Archive for January, 2013

13-Alarm Fire in Burlington, WI 1-30-13 (pt3)

Jan 31

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 4 Comments

From Tim Olk:

Rundown of companies that responded to the 13 Alarm fire in Burlington, WI at Echo Lake Foods. (MABAS Division 102 Box 920-21)

In all, 92 departments responded from Wisconsin and Illinois.

RACINE COUNTY - MABAS Div 102: (11)

City of Burlington
Town of Burlington
Rochester
Raymond
Union Grove
Kansasville
Tichigan
Wind Lake
Waterford
South Shore
City of Racine

KENOSHA COUNTY - MABAS Div 101: (8)

Bristol
Town of Salem
Silver Lake
Wheatland
Pleasant Prairie
Somers
Paris
Twin Lakes

WAUKESHA COUNTY - MABAS Div 106: (11)

Town of Waukesha
New Berlin
Lisbon
Lannon
Eagle
Big Bend
Vernon
Mukwonago
Town of Brookfield
Menominee Falls
Wales

ROCK COUNTY - MABAS Div 104: (7)

Edgerton
Evansville
Clinton
Milton
Turtle
Beloit
Janesville

WALWORTH COUNTY - MABAS Div 103: (12)

Lauderdale
LaGrange
Lake Geneva
Elkhorn
Lyons
Sharon
East Troy
Bloomfield
Linn
Walworth
Fontana
Bloomfield
City of Delavan

DANE COUNTY - MABAS Div 115: (6)

Middleton
Blooming Grove
Fitchburg
Verona
Stoughton
Deerfield

MILWAUKEE COUNTY - MABAS Div 107: (7)

Greendale
Greenfield
Wauwatosa
West Allis
South Milwaukee
North Shore
Hales Corners

JEFFERSON COUNTY - MABAS Div 118: (5)

Jefferson
Watertown
Palmyra
Helenville
Fort Atkinson

LAKE COUNTY ILLINOIS - MABAS Div 4: (7)

Countryside
Antioch
Waukegan
Long Grove
Wauconda
Knollwood
Newport

MCHENRY COUNTY ILLINOIS - MABAS Div 5: (7)

Huntley
McHenry
Cary
Richmond
Woodstock
Harvard
Marengo

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: (2)

MEDIX
Paratech

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT/REHAB: (4)

Racine Fire Bells
Milwaukee Fire Bells
Waterford Fuel
S&J Bus Service

SPECIAL TEAMS: (5)

Racine Haz-Mat
Racine Arson Investigation Team
Wisconsin State Fire Marshall
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms
SE Wisconsin Incident Command Management Team

Tags: huge fire at Echo Lake Foods in Burlington WI, rundown of units called to work at the Echo Lake Foods fire in Burlington WI

13-Alarm Fire in Burlington, WI 1-30-13 (pt2)

Jan 31

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service News, Fire Service Photos, Fire Truck photos, Firefighters working | 3 Comments

Here is a video and some images from Larry Shapiro from the 13-alarm fire in Burlington WI overnight.

Big Bend, WI engine drafting from Echo Lake. Larry Shapiro photo

Another view of the Big Bend, WI engine drafting from Echo Lake. Larry Shapiro photo

Wauconda engine pumping in-line. Larry Shapiro photo

Pierce quint with elevated master stream

Wheatland, WI quint working in Sector D. Larry Shapiro photo

Pierce tower ladder with elevated master stream

Lake Geneva tower ladder working in Sector A. Larry Shapiro photo

E-ONE engine drafting from portable tank

Kansasville, WI engine drafting from a portable tank. Larry Shapiro photo

Lake Geneva tower ladder visible in the background being supplied by the Kansasville engine. Larry Shapiro photo

fire engines drafting from portable tanks

Kansasville and Burlington engines drafting in Sector A. Larry Shapiro photo

fire tanker dumping water into portable tank

A tanker dumping at the D Sector water supply. Larry Shapiro photo

large chemical storage tanks at industrial fire scene

Several of the chemical storage tanks that were threatened. Larry Shapiro photo

fire tender dumping water into portable tank

Another tanker working in Sector D. Larry Shapiro photo

Lyons Township, WI tanker turning around to access the portable tanks. Larry Shapiro photo

