Chicago Still & Box Alarm fire, 10-25-16 (more)

This from Steve Redick:

Tuesday (10/25/16), 2047 Cermak Rd. One-story restaurant with exposures to two similar. There was heavy fire in the rear of the building when companies arrived and the fire eventually consumed the entire building of origin, but due to solid brick walls between sides A and D the fire seemed confined to only one structure. This is normally a congested, densely populated neighborhood and the sidewalks are elevated, making the gangways 1/2-story below ground as well as allowing for some unusual basement access.TL 5, Squad 1, a multi-versal and a point of vantage line were used and heavy smoke conditions were present for well over an hour. This was an interesting job that yielded some nice images. The video as well as all the images can be seen here:

Steve

heavy smoke from building fire in Chicago

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

Steve Redick photo

This entry was posted on October 27, 2016, 11:00 AM and is filed under Apparatus on-scene, Fire Scene photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

#1 by Blair T Ames on October 27, 2016 - 3:11 PM

Based in Boston, I have been in the fire detection business 45 years and my father 20 years before me.
When I was at NFPA in Chicago I voted to maintain the right of the Authority having jurisdiction IE City Fire Alarm Superintendent to determine how a fire alarm signal would be sent to the fire department and it passed.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the City of Lowell the efforts to have unified Radio reporting were overturned by State Court supported by Central Station lobbyists and subsequently a Central Station account that had not reported a disconnected account failed to report a downtown building fire that raged out of control and finally reported the fire via cell phone 1 block from central fire dispatch resulting in a fatality and complete destruction of property.
In Quincy , Mass the Fire Alarm Superintendent of alarms, Bill Blake who had dual Master box and dialer reporting at the same premises with no fees had some fires reported from Central Stations 20 minute after the Master Box rang in the alarm. In the words of one Chicago fire official the modern Styrofoam materials in house furnishings is “Gasoline in solid form” substantially reducing time to fatal flash-over. The previously reported fire in accordance with NFPA reports with a 20 minute lead time would have flashed over and terminated the residents rather than being extinguished in incipient stages . I remember when a Master Box installation was delayed in Detroit for a city connection for a new Chrysler Plant when dialers were first used. Fire Alarm fire reporting via dialer is a recent event not a time honored right. GM went through the same delays and on one of their plant start ups and they threatened to set up their own listing agency if they didn’t get a UL listing for dialers as a reporting method. Through their insurer a listing came in several weeks.
Security dealers have been excluded from the Fire alarm reporting business until recent times. Fire departments have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the individuals in their town , their men and property . They are not working on the Central Station profit motive which sometimes overrides safety considerations as in Lowell, MA.

Thank you for your consideration
Blair Ames