Archive for December, 2016

Rockford Fire Department news

Excerpts from mystateline.com:

Rockford Firefighters conducted an ice rescue early Thursday morning after a woman reportedly jumped off the State Street bridge.

The woman was in the river on ice and conscious when firefighters arrived, but said she was hurt and unable to move.  Four divers used an inflatable raft to rescue her.

firefighters rescue victim on frozen river

Rockford Fire Department photo

firefighters rescue victim on frozen river

Rockford Fire Department photo

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Working fire in Chicago, 12/31/16

This from Eric Haak:

At 0700 hrs on Saturday morning (12/31),  companies in Chicago’s 6th Battalion were called to this vacant apartment building at 5149 S. Honore Ave.  Engine 123 landed with heavy fire in the rear porches and knocked it down with a hand line from the exterior preventing it from spreading to the occupied building next door.  Although there was some extension into the structure, this was held pretty much in check with an interior line through the front door after companies forced entry.  Another line was run up Tower Ladder 39 which was used in mopping up hot spots in the attic.  The fire was mostly out within minutes.  Companies remained on the scene for some time with extensive overhaul but from this amateur’s perspective, it looked like a very efficient and successful stop.
house on fire with flames

Eric Haak photo

house on fire with flames

Eric Haak photo

house on fire with flames

Eric Haak photo

smoke from attic during house fire

Eric Haak photo

firefighters enter a house with a hose line

Eric Haak photo

firefighters in tower ladder basket

Eric Haak photo

firefighters at house fire

Eric Haak photo

Chicago FD Engine 123

Eric Haak photo

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Of interest … Richmond Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Marcus McGee, 30, a 2004 graduate of North Chicago High School, has been on the Richmond Fire Department in Virginia for about three years. On Dec. 17, he was one of four firefighters whose engine was first on the scene of an apartment building fire with an 11-month-old girl trapped inside, Richmond Fire Department Chief Patrick Schoeffel said.

McGee and three other firefighters arrived on the scene within 33 seconds of getting the call. Thick black smoke, however, caused zero visibility along the street and the engine was forced to stop 100 feet short of the building.

As Firefighter Korey Pettiford parked the engine and tapped the hydrant, McGee, who served as acting lieutenant that day, and two others ran toward the fire. From that instant, it took the firefighters one minute and 49 seconds to get the baby out of the house.

The building had four apartments. Neighbors told the firefighters that a baby was still inside, but they did not know which apartment, and were blinded by the smoke.

In the third apartment they entered, which was on the second floor, the crew found the fire’s source, which was in a bedroom to the right and they heard crying coming from a bedroom to the right.

While in the smoke-filled hallway, a flashover occurred. They could hear the baby crying, and expected the worst. McGee and another firefighter, Parker Ramsey, who has been with the department a year, addressed the blaze, while 5-year veteran Carlos Samuels found the child.

Because the hallway was ablaze, Samuels covered the baby as best he could and shot out of there down the steps.  All of that happened in under two minutes, the chief said.

Soot made the baby appear to be burned, but she was not. She was treated for smoke inhalation and released from the hospital the following day.

“This kid probably had a minute or less to live,” Schoeffel said. “This kid is probably 10 feet away from (the flashover) and didn’t get burned,” Schoeffel said.

Meanwhile, the heat from the flashover melted the three firefighters’ gear and burned their ears.

“Everything was ruined except for their boots,” the chief said. “Everything they had on suffered such a heat blast that it burned holes, and it can’t be used anymore.”

thanks Dan

 

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2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 12/30/16 (more)

Video and photos from Steve Redick of the 2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 12/30/16 

smoke billows from large home

Steve Redick photo

Chicago FD Tower Ladder 5

Steve Redick photo

Chicago FD Engine 44

Steve Redick photo

Chicago FD Engine 44

Steve Redick photo

smoke billows from large home

Steve Redick photo

firefighters with hose line

Steve Redick photo

flames blowing out 2nd floor windows of mansion

Steve Redick photo

flames blowing out 2nd floor windows of mansion

Steve Redick photo

smoke billows from large home

Steve Redick photo

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Chicago Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Chicago Fire Department Ambulance 42 was in the 300 block of North Michigan Avenue Thursday evening when a cab hit its back quarter panel about 5:50 pm.