Kansasville Assistant Chief working Sector D. Larry Shapiro photo

Pierce top-mount engine pumping at winter fire

A Burlington engine pumping in-line to supply a master stream. Larry Shapiro photo

HME fire engine drafting from portable tank

Town of Burlington engine drafting from the portable tanks along the southside of the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro has a gallery with images from the Echo Lake Foods fire

Tags: 12-Alarm fire in Burlington WI, Burlington Fire Department, elevated master streams, elevated master streams work at extra alarm fire, EONE Sentry engine, EONE Sentry pumper, fire engine drafting from frozen rover, firefighters deploy elevated master streams, HME fire engine, HME fire engine pumping at large fire, huge fire at Echo Lake Foods in Burlington WI, in-line pumping operations, in-line pumpng at fire scene, Kansasville Fire Department, Lake Geneva Fire Department tower ladder, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Interdivisional Alarm, Pierce Arrow XT tower ladder, Pierce fire engine, Pierce quint, Pierce tower ladder, Pierce Tower ladder working at fire, portable tanks, Racine Fire Bells Canteen, tanker ops, tanker shuttle, Tim Olk, Wauconda fire engine, winter fire scene

13-Alarm Fire in Burlington, WI 1-30-13

Jan 31

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service News, Fire Service Photos, Firefighters working, Firefighting Video | 1 Comment

A large fire broke out just after 6PM last night at the Echo Lake Foods facility at 33102 South Honey Lake Road in Burlington, WI.

View Larger Map

The fire building was one of a series of six buildings inter-connected at the facility that processes the following according to the company website:

We are passionate in our commitment to producing the best quality egg products and breakfast-style entrees.

•  PRECOOKED EGG ENTREES
•  FRENCH TOAST & PANCAKES
•  CREPES AND BLINTZES
•  PRECOOKED SCRAMBLED AND DICED EGGS
•  FROZEN LIQUID EGGS
•  WAFFLES
•  MINI PANCAKES

As such, the facility has large amount of ammonia and liquid oxygen. As of 5AM Friday, (11 hours into the incident), NBC TMJ4 reported the following:

BURLINGTON – An eight-alarm fire has gone into its 13th hour of burning out of control Thursday morning at the Echo Lake Foods processing plant in Burlington.

“There still is active fire. It is not contained at this point,” said Fire Chief Richard Lodle during a 5 a.m. news conference Thursday which aired live on TODAY’S TMJ4.

More than 80 fire departments and 200 firefighters have given their assistance to the Burlington Fire Department.

The Burlington Police Department evacuated 10 homes and an apartment building, assisting about 50 people.

The fire broke out just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, and is at 33102 N. Honey Lake Road in Burlington, the site of Echo Lake Foods.

“The fire department discovered a significant fire upon arrival,” said Miller.

“The plant was successfully evacuated. There were no injuries to employees or, so far, to any firefighters.”

Hazardous materials teams came on scene because of ammonia and liquid oxygen tanks.

Meanwhile, Burlington’s fire chief is rotating in hundreds of firefighters from around southeastern Wisconsin, as far away as Milwaukee County.

“That’s why the large number of departments that we have called in, the large number of personnel that we’ve had…We’re not rotating out and rotating back in. When you rotate out, you go home.”

He also said they have not have much opportunity to enter the building and fight the fire from inside.

“The majority has been on a defensive mode. At this point, we’re attempting to do an interior attack, if we can get crews in.”

The company, founded in 1941, produces eggs and egg products, as well as other breakfast products. The factory has a long history in the Burlington area.

“This will affect the city greatly. We will attempt to help them rebuild and re-open the plant as soon as possible,” said Miller during the news conference.

“One of the largest employers…it’s going to be a loss of 300 jobs for a while.”

The complete article with photos is HERE.

