Archive for May, 2018

3-11 Alarm fire in Chicago, 5-31-18

This from Jeff Rudolph:

2921 N. Kedzie, A still alarm escalated to a 3-11 . The fire started in  a 3 story apartment building and spread to 2 coach houses. 2 Firefighters transported. Jeff Rudolph

Firefighters battle fire on rear porches in Chicago

Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighters battle fire on rear porches in Chicago

Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighters battle fire on rear porches in Chicago

Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighters battle fire on rear porches in Chicago

Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighters battle fire on rear porches in Chicago

Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighter sweating after battling fire in hot weather

Jeff Rudolph photo

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Northfield Fire Department history

This from Larry Shapiro for #TBT:

Northfield Engine 3, a classic American LaFrance 800 Series engine 

American LaFrance 800 Series fire engine

Larry Shapiro photo

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Mokena FPD history

This from Mike Summa for #TBT:

For #TBT- This was Mokena’s Engine 96, a 1964 FordC/John Bean.  Its capacity was 750/750/ with a 30gpm John Bean High Pressure Pump.  It was sold in 1983 to the Alexander FD in Illinois.
Mike Summa
vintage Mokena FPD Engine 96

Mokena’s Engine 96, a 1964 FordC/John Bean.  Its capacity was 750/750/ with a 30gpm John Bean High Pressure Pump.  It was sold in 1983 to the Alexander FD in Illinois. Mike Summa photo

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Gary Fire Department history

This from Wayne Stuart for #TBT:

The Gary Fire Department operated this 1968 Mack C85FAD model aerial. It carried serial #1429 had a 100′ Maxim ladder and a 200 gallon booster tank. It ran as TRUCK Co. 5 originally and then as TRUCK Co’s 2 and 8.

wayne stuart photo

The Gary Fire Department operated this 1968 Mack C85FAD model aerial. It carried serial #1429 had a 100' Maxim ladder and a 200 gallon booster tank. It ran as TRUCK Co. 5 originally and then as TRUCK Co's 2 and 8.  wayne stuart photo

The Gary Fire Department operated this 1968 Mack C85FAD model aerial. It carried serial #1429 had a 100′ Maxim ladder and a 200 gallon booster tank. It ran as TRUCK Co. 5 originally and then as TRUCK Co’s 2 and 8.
wayne stuart photo

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

From CFD Media on Twitter:

Firefighter Juan Bucio Arrangements: Visitation – Sun, June 3rd, 3pm -9pm, @ St. Rita Funeral – Mon, June 4th, Noon, @ St. Rita Full Honors Burial to follow @ Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 4101 S. Oak Park Ave, Stickney, IL

CPD & CFD Honor Guard complete the procession of Firefighter Juan Bucio from the Medical Examiner’s Office to Blake Lamb funeral home.

CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

CFD Media photo

Excerpts from wgntv.com:

The Chicago Fire Department’s Widows’ and Children’s Assistance Fund announced where donations can be made for Bucio’s family.

The Ende, Menzer, Walsh & Quinn  Retirees’ Widows’ and Children’s Assistance Fund (EMWQ) set up a memorial fund. The organization said 100 percent of proceeds will go to the family. Donations can be made at widowsandchildren.org or any BMO Harris Bank. For more information, visit widowsandchildren.org.

The 100 Club also set up a page for donations. Those wishing to make a donation can visit 100clubchicago.org.  In coming weeks, the 100 Club said it will visit the home of Bucio’s children to speak with their mother about providing educational assistance for the boys.

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Chicago Fire Department Lodd Firefighter Juan Bucio (more)

Excerpts from nbcchicago.com:

Firefighters were faced with a double emergency Monday night: first, man overboard and then the loss of contact with one of their own. Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Jose Santiago said it happened abruptly.

The results of the rescue diver’s autopsy were listed as pending as of Tuesday night. The possibility of a medical emergency or even the boat striking Bucio have not been ruled out.

Bucio, a father of two young boys, and his fellow divers, were searching for 28-year-old Alberto Lopez. Lopez was last seen on a boat Monday night with his friend on the Chicago River. A frantic call was made to 9111, but now the rescue has become a recovery.

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Chicago Fire Department diver Juan Bucio who died during a rescue attempt on the South Branch of the Chicago River was remembered Tuesday as a devoted father who loved being a firefighter and a member of the marine and dive team. He became separated from his dive partner in the water Monday night while trying to rescue a man who had fallen off a boat into the river near Ashland Avenue.

