Posts Tagged Beach Park Fire Department

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 (update)

May 20

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service News | 9 Comments

More images from the extra alarm fire on Sunday in Beach Park.

Firefighters from the Countryside FPD force a door on the west side of the building to gain access to the heavy fire burning inside. Tim Olk photo

Five trucks were at the scene including Grayslake, Mundelein, Winthrop Harbor, Lake Forest and Gurnee. The last three mentioned went to work. The other units remained in staging while their crews were put to work.

A firefighter in the bucket of the Lake Forest tower ladder directs a master stream into the building. TIm Olk photo

The Gurnee tower ladder works on fire burning in the attic and through the roof. Tim Olk photo

Just under 3,000 feet of large diameter hose was dropped along Lewis Avenue to a hydrant several blocks away. Larry Shapiro photo

Engines pumping at the fire included two from Beach Park, two from Newport Township, and one from Lake Bluff.Antioch, Countryside, Great lakes, Knollwood, Waukegan, and Zion also sent engines.

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 Seagrave Maurader II engine

Beach Park Engine 1222 is pumping in-line, midway between the hose tender and the fire scene. Larry Shapiro photo

Several departments responded with multiple units including Lake Villa with two, Grayslake with two, Antioch with two, Fox Lake with two, and Newport Township with three.

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 Newport township FPD

The Newport Township FPD hose tender is on a hydrant several blocks from the fire scene after dropping almost 3,000 feet of 5" hose. Larry Shapiro photo

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 Fox Lake Fire Department

Working off a hydrant on another block, firefighters from Fox Lake refill their tanker to shuttle water back to the portable tanks near the scene. Larry Shapiro photo

Fox Lake responded with a squad on the fire box and a tanker on the tanker box. Libertyville also sent a squad on one of the fire box alarms.

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 tanker tender operations at fire scene

Since the local water main was not sufficient to supply the amount of water being deployed at the fire, a tanker shuttle was initiated where up to three tankers could simultaneously dump into a series of four portable tanks that were tied together. Here, tankers from Antioch, Fox Lake, and Beach Park discharge water into the free-standing tanks that are being used by a Newport Township engine and a Lake Bluff engine who are supplying two of the master streams. Larry Shapiro photo

Eight tankers were shuttling water including Antioch, Beach Park, Bristol (WI), Fox Lake, Grayslake, Lake Villa, Newport Township, and Round Lake.

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 large diameter hose fails

Water flows freely after a section of the large diameter hose failed. Larry Shapiro photo

Ambulances on the scene included Beach Park, Highwood, Lake Villa, and Pleasant Prairie (WI).

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12 building collapses

Several hours after the fire broke out, the building suffered a major structural collapse. Larry Shapiro photo

A video will be posted tomorrow. Additional fire scene images can be viewed HERE and HERE.

Tags: Beach Park Fire Department, building collapses after fire, commercial building fire, elevated master stream, fire truck pumps in line, firefighters deploy elevated master streams, Gurnee Fire Department, Lake Forest Fire Department, large diameter hose, Larry Shapiro, Mack CF fire engine, Newport Township FPD, Newport Township FPD hose tender, pet store fire on Wadsworth Road in Beach Park, Tim Olk, tower ladder operations at fire scene, tower ladder using a master stream

Beach Park commercial fire 5-20-12

May 20

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News, Fire Service News | Comments off

Police officers reportedly spotted a fire early this morning at the Happyland Pet Store located at 11432 W. Wadsworth Road in Beach Park. First arriving companies found heavy smoke the the alarm was upgraded very quickly.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that:

The Beach Park Fire Department said firefighters were called to the building that houses the Happyland Pet Center, 11432 W. Wadsworth Road, at 6:06 a.m.

Initial reports said a person was trapped in one of the apartments above the store, but all residents of the building were able to escape the fire.

The Chicago Tribune has an article which states that:

A Beach Park pet store was completely destroyed this morning after a blaze broke out in the basement and killed hamsters, gerbils, fish and reptiles, officials said.

Firefighters were alerted about 6 a.m. to the Happyland Pet Center located at 11432 W. Wadsworth Rd. and found heavy smoke, said Beach Park Fire Department Chief Paul Tierney.

Firefighters went into rescue mode and searched the upstairs of the structure when a flashover occurred. A water supply issue at the scene slowed down firefighting efforts and assisting companies were called in from 15 surrounding communities including Waukegan, Zion and Newport, Tierney said. About 75 firefighters were called to the scene.

“The fire had been burning for quite some time before we were called,” said Tierney. He added the fire originated in a concrete bunker-type basement that had only one entrance.

Jeff Rudolph, Tim Olk, and Larry Shapiro all went to the scene. Jeff arrived shortly after the 2nd Alarm was pulled and submitted several images.

