Archive for December 13th, 2012

East Joliet closing Station 2

The East Joliet Fire District will be forced to close station 2 and make staffing cuts according to an article in the Herald-News:

Firefighters in the East Joliet Fire Protection District have been told to expect staffing changes and that Station 2 on Zarley Boulevard will be closed effective Saturday, the president of the East Joliet Firefighters Association said.

The article is HERE.

thanks Dennis

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Confined space rescue in Chicago 12-13-12

The Chicago Fire Department had a confined space rescue early this morning for a man who fell into a large chimney at the Intercontinental Hotel on North Michigan Avenue.

A man trying to take a photo from the top of the Intercontinental Hotel on Michigan Avenue died after falling 22 feet down a smokestack, authorities said.

It took rescue crews four hours to remove the 23-year-old man from Minnesota, at one point cutting through a wall and wedging boards in the chute to keep him from falling farther down.

Rescue crews responded to the hotel at 505 N. Michigan Ave. around 1:10 a.m. after someone called and reported that a person threatening to jump from the roof. Firefighters later learned the man fell down the smokestack, according to Fire Department spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim.

A “confined space rescue” was called, bringing 30 companies and about 125 firefighters and paramedics to the scene.

They discovered that the man had fallen 22 feet down a 6-foot wide smokestack and was wedged where the chute angled before dropping 42 floors, Ahlheim said. Crews cut into the wall and used wood boards to block the man from falling any farther, she said.

“We had to send members from the top down on ropes to assess his condition. The whole time we’re monitoring the situation for toxic gases,” said Special Operations Chief Michael Fox. “We found the best way to get out him was to go about two floors below, and we had to cut the duct work for the chimney, which was made out of steel. And eventually we ended up sliding the victim down into the hole and removing him from the building.”

The man was able to communicate with his girlfriend, either with phone calls or text messages, Ahlheim said, but firefighters lost contact with him around 3:15 a.m.

 

The entire article and a video segment is HERE.

thanks Chris

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Fatal fire in Arlington Heights 12-13-12

The Chicago Tribune reports that:

A woman died in an Arlington Heights apartment fire Thursday morning, authorities said.

The fire started about 3:45 a.m. in an apartment in the 200 block of Dunton Avenue, Police Sgt. Shawn Gyorke said.

Two police officers suffered smoke inhalation and were treated and released from a hospital, Gyorke said.
A firefighter also suffered a minor injury but details weren’t available.

 

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Chicago assigns Crimson to Truck 28

This from Josh Boyajian:

Caught Truck 28’s new rig down at the Academy Today!

Spartan ERV Crimson aerial ladder for the Chicago Fire Department Truck 28

Chicago Truck 28. Josh Boyajian photo

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