Dec 31
Excerpts from Chicago.cbslocal.com:
Berwyn firefighters visited Ronald Vinyard, the former Berwyn fire chief who turned 80 on Thursday. The department celebrated with a parade outside Vinyard’s home. The celebration brought some joy to the former chief who’s been home-bound due to the pandemic and health issues. He spent 36 years in the fire department.
Vinyard is so beloved in Berwyn, there’s an award named after him.
Excerpts from the daily-journal.com:
Kankakee Fire Department Deputy Chief Eric Boness will retire in mid-January concluding his 30-year career on Jan. 16. He has been a member of the department since December 1990.
A 1986 graduate of Central High School, Boness took the role of deputy chief on Feb. 1, 2020, when he replaced former Deputy Chief Jeff Bruno, who had retired. He previously served as the department’s EMS coordinator, training officer and shift commander.
Boness helped create the county’s Haz-Mat Team and lead that unit for many years. During his time as training officer, he developed the driver training program and officer training program, which included the Blue Card Incident Command System, which is now used by all Kankakee County fire departments.
The department will not fill the deputy chief position this budget year, which concludes April 30.
This from Mile Summa for #TBT:
For TBT-Tinley Park Squad 202, a 1966 Ford P-200 step van. Amazing how a relatively simple van like this evolved into today’s huge, fully loaded squads.Mike Summa
Mike Summa photo
This from Chi-Town Fire Photos:
Here are some shots of CFD Engine Co. 2 while it was being rehabbed in Lemont.
Chi-Town Fire Photos
Excerpts from wgntv.com:
A resident and a firefighter were injured in a Rolling Meadows condominium fire at approximately 1:30 a.m. Tuesday that displaced 18 families at a large condominium complex at 2412 West Algonquin Road. Both were treated at Northwest Community Hospital, and are in stable condition.
Firefighters moved quickly to contain the blaze in the 18-unit building, which proved to be more difficult while evacuating the condos to make sure no one was trapped inside. Officials said the fire started in a second floor apartment and spread to other units.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the 18 families displaced by the fire.
Dec 30
This from Asher Heimermann:
A fire truck became stuck in the snow on a hill in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on Wednesday, December 30th around 1 AM. Sheboygan Fire Department Rescue 2 became stuck after clearing from a medical call.
The Pierce Impel PUC pumper was stuck for an hour as firefighters worked to free the apparatus from the snow. A plow from the City of Sheboygan DPW arrived with salt and plowed a path for the truck after several failed attempts to pull the engine with a Ford pick-up truck.Sheboygan is 60 miles north of Milwaukee. The storm system dumped nearly 8 inches of snow in parts of Milwaukee and between 4 – 6 inches in Sheboygan.
Asher Heimermann
photo
Asher Heimermann
photo
Excerpts from wandtv.com:
Champaign Firefighter Dominic Smith and his wife passed away in a deadly car crash Saturday morning. Smith, 55, served in the U.S. Army and then enrolled as a volunteer firefighter at his local fire department. He was chief at Woodland Fire Department in Iroquois County. Then, he went on to serve as a firefighter for the City of Champaign for the past 16 years.
Smith and his wife are survived by their two children and grandchildren. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Smith family with funeral expenses.
From City of Champaign Fire Department Facebook:
The Champaign Fire Department is profoundly sad to announce the off-duty death of Firefighter Dominic Smith, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident, along with his wife Kimberly, shortly after midnight on December 26th in Iroquois County. Dominic faithfully served the City of Champaign nearly 16 years and will be tremendously missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
Champaign FD Facebook
From Chicago FD Media on Twitter:
Services for Paramedic in Charge Robert Truevillian were held at (Russo Hillside Chapels – 4500 Roosevelt, Hillside, IL). Visitation was on Sunday 12/27 from 3pm to 8pm. Service was on Monday 12/28 @ 11am.
CFD Media photo
Excerpts from Chicago.cbslocal.com:
Elgin firefighters were called at 6:31 a.m. Thursday for a fire in a townhome in the 40 block of Creekside Circle where they found heavy flames in a second-floor unit. Additional fire companies were called to the scene and put out the blaze, but also found a man inside the building who was removed in critical condition. Crews immediately tried to resuscitate the man and rushed him to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, but he was ultimately pronounced dead.
No one else was reported injured in the fire. Damage from the fire was estimated at $300,000. A total of four units were damaged. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday afternoon.
You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2020
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
