Archive for May 23rd, 2016

Chicago Fire Department news

May 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 4 Comments

The Chicago Fire Department on Friday rolled out its first ambulance outfitted to transport patients suffering from an infectious disease, a direct result of the city’s reaction to the worldwide Ebola scare of 2014.

The ambulance features a pressurized plastic tent and an air filtration system powered by a battery with a three-hour charge, according to Assistant Deputy Chief Paul Roszkowski.

The price tag of the pressurized tent — which can be installed in any standard ambulance — is $3,000. The city has one, and there are two on order of 13 that the department eventually wants. Each air filtration unit and battery also costs about $3,000. Grant money is being used to buy the tents.

Once the other two tents are delivered and two more ambulances are equipped, the fire department plans to place them in strategic locations around the city that will allow for the fastest possible response to any neighborhood.

In response to the Ebola outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection in October 2014 launched extra screening at five airports, including O’Hare. But a year later, after screening more than 30,000 travelers for Ebola as they arrived at those airports from West African countries, federal health authorities said they never detected a single case of the often-fatal disease.

thanks Dan

Tags: ambulances for patients with Ebola, Assistant Deputy Chief Paul Roszkowski, Chicago FD outfits ambulance for patients with infectious diseases, Chicago Fire Department

Orland Fire District donates engine to fire school

May 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

A fire engine taken out of service by the Orland Fire Protection District has been donated to the Moraine Valley Community College in memory of Chicago Firefighter Daniel Capuano, who died in December.

“He’s going to be their guardian angel as they train,” Orland Fire Protection District Chief Michael Schofield said at a ceremony at the Palos Hills school on Wednesday.

Capuano, a 15-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department took several courses at Moraine over the years, his daughter Amanda said. With the donation of the engine students, “will remember what a hero he was for years to come,” she told a crowd that included area firefighters and school officials.

She and her mother, Julie, Capuano’s parents Mike and Jacqui, brother Patrick and his children, daughter Delilah and son Bodhi, stood by the truck as a firefighter color guard walked past them at the end of the ceremony.

Capuano also worked for more than 16 years as a part-time firefighter in Evergreen Park, and “a lot of our guys in Orland worked with Dan in Evergreen Park,” Schofield said.

Andrew Hufnagl, coordinator of fire science and emergency medical services at Moraine, said the school and the Orland district have a long standing working relationship, and that six current or former firefighters and officers with the district are instructors at Moraine. He told Capuano’s family, “We promise you we will use his name and try to make him proud every day.”

Orland had been using the engine since 1999, and it was formally retired about nine months ago, when the district got a new piece of engine. Noting that district residents attend Moraine, Schofield said the donation made perfect sense.

“If we can keep the taxpayers’ money in the area and help Moraine Valley, it helps everybody,” he said.

Tags: Chicago Firefighter Daniel Capuano, Orland Fire District donates engine to the Moraine Valley Community College, Orland Fire Protection District, Orland Fire Protection District Chief Michael Schofield

Posen Fire Department news

May 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the Chicagocitizen.com:

Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) Director Hugo Chaviano recently recognized the Posen Fire Department as the first public sector employer to achieve Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) status in Illinois.

“Posen FD is committed to incorporating health and safety measures across all parts of its work environment,” said IDOL Director Chaviano. “With its acceptance into SHARP, they are not only an example for other firefighters but also for the entire community.”

Last year, after an Illinois OSHA onsite consultation, the Posen FD implemented an enhanced, comprehensive health and safety program. Fire Chief Kevin Szewczyk led the department in updating its safety policies and putting in place additional preventative procedures.

“Workplace safety should be a top priority for both employers and employees,” IDOL Director Chaviano said. “I commend Posen FD’s leadership in safety and encourage employers across the state to take advantage of our on-site consultations.” Illinois OSHA, a division within IDOL, offers free and confidential safety and health onsite consultations for employers with up to 500 employees. After meeting certain requirements, employers can earn SHARP status, which exempts them from routine OSHA inspections during the period that the SHARP certification is valid.

Tags: Fire Chief Kevin Szewczyk, Illinois Department of Labor Director Hugo Chaviano, Posen Fire Department, Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program

New ambulance for Oak Lawn

May 23

Posted by Admin in Ambulance photos, Fire Department News, New Delivery | Comments off

From the Fire Service, Inc. Facebook page:

Here are a few pics of our recent final inspection of Oak Lawn FD’s new Med 1. This new unit will be headed north very soon. Will post a full set of interor and exterior pics once radios and other small loose items have been installed. Thanks and congratulations to the OLFD.