Posts Tagged Des Plaines Fire Department

Box Alarm house fire in Des Plaines, 8-16-19

Aug 17

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire Scene photos | 2 Comments

Des Plaines firefighters were called to a house at 555 Leahy Circle East late Friday night for a fire in the basement. A header was visible while units were en route and the alarm was upgraded to a working fire before arrival. Dispatch advised of hoarder conditions at the residence which was confirmed on arrival by the first company officer walking around the exterior. The residents were already out of the house and firefighters had difficulty entering the premises. Several vent holes were cut in the roof before companies were ordered off and then out of the structure for setting up a defensive posture. The basement fire traveled to the second floor and areas of the first floor had been compromised. Hand lines were directed through windows and doorways but it remained difficult to reach the seat of the fire due to the clutter.

The incident was upgraded to a Box Alarm for additional resources after withdrawing personnel from the interior. Eventually lines were shut down to let the fire burn until it was visible and accessible from the outside and then companies again attacked the flames. One tower ladder was utilized with a ground level master stream through the front door and living room before it was able to be positioned above the house with access to the fire that vented through the roof. Hand lines were deployed on all sides of the house.

The bulk of the fire was contained by 4AM with companies working at the scene for several more hours.

All Des Plaines units were at the scene along with mutual aid from Prospect Heights, Mount Prospect, The North Maine FPD, Elk Grove Township FPD, Wheeling, Park Ridge, Chicago Squad 7, Rosemont, Bensenville, and Glenview.

Larry Shapiro photo

heavy smoke curls around house siding at night fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

smoke pours out of window of hoarder house

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

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Tags: "Collyer's Mansion" conditions at suburban house fire, #larryshapiro, Des Plaines Fire Department, fire scene photos, flames engulf hoarder house, hoarder house burns in Des Plaines, house fire in Des Plaines, Larry Shapiro, larryshapiro.tumblr.com, shapirophotography.net

Attic fire in Des Plaines, 8-11-19

Aug 12

Posted by Admin in Fire Scene photos | Comments off

From the Greek:

Crews made an aggressive coordinated attack on an attic fire in a two-flat on Sunday (1252 Brown Street), bringing quick extinguishment to the flames advancing in the attic and associated hidden spaces. Fortunately, there were no injuries. Occupants and pets made it out safely.

Des Plaines Fire Department

Tags: attic fire in Des Plaines, Des Plaines Fire Department

Des Plaines Fire Department news (more)

Aug 10

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 3 Comments

Excerpts from the randolphheraldtribune.com:

Des Plaines Police Chief William Kushner will take the position of director of public safety when Fire Chief Alan Wax retires on Oct. 18. Kushner will oversee operations of both the police and fire departments during the search for a new fire chief.

Kushner’s salary will increase 5% while he serves as director of public safety, then return to its current level of about $160,000 once a full-time fire chief is in place. The city manager estimates the process to hire a new fire chief will take 6-8 months. In the meantime, he plans to contract recruiters to create and distribute ads to attract candidates. Despite acknowledging that having a permanent public safety director overseeing both departments would save money, he said it’s better to have separate chiefs leading each agency.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax, Des Plaines fire chief to retire, Des Plaines Fire Department, Des Plaines to appoint police chief as public safety director, Police Chief William Kushner

Des Plaines Fire Department news

Jul 26

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the Journal-Topics.com:

The Des Plaines Fire Department added two firefighter/paramedics – Ryan Lomen of Crystal Lake and George Trikolas of Orland Park who join 93 fire department employees with sworn positions, including 87 emergency response shift personnel.

During their nine-week fire academy program at the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy, theywere part of a company that earned the highest honors for physical achievement. Both also earned high academic honors at the academy.

Before he decided to become a firefighter, Lomen had already been a licensed paramedic for six years.

Trikolas, who was a U.S. Marine for four years, already had years of experience as a paramedic and worked for a private company as well as Wheaton Emergency Medical services after graduating from EMT school.

Tags: Des Plaines Fire Department, Des Plaines hires two firefighters

Des Plaines Fire Department news

Jul 3

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from deplaines.org:

After more than 10 years of service with the Des Plaines Fire Department, Chief Alan Wax has announced his retirement on October 18, 2019.

Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax

Chief Wax joined the Des Plaines Fire Department in October 2009, bringing with him 30 years of experience as a highly respected and dedicated firefighter. He is looking forward to spending more time with his family and the opportunities that the future may bring.

Chief Wax was an active participant in regional and state-wide public safety initiatives, seconded only by his ongoing involvement with nonprofit organizations such as Operation North Pole and local community-minded groups.

In response to Chief Wax’s announcement, the city will appoint Police Chief William Kushner as Director of Public Safety. He will oversee the administration of both the fire and police departments, focused on enhancing the continuity of the city’s highly respected emergency response services, while continuing to serve as police chief.

With over 40 years of public safety experience and leadership, Chief Kushner will optimize the mutual collaboration that currently exists between the city’s fire and police personnel.

Tags: Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax, Des Plaines fire chief to retire, Des Plaines Fire Department, Des Plaines to appoint police chief as public safety director, Police Chief William Kushner

Des Plaines Fire Department news

May 21

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Des Plaines firefighters were called at 11:13 a.m. to an activated fire alarm at a six-story condo building on the 1300 block of Brown Street. The fire was well-advanced within a top-floor unit and smoke was spreading down the hallway.