Beach Park Fire Department pet store fire on Wadsworth Road 5-20-12

Smoke pushes out of the front of the pet store building, Jeff Rudolph photo

Heavy fire is seen on the second floor which was living space. Jeff Rudolph photo

The fire on the second floor breaks through the roof as firefighters use hand lines in the rear. Jeff Rudolph photo

Beach Park Fire Department pet store fire on Wadsworth Road 5-20-12 Winthrop Harbor Fire Department

The Winthrop Harbor truck working an elevated master stream from the west side of the building (the 'B' sector) as heavy fire vents through the roof. Jeff Rudolph photo

The Lake Forest tower ladder was one of three trucks working at the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo

The entire second floor, attic, and roof are well involved as seen from the rear. Jeff Rudolph photo

Smoke pushes out of the first and second floors as tower ladders from Gurnee and Lake Forest work on opposite sides of the building. Larry Shapiro photo

A Beach Park engine works of a hydrant near the building, but the operation required more water than the main could handle so a tanker shuttle was instituted. Larry Shapiro photo

After the main fire on the second floor was knocked down, fire continued to burn in the rear and the basement for quite some time. Larry Shapiro photo

The Winthrop Harbor quint was relocated to the B-C corner and was put to work again. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery of Jeff’s images is available HERE. Tim Olk has images available for viewing HERE. Larry Shapiro has a gallery which can be viewed HERE.

More images and a video will be added later.

Tags: Beach Park Fire Department, commercial building fire, fire tanker shuttle, fire tender shuttle, firefighters fighting fire, folda-tank, Gurnee Fire Department, Gurnee Fire Department tower ladder, Happyland Pet Store destroyed by fire, heavy fire in a commercial building, Jeff Rudolph, Lake Forest Fire Department, Larry Shapiro, pet store fire on Wadsworth Road in Beach Park, porta-tank, portable tanks, Seagrave Mean Stick, Seagrave quint working at a fire scene, Tim Olk, Winthrop Harbor Fire Department

The color of fire trucks (part 6)

May 2

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus | 3 Comments

Jeff Rudolph is keeping us honest … and making sure that we’re accurate in our historical postings. He recently submitted comments reminding us of some fire departments that had non-red units which were not referenced in the postings about MABAS Division 3 and MABAS Division 4.

MABAS Division 4 additions:

The Abbott Labs Fire Department in North Chicago had this 1978 Darley foam pumper on a Ford C8000 chassis. It carried 500 gallons of water, 20 gallons of foam, and had a 750-GPM pump. Bill Friedrich photo

The Abbott Labs Fire Department previously had two lime green engines and a van.

Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District tanker

The Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District had this tanker built by Boyer on a Ford L8000 chassis. Larry Shapiro photo

The Beach Park Fire Department was formerly the Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District. They had a brush truck, this tanker, an engine, a squad, and a van that were painted lime green before they switched to red.

Round Lake had this FMC Roughneck engine on a Spartan chassis with the CFC cab. Jeff Rudolph photo

In addition to the two white CF Mack engines that were owned by the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District, they also had this Spartan/FMC engine.

MABAS Division 3 additions:

Evanston Fire Department 1974 How engine

Evanston had two of these 1974 International/Hendrickson Howe engines that were yellow. Both had 1,000-GPM pumps and 300-gallon water tanks. These were later painted red. Photographer unknown, Jeff Rudolph collection

The Evanston Fire Department received twin engines in 1974 from Howe. They were both bright yellow and assigned as Engine 23 and 24.

Highwood used this X-Northbrook 1969 American LaFrance as a reserve engine. It had a 1,000-GPM pump with 500 gallons of water. Jeff Rudolph photo

Highwood used a retired engine from Northbrook as a reserve engine. This 1969 AmericanLaFrance 900 Series ran in Northbrook as Engine 60. The rear body work was done while it was owned by Northbrook.

Winnetka purchased a small 'DOT' rescue from Pierce in 1981. Jeff Rudolph photo

In 1981, the Winnetka Fire Department received a small rescue on a Chevy chassis from Pierce. Bought with funding from the federal government, it was painted lime green to match the Department of Transportation spec. It was later repainted red and white.

Tags: American LaFrance 900 series engine, Beach Park Fire Department, Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District, Evanston Fire Department, FMC Roughneck pumper, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District, Highwood Fire Department, Howe fire apparatus, Howe top-mount engine, Jeff Rudolph, lime green fire trucks, Northbrook Fire Department, Winnetka Fire Department, yellow fire engine, yellow fire trucks

Beach Park acquires used aerial

Apr 1

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 16 Comments

Bill Friedrich informs us of the following:

The Beach Park FPD has purchased the x-Villa Park ladder truck. It is a 1991 Pierce Arrow 105′ rear mount aerial with a 1,500-GPM pump and 300-gallon water tank.

