This from Eric Haak:
At approximately 4:40 on Wednesday afternoon, fire broke out in a large “s” shaped courtyard apartment building at the corner of Lunt and Bell. It was boxed shortly after arrival and eventually was raised to a 2-11 alarm. Engine 102 was first on the scene and reported fire on 2. They are shown below getting ready to feed the Tower. Truck 25 had their aerial up in sector one and Tower Ladder 21 was set up on the corner of Lunt and Bell. The back porches were involved but were not visible due to the shape of the building. By the time I got there at 5:15, most of the fire was on the top floor and the roof which was difficult to see due to the large trees that line the block. Rehab Unit 572 was set up on Bell and is seen below.
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Editor’s note: How many fire scenes will have an HME engine and an HME tower ladder together …
#1 by Larisa on July 28, 2013 - 11:45 PM
How many firemen does it take to change a light bulb? I am a resident (or was) of one of the units. The top floor on the Lunt / Bell corner. Our very beloved dog (a Pomeranian) died in there of smoke inhalation, though my unit never caught fire — no fireman did a thing to try to get him out even after the fire director was (supposedly) alerted. After a while nothing was happening and I was really freaking out! I was hysterical and crying because that dog meant the world to my young son, and of course just because I loved him. That same mean-spirited fireman (a white guy with shaved head, angry blue eyes, and doughy face, no facial hair – wish I had his name) threatened to ban me from the area because I was pushing to get the dog out. He basically yelled at me that the dog wasn’t a priority. Next I approached found a fire woman (a small blond lady in glasses) hoping she would be less apathetic, and as far as I know she did nothing.
Finally by 6:20 or so I called out loudly to ALL the fire staff most of whom were sitting around shooting the sh** on folding chairs — that my dog was in there and to please save him. Finally a woman came back to me with the news that my dog was dead. Boy was I sobbing then, and the whole night, as my son did when I told him.
Every one has told me that fire departments are usually really good about saving pets. These people didn’t seem to care at all! With proper attention to which animals were in the building, I think our dog could have been saved.
#2 by CFD 1979 on July 25, 2013 - 6:09 PM
There’s more chiefs on the scene than firemen!
#3 by Eric Haak on July 25, 2013 - 12:14 PM
Just to add to Bill’s comment, the 2-11 engines did include 89 who was staged on Western. Truck 12 was originally RIT but was put to work and Truck 56 became the new RIT. Battalion 10 was the original RIT chief but the 9th made him the Box Chief and Battalion 5 became the new RIT. Battalion 11 was the plans chief. Battalion 12 was dispatched as the Incident Commander on the 2-11 as well as Battalion 3 as the Safety Chief. I never heard Battalion 7 dispatched. Truck 22 was on scene with Light Wagon 9-1-3. Engine 68 was on scene with Rehab Unit 5-7-2.
With all of the chiefs on the scene, it was odd to here Battalion 19 dispatched to 1414 W. Devon on a still. He was originally sent on the change to Engine 57 and after the Devon run was false they moved him further north. I forget which house.
Also on scene were District Chiefs 2-1-23 and 2-1-28, DDC 2-2-2, Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner 2-1-12, Command Van Coordinator 2-7-10, Media Affairs 4-1-7, DDC 4-1-8 Coordinator of Fire Awareness and Public Education. All of these signatures I heard report when I listened to the playback of the incident.
#4 by NJ on July 25, 2013 - 11:46 AM
Thx Bill
#5 by Bill Post on July 25, 2013 - 10:51 AM
There was another HME on the scene which was Engine 59 and they had lead out about half a block west on Lunt avenue.
The engines that were on the scene included Engine 102, 71 on the still. Engines 70 and 59 were on the box. Engines 110, 124, 112 and I am pretty sure Engine 89 however I didn’t identify them on the scene and Engine 68 was probably there in order to bring 572 the north side Rehab unit to the scene. Engine 112 was using a spare Spartan Luverne and there was another spare Spartan Luverne that may have been Engine 68 or 89. I think that it was Engine 68 as they were near 572.
The Trucks that were on the scene were Trucks 25, 47, 12, 56 (RIT), 13, Tower Ladder 21, and 23. As far as battalion chiefs, every north side battalion was there with the exception of Battalion 8. I personally saw Battalions 9, 10, 11, 5, 7, 12 and 3 on the scene. I had thought that the standard 2-11 response for battalion chiefs was for 6 chiefs including a RIT chief, however there were seven battalion chiefs and I am not counting the Special Operations Battalion 515. I was told the reason that there were seven standard BCs and not 6, was because one of the chiefs could have been dispatched as a safety chief. This may have been a new responsibility for battalion chiefs since the official safety chiefs had been the 48-series signature chiefs.
#6 by Josh Boyajian on July 25, 2013 - 9:06 AM
Engine 39 and Tower 39 on the south side
#7 by NJ on July 25, 2013 - 8:29 AM
Which Engine Co’s other than 102 were on scene?
#8 by DMc77 on July 25, 2013 - 8:21 AM
Re: HME engines/towers – All of Oak Park’s fire scenes will…. at least until next year around this time