Bluff Fire Department

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IAFC Fire Rescue International Trade Show Final Installment!

Chicago Fire Department Spartan Crimson aerial ladder

The first Spartan/Gladiator Crimson 103' rear mount aerial ladder. The assignment for this piece has not yet been released. Larry Shapiro

There have been several previous postings which referenced the IAFC Fire Rescue International Trade Show in Chicago several weeks ago. A gallery is available by scrolling to the bottom of the page HERE which fittingly shows many of the trucks as they were leaving McCormick Place and lining up to receive a few gallons of fuel so that they could make their way to a gas station. As with any trade show, the fuel is siphoned out of the tanks before they enter the convention center as a safety measure to reduce the hazards of fires and leaks.

Although the units featured in the gallery are a hodgepodge sampling of the display pieces, there are images of several local units which are better shots than what was available inside the convention center. These images include the Freightliner/Medtec MICU from Algonquin-Lake in the Hills, the Pierce Impel quint from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago, the Spartan/Super Vac (SVI) HDR from Cherry Valley, the Pierce Velocity PUC tower ladder from South Holland, the custom Sutphen SP112 industrial tower ladder for the Exxon Mobile Joliet Refinery and the Spartan/Crimson rear mount aerial ladder for Chicago.

South Holland Fire Department Pierce Velocity PUC tower ladder

South Holland's Pierce Velocity PUC tower ladder. Larry Shapiro photo

Exxon Mobil Joliet Refinery Sutphen tower ladder

The Sutphen SP112 tower ladder for the Exxon Mobil Refinery in Joliet. Larry Shapiro photo

Pierce Impel quint Great Lakes Naval Training Center

The Pierce Impel quint going to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago. Larry Shapiro photo

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