More from Steve Redick at the Still and Box Alarm fire in Chicago, 1-27-23:
The radio traffic is pretty revealing….
Archive for January, 2023
Excerpts from fox2detroit.com:
Car fires are nothing new, but electric vehicle fires are different. The Shelby Township Fire Department (MI) received a giant fire blanket for this type of fire.
As more EVs hit the road, fire departments must be prepared for the potential of things to go wrong.
A typical car fire can be extinguished in minutes, but electric cars burn differently. “It can take four to five hours to extinguish a battery fire and after that, once it gets to a tow yard, they have had those fires reignite – even two to three days afterward,” a spokesperson said. “Once they start to burn, it goes into what is called thermal runaway. So in that one battery, (it) puts out enough heat and fire to light the battery next to it on fire.”
The Nomex blanket smothers the fire, cutting off the oxygen, and making sure the fire stays out.
These fire blankets are a one-time use item – meaning they will cover the vehicle on fire and leave it that way even after it’s towed away to a salvage yard, to prevent it from reigniting.
The blanket saves time and water.
The county ordered quite a few of these blankets with grant dollars and distributed them to local departments.
Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:
The Chicago Fire Department responed to a fire around 3:30 a.m. in the 6300-block of South Central Avenue.
Flames engulfed the building, which the fire department now says is a total loss.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries, but is expected to be OK.
Employees of the business said it was Georgis Catering, which has been serving the city for 77 years. The business served meals for private planes at Midway and also worked with Meals on Wheels. Employees said about 2,000 meals for Meals on Wheels would not be distributed Friday.
Meals on Wheels Foundation of Northern Illinois said they do have emergency boxes prepared for those residents Friday. They are working to find another food provider for their seniors on Monday.
Meals On Wheels eleased a statement saying, “We are devastated at the loss that our catering partner, George “Buz” Georgis at Georgis Catering has endured. For over a decade, Georgis Catering has provided nearly 10,000 meals per week to Cook County’s most vulnerable seniors. Buz is a kind soul who has always shown up for our clients, and
Georgis Catering truly helped make a difference in our communities. Our programs serve almost 7,000 older adults and individuals with disabilities, and with Buz’s partnership we were on track to serve 700,000 meals in Cook County and nearly 1,000,000 meals program wide this year.
“At our eight sites in Cook County in Brookfield, Berwyn, Hometown, South Chicago Heights, Phoenix, Lemont Township, and at one of our stand-alone cafés in Dolton, our clients will not receive hot meals today. While they will be provided with emergency shelf stable meals, we are searching for a new caterer and trying to connect with local restaurants as quickly as we can. Our programs in Will, Kendall, and Grundy counties will continue as usual.
“We have been in touch with Buz and we hope that the community can support him as he has supported them in the past. Community members who want to support the seniors in Cook County and make sure we can quickly return to providing hot meals can contribute their time or make a donation to the Meals on Wheels Foundation of Northern Illinois. For interest in volunteering or making a gift, reach out to Zoraima Yoli at 224-471-9936 or at zcruz@mowfni.org.”
From Captured News on YouTube:
The Chicago Fire Department was called to the scene of a devastating high-rise fire in the Kenwood neighborhood on the city’s South Side that has left one resident dead and multiple others injured. Crews were called to the building, located at 4850 S Lake Park Ave, at approximately 10:00 am on Wednesday morning, after reports of smoke and flames were seen coming from the 15th floor. Upon arrival, firefighters found the fire was starting to spread to the 16th floor, with thick smoke and intense heat making it difficult to contain the blaze. Despite the challenges, crews were able to evacuate the building, and several residents were transported to local hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation and other injuries. At least 10 ambulances responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but officials say it appears to have started in one of the 15th floor units. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, but it is clear that most of the units will be uninhabitable for some time.The power for the elevators was lost, forcing firefighters to use the stairwells to evacuate the building, including elderly residents who may have had difficulty getting out on their own. Despite the challenges, crews were able to evacuate the building, and several residents were transported to local hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation and other injuries. The Red Cross is currently assisting displaced residents with temporary housing and other needs.
thanks Keith
Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:
A fire broke out in the 15th floor of the 25-story Harper Square Co-Op building in the 4800-block of South Lake Park Avenue just after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Wind caused the fire to spread very quickly, going vertically from floor to floor all the way up to the 24th floor.
It took hundreds of firefighters to knock out the flames, and the elevators were out, so all of the equipment had to be lifted up manually.
One woman found dead on the 15th floor. Eight other residents were injured. A firefighter was also injured. Nearly half of the units in the building are now considered uninhabitable.
The Chicago Fire Department said smoking materials ignited combustibles in a bedroom and ruled the fire an accident. A smoke detector was in the residence but was not working, CFD said.
The identity of the woman killed has not yet been released, but those who knew her said she was a retired teacher in her 80s.
Apparently the building has failed its seven last inspections by the Department of Buildings (DOB), including one on Dec. 1, 2022, for not testing the fire alarm and evacuation system.