Villa Park Fire Department Pierce truck Beach Park Fire Department

Villa Park Truck 971, which has not been staffed for quite some time has been sold to the Beach Park Fire Department in northern Lake County. Bill Friedrich photo

Tags: Beach Park buys used Pierce aerial, Beach Park Fire Department, Bill Friedrich, Villa park Fire Department, Villa Park ladder truck sold to Beach Park

Beach Park gets help after storms

Jul 14

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 7 Comments

The storms that passed through the area on Monday evening caused heavy damage to many communities. Beach Park requested a MABAS Box Alarm to get help with the damage in their district. Jeff Rudolph sent in some camera phone pictures from the staging area located at Beach and Sheridan.

Beach Park Ambulance 1242. Jeff Rudolph photo

The Lake County Quad 2 Mobile Command Post. Jeff Rudolph photo

Buffalo Grove Quint 27. Jeff Rudolph photo

Lake Forest Utility 241. Jeff Rudolph photo

Mutual aid companies staged. Jeff Rudolph photo

Tags: Beach Park Fire Department, Buffalo Grove Fire Department, Jeff Rudolph, Lake County Quad 2 Command Post, Lake Forest Fire Department, MABAS Box Alarm, storm damage

Winthrop Harbor Box Alarm 6-9-11

Jun 9

Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News, Fire Service News, Reader submission | 2 Comments

Winthrop Harbor Fire Department house fire 6-9-11 12th Street

Firefighters perform overhaul after extinguishing a roof fire at 11905 12th Street in Winthrop Harbor Thursday morning. Jeff Rudolph photo

Jeff Rudolph took in a fire this morning in Winthrop Harbor, in MABAS Division 4 and submitted the following information and photos:

Winthrop Harbor had a box this morning around 0800 for a fire at 11905 12th St. Fire was on the roof of a 1.5 story house, possibly from lightning. Zion Quint 1832 was first in and made the attack. Winthrop Harbor Engine 1711 laid in a supply line. Auto aid was from Newport, Beach Park, and Zion. The box was struck out quickly and companies returned enroute except for North Chicago, and Pleasant Prairie,WI.

Zion Quint 1832 was the first unit on the scene and made the fire attack. Jeff Rudolph photo

Winthrop Harbor Engine 1711 supplied water to Zion Quint 1832. Jeff Rudolph photo

Beach Park Engine 1222, a 2008 Seagrave Maurauder II responded to assist. Jeff Rudolph photo

Firefighters examine the fire damage which may have been caused by a lightning strike at this house on 12th Street during heavy storms this morning. Jeff Rudolph photo

North Chicago Engine 1514, a 2010 Pierce was staged down the street. Jeff Rudolph photo

Winthrop Harbor Quint 1731 was also staged on 12th Street. Jef Rudolph photo

Zion ESDA brought their mobile rehab trailer to the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo

Winthrop Harbor's entire fleet consists of Seagrave apparatus. Engine 1712 was built in 1999. Jeff Rudolph photo

Tags: Beach Park Fire Department, house fire, Jeff Rudolph, lightning strike, MABAS Division 4, North Chicago Fire Department, Pierce quint, roof fire, Seagrave Maurauder II, Winthrop Harbor Fire Department, Zion ESDA, Zion Fire Department

New position for X-Beach Park Assistant Chief Orusa

May 21

Posted by bgshap in Fire Service News, Reader submission | Comments off

The Town of Fishers, IN released the following information recently;

Deputy Named Interim Fishers Fire Department Chief

Steven Orusa to lead Following Former Chief’s Resignation

FISHERS, IN –Fishers Town Council has named Deputy Chief Steven Orusa to the position of Interim Fire Chief following Chief Kenneth Lay’s resignation Thursday morning. Orusa has been Deputy Chief of the Fishers Fire Department for over a year, previously being Assistant Fire Chief of the City of Beach Park, IL.

“In his time as Deputy Fire Chief, Steve Orusa has exemplified the definition of a leader,” said Fishers Town Council President Scott Faultless. “During the past year he has led the creation of several vital programs in the Fire Department integral to its success. We are very lucky to have such a strong leader ready to step up as the new Interim Fire Chief.”

The Fishers Town Council will look to permanently fill the Fire Chief position at the upcoming May 31^st Town Council meeting.

Chief Steve Orusa is a 25-year veteran who oversaw a full-time department of 117 members in the City of Waukegan. He has held additional positions as Training Officer, Flight Medic, Dive Team Rescue Leader, Hazardous Materials Teach Member, Director of Fire Academy, and Terrorism Task Force Unifies Command Instructor.

As Deputy Chief of the Fishers Fire Department, Orusa led the creation of a post incident analysis program to improve safe and effective service delivery by examining past performance. He also created an incident management team; some of whose members will be serving on the team managing the Super Bowl in 2012.

Chief Orusa is a frequently invited speaker on public safety leadership and development techniques. He has provided analysis on public safety diving for USA Today, Fire Chief Magazine, Fire Engineering Magazine, Dive Training Magazine, and has also appeared on MSNBC, FoxNews and CNN to provide expert analysis on water rescue disaster response.

Thanks to Drew Smith for finding this.

Tags: Beach Park Fire Department, Chief Steven Orusa, Deputy Chief Drew Smith, Fishers IN Fire Department