The patient inside was not injured from the crash and the ambulance driver kept going to Northwestern Memorial Hospital as the cab followed it.

The cab was not badly damaged and the cause of the crash was not known.

thanks Dan

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2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 12/30/16 (more)

This from Josh Boyajian:

I took a ride to the 2-11 this morning on the near west side. Fire was in a very nice building, about 50×100 Greystone. It looked to be most of the fire was on the second floor and in the attic. Companies were making an interior attack and Truck 36 was making numerous holes on the roof. It was a cold, windy morning, and it seemed like the fire really took off when the wind picked up.
smoke billows from large home

Josh Boyajian photo

fire scene in Chicago

Josh Boyajian photo

smoke billows from large home

Josh Boyajian photo

firefighters venting a roof as smoke billows from large home

Josh Boyajian photo

smoke and flames billow from large home

Josh Boyajian photo

Chicago firefighter

Josh Boyajian photo

smoke billows from large home

Josh Boyajian photo

flames blowing out 2nd floor windows of mansion

Josh Boyajian photo

Chicago FD Engine 44

Josh Boyajian photo

Chicago FD Engine 103

Josh Boyajian photo

Chicago FD Squad 2A Snorkel

Josh Boyajian photo

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2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 12/30/16

2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago – from CFD Media

CFD Media on scene 2-11 ALarm @ 2943 W Washington 3 masterstreams 2 hand lines working at present All CFD co’s working

2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago at 2943 W Washington 12-30-16. CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago at 2943 W Washington 12-30-16. CFD Media photo

2-11 Alarm fire in Chicago at 2943 W Washington 12-30-16. CFD Media photo

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Alley garage fire in Chicago, 12/29/16

This from Drew Gresik:

The 16th Battalion had a 20×20 frame alley garage on fire in the 5800 block of S New England Avenue 12-29. Companies dropped 2 lines and performed extensive overhaul. Engine 32 took New England and Engine 127 took the alley and led out through the gangway to a hydrant on Newcastle Avenue. E32 E127 T60 TL54 BN16 assigned.
Drew Gresik
Chicago firefighters with fire engine

Drew Gresik photo

Chicago firefighter with hose

Drew Gresik photo

Chicago FD Engine 127

Drew Gresik photo

Chicago FD Engine 32

Drew Gresik photo

alley garage fire in Chicago

Drew Gresik photo

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Elgin Fire Department news

Excerpts from ChicagoCBSlocal.com:

Four brothers and sisters escaped a house fire on Dec. 20 in the 300 block of Division Street. They were treated for burns, smoke inhalation, and frostbite. Afterward, their mother said the children told her the smoke detectors in their apartment did not go off.

Authorities said the landlord of the building had installed smoke detectors in the home, but they were not properly maintained.

Two days later, firefighters returned to the neighborhood to check whether other nearby homes had working smoke detectors. Crews found, of the 45 families they spoke to, 75 percent had either a non-functional smoke detector or no smoke detector at all. Firefighters installed 30 smoke detectors and provided 14 sets of batteries. In some cases, they installed multiple smoke detectors or provided batteries for multiple units.

“We are shocked to find that number of smoke detectors not working, yes,” Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said. “I think people just get complacent, just like this family here. We know that they had working smoke detectors at one time.”

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Rosemont Fire Department history

Rosemont Snorkels

Ford Pierce 65' Pitman Snorkel

Larry Shapiro photo

Ford Pierce 65' Pitman Snorkel

Larry Shapiro photo

Ford Pierce 65' Pitman Snorkel at work

Des Plaines Theater fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Spartan E-ONE 85' Snorkel

Larry Shapiro photo

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