Archive for October 26th, 2016

Chicago Still & Box Alarm with Mayday, 10-26-16

Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:

A firefighter fell through a staircase while battling a house fire in the West Englewood neighborhood Wednesday evening on the South Side.

A mayday was called for the fire at a home in the 6900 block of South Paulina about 5:40 p.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department, meaning a firefighter had been reported lost or trapped.

The firefighter had been backing down the staircase as it collapsed, so he was able to slow his fall, fire officials said. He then climbed out and didn’t need medical treatment.

thanks Dan

From CFD Media on Twitter:

STILL AND BOX 6943 Paulina details to follow MAYDAY MAYDAY

Update. Mayday secure. Firefighter fell thru stairway. He is OK. No transport. All members are GOOD. LANGFORD

Update. One civilian not accounted for. May be a squatter. Searches underway. 6943 Pauline

Awaiting report of final search to account for possible missing squatter. EMS plan secure. Mayday secure. All FF are PAR

ff was backing out as a stairway collapsed. He Went down but was able to slow fall and climb out

Final search negative at 6943 Paulina no injuries !

CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

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Elgin Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Elgin City Manager Rick Kozal promoted Assistant Fire Chief Dave Schmidt to fire chief.  Schmidt steps into a post that was held by John Fahy, who retired this summer after more 30 years as a firefighter. Fahy now works for Elgin Community College as Senior Director of Academic Programming and Public Safety at the new ECC Center for Emergency Services in Burlington.

Schmidt. a 27-year veteran was hired on at just 22 years of age. When he began working in the Elgin Fire Department, the city had just four fire stations — it now has seven. They had just started to do hazardous material rescues, and the focus was still largely on fires.

Now, about 80 percent of their calls are for emergency medical services. While they still fight fires, how firefighters approach those fires is very different from back then. Instead of running into a home to fight the blaze from inside, they are often staying outside long enough to knock down the fire before determining if it is safe inside. Some of the new construction materials don’t hold up to fire like old, structural wood did.

While not running into a burning building is anathema for many firefighters, it is the safest thing for them, Schmidt said.

Schmidt also remembers when for Elgin’s largest buildings, they had a three-ring binder with plans and layouts for the building. Now, those plans are on tablets in the fire command vehicle. Those same tablets allow firefighters to track medical records for patients they’ve worked with before, track their EKGs, and provide information gathered in the field to the hospital.

Schmidt said he’s been heavily involved in making sure Elgin firefighters don’t just have access to the technology, but are trained in that tech as well.

On Tuesday, he was part of a mandatory CPR training class. While there is so much technology available to firefighters, CPR is still the basic response for many emergencies, he said.

The city will be using its own human resources department to conduct a broad, national search to find Schmidt’s replacement. Elgin’s fire department has two assistant chief spots, with the other currently held by Bryan McMahan. As many new firefighters were added between 1989-91 when new fire stations were built, those firefighters are getting close to having 25-30 years on the department — retirement age for them, Schmidt said.

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Waukegan Fire Department news

This from Tim Olk:

Waukegan firefighters conducted live-fire training in a vacant house on Saturday (10/22/16) before burning it to the ground.

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

firefighters training in vacant house

Tim Olk photo

More photos to follow in part 2

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Palatine Fire Department news

102516 1151 E Dundee Rd.doc

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Chicago Still & Box Alarm fire, 10-25-16

From Steve Redick:

Chicago FD Tower Ladder 5

Steve Redick photo

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