The fire went to a 5th Alarm (as high as MABAS Alarms are rated) and then 8 separate inter-divisional alarms were requested with strike teams or task forces requested from other MABAS Divisions in Wisconsin and Illinois. (some of the MABAS Divisions that responded include 101, 102, 106, 4, 5)

Tim Olk and Larry Shapiro went to the incident roughly four hours after the initial alarm and have a video and images from the scene that will be posted later. The size of the scene, the bitter cold weather, and the hazardous smoke restricted their access to two of the four sectors.

The incident is located in an area that required tankers to shuttle water to portable tanks, where engines drafted to feed the multiple master streams. Some of the streams had to shutdown fairly often as the three or four portable tanks that were inter-connected would be depleted before they could be refilled. There were at least three such water supply sectors being managed at the fire scene. Eventually, a drafting operation was setup from Echo Lake along Milwaukee Avenue. Two engines and a quint worked to complete this task for engines supplying a master stream in Sector D.

The Chicago Tribune has an article HERE.

ABC news has an article HERE.

MyRacineCounty.com has an article.

Fox6now.com has an article with video.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online has an article with a great overhead image from this morning.

Tags: 12-Alarm fire in Burlington WI, Burlington Fire Department, elevated master streams, elevated master streams work at extra alarm fire, fire engine drafting from frozen rover, firefighters deploy elevated master streams, huge fire at Echo Lake Foods in Burlington WI, in-line pumping operations, in-line pumpng at fire scene, Kansasville Fire Department, Lake Geneva Fire Department tower ladder, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Interdivisional Alarm, portable tanks, Racine Fire Bells Canteen, tanker ops, tanker shuttle, Tim Olk, winter fire scene

New ambulance for Palatine

Jan 31

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News, Fire Truck photos | 7 Comments

This from Campbell Hilinger:

Hey guys…just thought I’d drop you a line about Palatine’s new ambulance:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.544746658868719.131261.275568462453208&type=1

Just found it browsing Horton’s FB page. Thanks for all the good work. Have a nice night.

And Tyler Tobolt:

New Palatine Ambulance (Photos on Horton Emergency Vehicle Facebook Page)

Horton Emergency Vehicle photo

Tags: Horton ambulance, Horton Emergency Vehicles, new ambulance for Palatine, Palatine Fire Department

Chicago orders new squads

Jan 30

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News, New Apparatus Order | 102 Comments

Rosenbauer posted the following on their Facebook page today:

Rosenbauer Receives Order for Two-Piece Squad Company Apparatus for Chicago Fire Department

WYOMING, MN (January 28, 2013) Rosenbauer has received a five year contract from the Chicago Fire Department for the replacement of the department’s two-piece Squad Companies. The initial order consists of two Rosenbauer 55′ Articulating Cobra Platforms (ACP-55) and two Rosenbauer Walk-In Rescues. Both apparatus will be built on the revolutionary Rosenbauer Commander chassis which was introduced in 2012.

“Rosenbauer is honored to serve the Chicago Fire Department. We are pleased that the CFD has chosen the Commander chassis for the squad companies and feel it will be a great fit for them,” said Harold Boer, President of Rosenbauer America. “We value the trust placed in Rosenbauer by the second largest fire department in the United States, and we are looking forward to growing our relationship with the CFD.”

The ACP-55’s will be built on the Rosenbauer Commander chassis featuring a long two door cab with flat roof. The chassis will include seating for two and a large transverse compartment in the rear of the cab. Rosenbauer’s heavy-duty 3/16″ EXT extruded aluminum body carrying a lifetime transferable warranty will provide the framework for more than 400 cubic feet of compartment space. The ACP-55 includes a 750 pound tip load and has rated flows up to 1250 GPM. Features of the ACP-55 include Rosenbauer’s unmatched Smart Aerial technology that enhance the safety and performance of the aerial, Soft-Touch controls which ensure smooth aerial operations, and a hot dipped galvanized torque box and outriggers which carry a 25 year corrosion warranty.

The walk-in rescues which make up the second piece of the squad companies will be built on the Rosenbauer Commander chassis with a 60″ cab and a 24″ raised roof and include seating for six. The 18′ rescue body will also be constructed utilizing the heavy-duty EXT body and will include in excess of 600 cubic feet of compartment space.