Bucio, a 15-year veteran who served on the fire department’s dive team for more than a decade, disappeared briefly in the water, was located and then was lifted onto the riverbank. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about two hours after firefighters received the rescue call.

Fire and police investigators are looking into the details of what happened to Bucio during the rescue attempt.  Two other divers were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, they were treated and released.

Bucio joined the fire department in 2004. A longtime lifeguard, he had the dive team in his sights and became a member a few years later. He was a strong swimmer who was adept at diving, working on the boats, and from a helicopter.

Nationally, Bucio is the 39th U.S. firefighter to die on duty this year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Water rescue- or dive team-related deaths are infrequent but not uncommon. Prior to Bucio’s death, nine firefighters died during water rescues between 2000 and 2017. But the fatalities of firefighters involved in water-related actions, from the searches for bodies to training, are more common.

The last on-duty fatality of a Chicago Fire Department diver was that of Eugene Blackmon, who died while attempting to recover the bodies of two men from the Little Calumet River in May 1998.

Bucio’s death came two days after a diver died while assisting with the recovery of a crashed plane in Ontario, Canada.

There will be a fire department procession when Bucio’s body is transported from the medical examiner’s office to a funeral home.

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

An investigation continued Wednesday into how Juan Bucio, a veteran Chicago Fire Department diver, died during a rescue attempt on the Chicago River on Memorial Day.

A closer look at video, shot by an ABC7 photographer moments before Bucio disappeared under the water, shows him and his partner in trouble as a fire department boat comes by. A source said that something may have been wrong with Bucio – a 15-year CFD veteran — before he went under. As crews on the boat called out to Bucio and his partner, the video shows Bucio go under the front of the boat while his partner puts his hands on the side to prevent himself from following. Then there is a frantic search. Later, rescue crews pulled Bucio’s body out of the river.

A source said the video shows Bucio too low in the water, signaling a possible sign of trouble. The incident happened after both divers had been in the water for a while looking for the missing boater.

The Chicago Fire Department is now waiting for preliminary results from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office which would tell them if Bucio sustained an injury that could have caused him to lose consciousness or if he may have suffered from a medical problem before he went under the boat.

As part of an investigation, Bucio’s equipment is being analyzed, his air pressure tank is being checked and everyone who had contact with him before and during the incident is being interviewed.

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Box Alarm in Vernon Hills, 5-29-18

Countryside firefighters were called to 285 E. Court of Shorewood in Vernon Hills Tuesday evening for fire in a third floor laundry room. Countryside Chief 4100 was the first to arrive and reported smoke from the top floor. The alarm was upgraded to a working fire and then a MABAS Box Alarm for additional companies. Mundelein Engine 432 had lines off in front of the building. Damage to the six-unit building left it uninhabitable.

apartment fire at 285 E Court of Shorewood in Vernon Hills

Larry Shapiro photo

female police officer with dog rescued from fire

Larry Shapiro photo

smoke from apartment building balcony

Larry Shapiro photo

Mundelein FD Engine 432

Larry Shapiro photo

 

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Orland Fire Protection District history (more)

a followup to a recent post Orland Fire Protection District history

this unit is currently being offered for sale:

former Orland FPD 1987 Spartan Darley 55' Snorkel for sale

former Orland FPD 1987 Spartan Darley 55′ Snorkel for sale

former Orland FPD 1987 Spartan Darley 55' Snorkel for sale

former Orland FPD 1987 Spartan Darley 55′ Snorkel for sale

thanks Mike

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Cancer in the fire service (more)

Excerpts from Wayland.wickedlocal.com:

The Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday voted to set aside $420,000 to help municipalities buy equipment to remove deadly carcinogens from firefighters’ gear.

Under a budget amendment (1018) the money would seed a new trust fund to support the bulk purchase of extractors — large washing machines that can remove carcinogens that permeate clothing even after firefighters leave a scene. A $10,000 to $20,000 expense, extractors can be cost-prohibitive for municipalities, and nearly 30 percent of Massachusetts communities lack such equipment while others have outdated models.

In his maiden speech to his colleagues, the Foxborough Democrat invoked Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, and the late Sen. Ken Donnelly, whom he called “one of our own patron saints.” Donnelly, a 37-year Lexington firefighter who also held posts with the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, died in April 2017 after battling a brain tumor.

The U.S. Senate last week passed a bill which would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and maintain a registry to collect data regarding the incidence of cancer in firefighters. A 2015 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study found firefighters had a greater number of cancer diagnoses than the general population, according to Collins’ office. The bill had already passed the U.S. House, which now needs to approve a Senate amendment to it.

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