Crews launched an attack on the blaze, extinguishing it within 20 minutes. Sprinklers helped keep the fire under control and limited the damage to other units.

Residents safely evacuated the building and no injuries were reported. Most residents were able to return to their condos in the afternoon. Beyond the unit where the fire started, some other units experienced water and smoke damage. The cause is still under investigation.

From a reader:

It was a good fire, 1 line was stretched, 1 unit was totaled with fire and smoke damage. Five units sustained water damage below the fire unit.

Tags: apartment fire in Des Plaines, Des Plaines Fire Department, sprinklers limit damage to apartment building

Tanker rollover with Hazmat in Des Plaines, 5-8-19 (more)

May 8

Posted by Admin in Crash scene photos, Hazardous Materials Incident, Towing and Recovery | Comments off

Here are some shots of the spill mitigation and uprighting of the tanker from the Tanker rollover with Hazmat in Des Plaines, 5-8-19

Overturned tanker truck uprighted by Schmitt's Truck Repair

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

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Tags: #larryshapiro, cleaning a hazmat spill, Des Plaines Fire Department, haz mat incident in Des Plaines, heavy wrecker video, heavy wreckers upright overturned tanker, Larry Shapiro, Schmitt's Truck Repair, shapirophotography.net, tanker overturns in Des Plaines, tanker rollover, tractor-trailer rollover, video of tow trucks at work

Tanker rollover with Hazmat in Des Plaines, 5-8-19

May 8

Posted by Admin in Crash scene photos | 5 Comments

Des Plaines firefighters were called to Elmhurst Road (Route 83) on the bridge over I-90 this morning after a tanker overturned entrapping the driver. Firefighters extricated the driver who was transported to the hospital. The tanker, carrying ethanol, was ruptured in several places causing the product to leak onto the roadway. Hazmat techs and the Foam Task Force from O’Hare responded to the scene to mitigate the incident. After the leaks were plugged, the ARFF applied foam to the area and companies began the long wait for a private cleanup crew and another tanker so the chemical could be offloaded.

Larry Shapiro photo

[Show slideshow]

Tags: #larryshapiro, Des Plaines Fire Department, haz mat incident in Des Plaines, large diameter hose on the road, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Division 3 Hazmat 3, MABAS Division 3 hazmat unit, shapirophotography.net, tanker overturns in Des Plaines, tanker rollover, tractor-trailer rollover

Des Plaines FD news (more)

May 2

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 2 Comments

Excerpts from the journal-topics.com:

Memorial visitation for Des Plaines Firefighter/paramedic Paul Miller who sustained fatal injuries in an April 21 motorcycle accident, will be held from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 3 at Oehler Funeral Home, 2099 Miner St., Des Plaines.

Miller, 33, was a member of the Des Plaines Fire Dept. for the past six years and he also served part-time as a firefighter for the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.

Known as Pauly to his family, Miller became a firefighter/paramedic at 18 and held positions with the Prospect Heights Fire District, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire District, and the Highwood Fire Dept. before joining Des Plaines. Outside of work, he loved to travel, go snowmobiling, boating and motorcycling.

Miller is survived by his parents, Paul Sr. and Sally (nee Lange) Miller, his siblings Michelle Seaquist and Donny Miller, his nephew D.J. Miller, his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

A funeral service for Miller will be held at noon Saturday, May 4 at Oehler Funeral Home before his interment at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Arlington Heights. His family kindly asks any written stories, memories, thoughts, and photos be brought to the service to be collected and arranged into an album.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Des Plaines FD firefighter critically injured in motorcycle crash, Des Plaines Fire Department, Des Plaines Firefighter Paul Miller, Des Plaines Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 4211, Paul Miller Jr

Des Plaines FD news (more)

Apr 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 2 Comments

From the MABAS Illinois Facebook page:

It is in great sadness we share the following:

Firefighter/Paramedic Paul Miller’s condition is unchanged – he remains on life-support – and it has been determined that recovery is medically impossible. Pursuant to Paul’s previously-expressed wishes, Paul’s family has courageously decided to terminate life-support.

In keeping with Paul’s giving attitude and generosity – also pursuant to his expressed wishes – several of his organs will be donated so that other may live and flourish through – and with – Paul’s spirit. The donation process may take another 36-to-72 hours.

Today, Tuesday April 23rd at 4:00 PM, there will be a Flag Ceremony held at the main hospital flagpole of Advocate Condell Medical Center, 801 S. Milwaukee Ave in Libertyville, where a “Gift of Hope” flag will be raised in recognition of Paul’s gifts of life to others. The brief ceremony will be led by Des Plaines Fire Department Chaplain David Haley. All available personnel are welcome.

The organ donation process is very fluid, as match-testing, recipient notification and preparation, and other processes take time – and anticipated time frames have not yet been determined. Such processes are expected to take longer than 24-hours from now (1:00 pm on Tuesday).

We will provide additional information in future updates.

Alan Wax, Fire Chief, Des Plaines Fire Department

Tony Huemann, Fire Chief, McHenry Township Fire Protection District

From Des Plaines Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 4211