The Chicago Fire Department is the second largest fire department in the United States and the oldest major organized fire department in the nation. The department has nearly 5,000 firefighters and paramedics and operates out of 98 fire stations.

Rosenbauer dealer, Trans-Chicago Truck Group located in Elmhurst, Illinois provides service and support to the Chicago Fire Department.

Rosenbauer is the world’s leading manufacturer of firefighting vehicles and equipment. In North America, Rosenbauer incorporates the international strength and innovation of a global company with top American manufacturing firms. For more information, please visit the company’s website –www.rosenbaueramerica.com.

Rosenbauer building new squads for Chicago Fire

thanks Dennis & Dan

Tags: Chicago Fire Department, Chicago orders new Snorkel Squad apparatus, Chicago Snorkel Squads, new squad apparatus for Chicago, Rosenbauer America, Rosenbauer America to build new squad apparatus for Chicago, Rosenbauer Commander chassis

New Book: Chicago Stockyards Fires

Jan 30

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

This from Jeff Harkey:

Just found this last night:

New book about fires at the stock yards, appears to be coming out next month.

Says over the years there were nearly 300 extra alarm fires at the Stockyards!

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Strikes-Chicago-Stock-Yards/dp/1609499077

Tags: Chicago Stockyards Fire, Jeff Harkey, New Book entitled Fire Strikes Chicago Stock Yards

Chicago Firehouse of Engine 86

Jan 30

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service Photos | 1 Comment

This from Martin Nowak:

Drove by Engine 86 house and decided to take a picture. Well turns out that the Members of this house painted their doors and added companies to the door. Also the benches were painted and they also say companies on them. Each one dedicated to the three companies, Engine 86, Truck 57, and Ambulance 20.

Engine 86’s house with red doors. Also home to Truck 57 and Ambulance 20. Martin Nowak photo

Tags: Chicago Engine 86, Chicago Fire Station, Chicago firehouse, fire station with red doors, Martin Nowak

Fire and CO poisoning in separate Chicago incidents

Jan 29

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

CFD in the news in Austin and Rogers Park.

The Chicago Tribune has an article about a Still & Box Alarm fire this morning:

A woman jumped from a window and three other people were injured in a fire that broke out in the South Austin neighborhood Tuesday morning, authorities said.

“When they got here, there was one woman who jumped from the second floor,” said Chicago Fire Department District Deputy Chief Don Hroma on the scene.

The 30-year-old woman was taken to John H. troger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in serious-to-critical condition, according to the fire department. Three other people, two teen-aged girls and a man, were taken to hospitals in fair-to-serious condition.

Find the entire article HERE.

CO2 Poisoning kills two on the north side. The Chicago Tribune provides the following information:

After the first call to a West Rogers Park apartment building where two women had fallen ill, fire officials took a reading with a carbon monoxide detector but found that levels of the gas were too low to be considered dangerous, the Chicago Fire Department said.

About five hours later, shortly before 3:30 p.m. Sunday, firefighters were called again to the building in the 2500 block of West North Shore Avenue because another resident had become ill.

Officials then discovered dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the building’s basement. The two women from the first call, Rasheeda Akhter, 77, and her granddaughter Zanib Ahmed, 18, later died at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The Cook County medical examiner’s office determined Monday the cause was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Fire officials and workers from Peoples Gas found that the boilers of the building’s furnace were not burning properly and that there was a leak in the exhaust system, said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

“Fresh air was coming into the basement, but the bad air was going upstairs into the house,” Langford said.

Find this article HERE.

thanks Chris

Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt17)

Jan 29

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire Service Photos | Comments off

Well … not quite done yet. Martin Nowak submitted the following:

Friday I decided to go the the demolition of the warehouse on 3757 S. Ashland Ave. I had the honor of meeting Larry and Tim. As you can see, the fire was still burning under the debris. Here are some pictures I took and a video of the demo. More of my pictures from this day will be posted to my website