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Posts Tagged Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District
Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
A proposal to combine the resources of the Lisle-Woodridge and Darien-Woodridge fire protection districts is being touted as a way to enhance service and improve firefighter safety.
That’s providing little comfort, however, for residents near Downers Grove who will lose their neighborhood fire station if the intergovernmental agreement is approved.
The Darien-Woodridge fire board last week unanimously supported the automatic response agreement that would have both districts operate as a single entity. Lisle-Woodridge’s board is expected to take a deciding vote on the deal Tuesday.
“The advantage for us is we’re going to have more efficient use of staffing and resources,” said Keith Krestan, Lisle-Woodridge’s interim fire chief. “Instead of our five stations and their three stations, it’s going to be seven stations. And we’re going to intermix our resources — our engines, our trucks, our ambulances and our people.”
The plan calls for Darien-Woodridge Station 88 at the southeast corner of Belmont Road and 59th Street to close on May 1. Officials say the closure would be for a trial period that would end Dec. 31, 2018.
Some residents served by that station fear it will never reopen.
Fire officials said the neighborhood would be served by other stations, including one in the Lisle-Woodridge district that’s less than two miles away. As a result, response times to those homes would go up. Officials, however, insist the quality of service would improve.
Now, Darien-Woodridge is able to assign only two firefighters to engines and the ladder. By closing Station 88 and shuffling staff, the department would be able to assign three people per vehicle. Lisle-Woodridge already does that.
“This is the best thing from a fire chief’s perspective for everybody involved,” said Darien-Woodridge Chief Steven Gorsky, adding it’s unfair to residents and patently unsafe for firefighters to have fewer than three people on a fire suppression vehicle.
While the arrangement might sound like a money-saving move, Darien-Woodridge board members say it’s about safety.
Lisle-Woodridge and Darien-Woodridge officials spent more than a year developing a functional cooperation plan after a 2016 study by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association examined what the impact would be on emergency services if the districts operated as one.
Krestan said the departments aren’t ready for consolidation at this point, so they decided to start with cooperation.
While the deal has been in the works for years, residents served by Station 88 said they were only recently notified about the plan.
DuPage County Board member Liz Chaplin, who lives in the area, said neighbors were notified about the closure in a leaflet that arrived in the mail less than a week before the vote by Darien-Woodridge.
Art Thompson, a district vice president with the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois — the union that paid for the 2016 study — said no one went into the talks with the intention of closing a fire station.
“The idea was how could we better utilize the resources we have to better serve the community,” he said.
thanks Scott
Lisle-Woodridge FPD news
Oct 25
Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
A man was killed in a fire that heavily damaged a one-story house Monday morning in an unincorporated area near Glen Ellyn. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they entered the home on the 22W500 block of Tamarack Drive and found the man with no vital signs. He was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m.
The DuPage County coroner’s office was working to identify the man through dental records and did not release his name Monday. There was no indication of suspicious circumstances in the death, according to the coroner’s office.
A 911 caller reported a suspected fire behind their home about 3:58 a.m. Firefighters arrived roughly six minutes later and found heavy fire throughout the victim’s house. Most of the roof collapsed into the center of the house shortly after firefighters arrived.
The DuPage Arson Taskforce and the Illinois State Fire Marshal are investigating.
photos from the scene of the 2-Alarm fire at 3004 Roberts Drive in Woodridge 6/27/16 in the Lisle-Woodbridge FPD
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
This from Josh Boyajian:
Lisle Woodridge FPD had a working fire Thursday night in a two-story townhouse at 16 Wood Sorrel Place in Woodridge. Companies had smoke showing on arrival. Tower 53 went to the roof and Engine 52 had a line lead out to the first floor. Companies made a quick aggressive attack and knocked the fire within a couple minutes. Here are some shots.
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
Josh Boyajian photo
This from the Lisle-Woodbridge FPD website:
Thanks Daniel
Excerpts from theHeraldNews.com:
Residents can check to see if there has been a holiday decorations-related fire in their area just by passing the local fire station. If a wreath is lit up completely red, there have been no fires associated with decorations. But if there is a white light on the wreath, it means a fire has occurred during the current holiday season.
The red wreath is one of Illinois fire agencies’ longstanding holiday traditions. It’s part of a campaign to spread safety awareness when putting up lights and other decorations around the home. The “Keep the Wreath Red” campaign was adopted 35 years ago by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. Now several area fire agencies are a part of the campaign.
Plainfield Fire Protection District Inspector Mary Kay Ludemann said the campaign has been working. The last time the district had to change a bulb in its wreath to white was five years ago, when a candle started a residential fire, Ludemann said. She said cooking is the biggest culprit of fires during the holidays, partly because of the amount of family gatherings.
Several other factors are leading to greater fire safety, such as flameless candles that give off a traditional candle scent and more use of artificial Christmas trees.
Romeoville Assistant Fire Chief Jon Ibrahim said technology has played a large part in reducing decoration-related fires. “It’s a way during the time of the year to remind residents to be a little extra safe,” Ibrahim said. “Accidental fires are caused by Christmas decorations, but also by using candles and disposing of the Christmas tree.”
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HOLIDAY FIRE SAFETY TIPS
• Water real Christmas trees daily and keep them at least 3 feet away from any heat source.
• After Christmas, get rid of the tree in a safe place, not in a garage, home or against the home. They are potent fire hazards when dried out.
• Use lights rated for outdoor use outdoors.• Don’t overload outlets. Have surge protectors.
• Make sure the chimney is clean before starting fires.
• Keep an eye on candles. December is peak season for candle fires.
