Posts Tagged Oak Forest Fire Department

2-Alarm fire in Blue Island, 9-7-23

This from Daniel Hynd:

I took in the 2-11 in Blue Island at 13039 Western Ave on 9-7-23. I arrived well after the fire was knocked, but got some pretty good apparatus photos.

#chicagoareafire.com; #DanielHynd; #firefighters;

Daniel Hynd photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #DanielHynd; #BlueIslandFD; #FireTruck; #HME;

Daniel Hynd photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #DanielHynd; #BlueIslandFD; #FireTruck; #Pierce; #PosenFD;

Daniel Hynd photo

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3-Alarm fire in Oak Forest, 5-6-23

Excerpts from wgntv.com:

The Oak Forest Bowling Center was destroyed after a massive fire early Saturday morning.

The Oak Forest Fire Department was called to the bowling alley around 2:30 a.m. in the 15200 block of South Cicero Avenue. Two employees were inside when the fire started but they were able to get out safely.

About 12 other fire departments were dispatched to help fight the massive three-alarm fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A GoFundMe has been created to try to support the owners.

 

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from 25newsnow.com:

Four people are dead after what police say was a domestic incident on Friday morning in which gunfire could be heard and the house where the suspect fled caught fire in Oak Forest.

Police say when they responded to the call, they found three people with gunshot wounds outside the house. The victims were rushed to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.

A person believed to be the suspect went into the house, which caught fire. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, police found the body of the suspect.

No information has been released about any of those who died or how the person in the house died.

 

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New ambulance for Oak Forest

From Osage Ambulance:

Type I Super Warrior F550 ambulance sold to Oak Forest Fire Department in Oak Forest, IL

#chicagoareafire.com; #OakForestFD; #OsageAmbulances; #ambulance;

Osage Ambulances photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #OakForestFD; #OsageAmbulances; #ambulance;

Osage Ambulances photo

#chicagoareafire.com; #OakForestFD; #OsageAmbulances; #ambulance;

Osage Ambulances photo

thanks Martin

 

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from patch.com:

Oak Forest officials have signed an intergovernmental agreement with the Orland Fire Protection District to have the south suburb’s fleet repaired at OFPD’s new maintenance facility, Fire Chief Gary Kasper said at a city council meeting.

The department first submitted a request for proposals to source local companies who would be able to repair the aging fleet within the department’s budget. While two companies responded to the proposal, neither was cost effective enough for the department.

Throughout the process, Kasper met with OFPD officials and finally decided the cost of utilizing the district’s maintenance workers and center would be best for the budget and equipment.

Oak Forest vehicles will only be brought to the new facility for preventative maintenance and occasional repairs. The agreement does not mean either department will share or exchange equipment.

thanks Rob

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Fire service news

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

Project Fire Buddies is an organization of firefighters dedicated to supporting Chicago-area families with critically ill children. The organization, which began at the Oak Forest Fire Department, is a chaptered group of firefighters who visit severely ill children in their communities, bringing joy and comfort during difficult times.

The group has grown to 20 chapters with 32 chapters on the way in 5 different states. Parents who’ve benefited say it makes them proud of their community and their local fire departments.

Project Fire Buddies regularly visits children on holidays and special occasions bringing gifts and dressed up characters but they often just come to spend time playing with the kids. Several celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black, and Gal Gadot have also sent supportive messages to the families.

For more information on how to help, visit projectfirebuddies.org.

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the Chicagotribune.com:

The Oak Forest City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to accept a loan of $350,000 from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s fire truck and ambulance revolving loan program, which ultimately is overseen by the Illinois State Finance Authority.

The loan will provide the money to Oak Forest at a 1.89 percent interest rate, totaling just over $36,000, to be repaid during the next 10 years. Fire Chief Patrick Duffy said they were informed back in August 2018 the money was available, and were notified last month their application for the loan had been approved.

City officials had been stashing money aside so that they could purchase a new firetruck in about two years. But the loan will enable the city to make the purchase later this year and the fact that Oak Forest had been saving money to eventually make the purchase means the city is in a good position to finance this purchase.

The firetruck will replace their oldest piece of equipment, which the fire department has had in use since 1999. That truck is currently out-of-commission and undergoing repairs.

City officials have to vote again later this year to approve the actual purchase of the new fire vehicle.

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

Firefighters with the Oak Forest Fire Department started a new program aimed at bringing smiles to the community they serve. The Project Fire Buddies was launched three years ago, after the department realized more needed to be done for the children they meet on emergency calls that are battling challenging illnesses. Firefighters, paramedics, lieutenants, and chiefs all donate their time to give kids an uplifting experience.

“I had an idea of these little guys, like let’s bring a fire truck over and hang out. If they’re healthy enough, we’ll play catch if not we’ll play a board game. We’ll do whatever it takes,” said Oak Forest Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Kurt Degroot.

Fire Buddy Pablo Flores was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer that forced him to have his leg amputated. He thought his soccer days were over but Fire Buddies gave him a chance live his dreams taking him to a playoff game for the Chicago Fire.

“Every time we go out for Fire Buddies whether it is at somebody’s house or it is here, it’s nothing but smiles and open hearts and open minds. It’s been one of the best experiences in terms of giving back that we can do,” said Oak Forest Fire Lieutenant Gary Kasper.

Fire buddies is also starting a “Fill the Pack” Program. They are working to collect school supplies for over 200 kids this summer.

For more information on that and if you know a child that needs a fire buddy visit the Project Fire Buddies Facebook page.

Project Fire Buddies in Oak Forest Illinois

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Oak Forest City Council voted to raise the rate for part-time firefighters and paramedics from $13 per shift hour to $20, which Fire Chief Patrick Duffy said is the same as what neighboring Midlothian and nearby Homewood pay, and is similar to rates offered in Country Club Hills ($19 per shift hour) and Flossmoor ($21).

Oak Forest has used part-time firefighters to supplement their staff since 2009. The department has had trouble attracting sufficient numbers of part-time people to work, and has had to use career staff to fill shifts that were intended for part-time firefighters, which winds up costing the city more money.

Boosting the part-time pay rate may help the Oak Forest find more people to fill the slots – which involve having people work 12-hour shifts at a time. Currently, the department has seven people working part-time slots. Oak Forest is likely to undertake a new effort via social media to recruit people for the part-time slots they wish to fill.

The fire department has problems retaining part-time firefighters because the qualifications for the job are the same as that of full-time firefighters, which means that other cities often hire away part-timers for full-time jobs when they have vacancies. During the past 90 days, Oak Forest several part-timers have quit to take jobs elsewhere.

thanks Dennis

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Oak Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:

David Griffin, currently a lieutenant with the Oak Forest Fire Department, was arrested Friday and charged with official misconduct, theft of government funds and forgery, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Griffin, 42, is accused of using city funds to pay for work on his personal vehicle. Between Oct. 31, 2014, and Oct. 16, 2016, he allegedly signed off on forged invoices and purchase orders, claiming that he was paying for repairs to a Chevrolet Impala owned by the city and registered for fire department use.

An investigation revealed that those repairs were never done to the city vehicle and the work was actually done on Griffin’s personal Pontiac Grand Prix. A total of $3,623.24 was paid by the city of Oak Forest to repair the Pontiac. Griffin appeared in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday and has been released on his own recognizance. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 25 at the Bridgeview Courthouse.

Griffin submitted a letter of resignation as fire chief on March 18, 2016s. The city council accepted his resignation at its March 22, 2016 meeting.

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