After being in violation for more than a year, 4850 South Lake Park Thursday submitted certification by outside contractor Fox Valley Fire & Safety. Paper work obtained shows fire alarms passed inspection. But the records submitted Thursday were for testing done at the end of 2021, more than a year ago. So at the time of the fire, the high rise was still not in fire compliance,
DOB also said during an inspection on Nov. 7, 2022, violations for the interior door tags, exterior masonry and for failing to file the required high-rise exterior wall report were noted. The DOB also referred the violations to the Department of Law, which filed an enforcement action in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court case is scheduled to be hears on Feb. 2.
The apartment building, which was built in 1970, has 298 apartments in it, with about 267 units occupied, and individual units in this building do not have sprinklers.
After the deadly 2003 fire at the Cook County Administration Building, the city passed an ordinance requiring all residential high rises to pass what’s called a “life safety evaluation.” The ordinance does not require sprinklers as long as buildings put in passive measures, such as self-closing doors to contain a fire.
Excerpts from rrstar.com:
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Saturday visited Rockford Fire Department headquarters where a $1 million Congressional earmark she backed will help pay to establish a permanent emergency operations center. Funding for the emergency operations center was chosen from among more than 600 applicants vying for a portion of $88 million.
Money for the emergency operations center is expected to arrive in Rockford within months.
For now, computers, keyboards and monitors line the outskirts of a room at Rockford Fire Department headquarters that is meant to be a classroom. Cables, communications equipment and more computers can be retrieved from storage cabinets and carted into the space when an emergency arises.
It takes 30-45 minutes to turn the classroom into an operations center that augments the city’s 911 Center — where call takers routinely field 27 emergency calls an hour and took about 240,000 calls for service in 2022. The emergency operations center can take some of the load of directing responses off the 911 Center during a catastrophic or large-scale emergency.
During previous emergencies, Rockford staff have manned a Winnebago County emergency response center located at the Criminal Justice Center.
Plans are to convert training areas and opens space on the first floor of Rockford Fire Department headquarters, 204 S. First St., into the dedicated city of Rockford emergency operations center.
Of interest … MABAS Money
Jan 27
MABAS MONEY GOES LIVE TODAY at 0900 HRS.
All proceeds from the QUEEN OF HEARTS GAME will go to MABAS Divisions Fire, EMS and Special Teams.
PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE — NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS —- COMMUNITIES HELPING COMMUNITIES
click to download
From CFD Media on Twitter:
Commissioner Nance-Holt joined Chicago’s mayor and a host of partners & stakeholders for the grand opening of the Bauer Plummer Public Safety Training Center. This unique facility is a great resource for emergency personnel & and will be an anchor for the West Side community.
Excerpts from ChicagoDefender.com:
Wednesday, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joined Chicago Police Department Superintendent David O. Brown, Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, Alderman Emma Mitts (37th Ward), Dr. Elizabeth Lockhart, and community partners to cut the ribbon on the recently completed Public Safety Training Center (PSTC). This cutting-edge training center will provide the cities’ emergency personnel with the most modern facilities to hone their skills for emergency response situations, investigations, and tactical operations.
The Public Safety Training Center features a six-story tower with each floor simulating different environment firefighters encounter daily, including apartments, hotels, and office buildings. The center also includes an indoor and outdoor scenario village replicating a four-way intersection common in most neighborhoods. The departments will use this scenario village to train on how to respond to various emergency calls.
The facility sits on a 30.4-acre former rail yard that, prior to the city’s purchase in 2017, had been sitting vacant for more than 40 years. In addition to the main academy building, the site will also host two minority-owned restaurants, Peach’s and Culvers, as well as a 27,000-square-foot Boys and Girls Club that are all slated to open this summer. The purpose of these establishments is to provide an economic pillar point for the community. Combined, the PSTC, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Culver’s and Peach’s restaurants represent approximately $170M in public and private investments in this community.
The PSTC is situated between two Invest South/West – one in Austin and the other in West Humboldt Park – that will see $95M in new private investment in the coming years. This investment will radiate from this building toward Austin and West Humboldt Park, and vice versa, connecting neighborhoods and creating a lively corridor with new businesses, living-wage jobs, and better housing.
This from Mike Summa for #TBT:
For TBT- A very old picture of Dolton Truck 43, a 1966 Mack C96/Pirsch 1000/200/100′ mid-mount as originally delivered. Truck was about 10 years old when photo taken.Mike Summa
Mike Summa photo
From Evanston FD on Twitter:
On Tuesday, at approximately 4:50 p.m., the Evanston Fire Department responded to reports of heavy smoke and fire on the 2nd floor of a two-story multi-residential structure at 2002 Emerson St.
First-responding companies encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions visible from the 2nd floor upon arrival, calling for additional resources to contain the threat by elevating the response to a 2nd Alarm. Neighboring fire departments were called to assist with fire investigation and to respond to emergency calls in Evanston.
Due to a well-coordinated interior attack, the fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes and contained to the unit of origin. Extensive smoke and water damage resulted in the displacement of all residents within the building. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Although most residents could safely evacuate, firefighters successfully escorted one resident from the first floor of the burning building. Two civilians received medical care, with one transport for evaluation to a local area hospital. No firefighter injuries were reported. American Red Cross responded to the scene and provided emergency services and housing assistance for six displaced residents.
Evanston FD photo
