Posts Tagged patch

North Chicago is on the site

Oct 25

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery, New Listing, Patch | Comments off

In northern Lake County, the North Chicago Fire Department runs a fleet of Pierce and Medtec units out of two stations. Their 8 square mile district borders the Great Lakes Naval Training Center on two sides. Their newest piece of apparatus is an 85′ tower ladder from Pierce which replaced a 1977 Hendrickson 1871-S/Pierce/LTI 85′ tower ladder. North Chicago is expecting another new Pierce in January. This will be a Pierce custom Contender engine to replace a 1986 Pierce Dash engine with open jump seats.

North Chicago Fire Department Hendrickson Pierce LTI 85' tower ladder

North Chicago's 1977 Hendrickson 1871-S/Pierce/LTI 85' tower ladder which was disposed of recently with the arrival of the new tower ladder. Larry Shapiro collection

North Chicago Fire Department Pierce Arrow XT 85' tower ladder

At North Chicago Station 2 on Buckley Road is their newest ambulance. Purchased in 2009, this was a Medtec demonstrator that was built in 2002. It arrived with blue decals which was the design that Medtec had created so the unit would appeal to a traditional rescue squad. The blue was subsequently removed and replaced with red graphics. This explains why this ambulance design is different looking than the other North Chicago ambulances.

North Chicago Fire Department Ford Medtec Type III ambulance demonstrator

Prior to changing the graphics on this 2002 Medtec demonstrator that North Chicago purchased in 2009, it was in service for a short time with the blue graphics seen here. This photo was taken on-scene at a 2nd alarm fire response in Libertyville in July of 2009 shortly after the new ambulance was delivered. Larry Shapiro photo

North Chicago Fire Department Ford Medtec Type III ambulance

The ambulance with updated red graphics.

Tags: 85', Arrow XT, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Hendrickson, Lake County, LT, MedTec, North Chicago, patch, Pierce, Shapiro, tower ladder

Lake Villa is on the site

Oct 18

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Patch | Comments off

Another Lake County (Division 4) department has been added to the site. The Lake Villa Fire Department/Lake Villa Fire District/Lake Villa Rescue Squad is an interesting marriage of resources and organizations. Together, they currently occupy three fire stations in Lake Villa and Lindenhurst. The downtown station and most of the apparatus assigned there is owned by the Lake Villa Fire Department which is a private organization. They do their own fundraising in addition to being paid for contract services from the Lake Villa Fire District. The other two stations and the fire vehicles in them are owned by the Lake Villa Fire District. The ambulances in all three stations which are white and blue, are owned and staffed by the Lake Villa Rescue Squad.

The Lake Villa Fire Department station which has been expanded three times since the original building was constructed. Photo by Hank Sajovic

The Lake Villa Fire Department station in downtown Lake Villa is an interesting building which has had three separate additions built over the years. The building now has eight bays. Each two bay addition has an engraved stone with the year of that particular addition.

Lake Villa Fire Department Engine 241 Pierce Arrow XT

All of the fire suppression equipment with the exception of a 1973 CF-Mack/Welch was made by Pierce. This includes four engines, a pumper/squad, a 105′ ladder, and two tankers of which all but one are on Dash chassis. The newest piece is a 2009, Arrow XT engine at station 1.

Lake Villa Rescue Squad Ford Osage Type III ambulance

The rescue squad currently has five Ford/Osage Type III ambulances which are painted in the traditional rescue squad color scheme of blue and white. As mentioned in a previous post HERE, there are two new ambulances on order and they will be red, and lettered for the Lake Villa Fire District as are the current units.

The Mack/Pierce engine shortly after it was purchased. It was Engine 2420 at the time, was purchased by the FIre Department and did not have the Wil-Burt Nightscan mounted on the roof. Lake Villa had been a Mack customer for many years. When Mack stopped building fire trucks, many of its customers continued to buy the CF chassis with other companies completing the unit. Lake Villa's transition to Pierce began with this unit. By the time they were ready to purchase their next vehicle, Mack was no longer offering the CF chassis. Photo by Larry Shapiro

This engine from Annandale, NJ is an example of a four-door fabricated by Mack. The rear doors are recessed, flat, and cover the step. The engine was originally built in 1981 and was updated and refurbished in 1996 by The Swab Wagon Company. Larry Shapiro photo

There are three rather uniquely interesting units on the roster in Lake Villa. One is a 1933 Pirsch antique that’s in great shape. The other two units are a throw back to a time when all of the Lake Villa engines were built by Mack on CF chassis. They have a 1973 CF-Mack that was refurbished with a new body complete with high-side compartments by Welch, and the other is a 1989/1990 CF-Mack/Pierce combination. One trait which makes this unit especially nice is the four-door conversion which was fabricated by Pierce. When Mack enclosed the CF cab with four doors, the rear doors were flat, straight, and set in from the contour of the body by several inches. Pierce fabricated the enclosure using a set of front doors for the rear of the cab which kept the same contours and body lines of the cab from the front to the rear.

Lake Villa Fire Department 1933 Pirsch antique

Lake Villa Fire Department 1968 Mack CF engine

This is one of the CF Mack engines that preceded the Pierce units in Lake Villa. Engine 621 as shown here was built in 1969 and carried 750 gallons of water with a 1,000-GPM pump. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: Annandale, antique, Arrow XT, Dash, Division 4, Ford, Lake County, Lake Villa Fire Department, Lake Villa Fire District, Lake Villa Rescue Squad, Mack CF, NJ, Osage, patch, Pierce, Pirsch, Sajovic, Shapiro, Swab, Welch

Newport Township FPD has been added to the site

Oct 16

Posted by bgshap in New Listing, Patch | 2 Comments

The Newport Township Fire Protection District in Wadsworth (Lake County MABAS Division 4) is now represented on the site. They operate out of two stations and their district runs all the way to the Wisconsin border. This department has three engines, a pumper squad, an elliptical tanker, two ambulances, a brush rig, an ATV on tracks, and two 1980s R-Model Mack trucks that are assigned as TRT support units.

Photo by Larry Shapiro

Newport Township Fire Protection District crane truck

Station 1 is by the Wadsworth Post Office just off of Wadsworth Road but Station 2 has an interesting story to it in a separate article HERE.

Newport Township Fire Protection District Fire Station

Station 1 is at 39010 Caroline in Wadsworth and is full to the brim with vehicles. Larry Shapiro photo

Newport Township FPD decal

Tags: ATV, crane, Division 4, Kubota, Lake County, Mack, Newport Township, patch, R-Model, Shapiro, Wadsworth

Lake Bluff is added to the site

Oct 15

Posted by bgshap in New Listing, Site News | Comments off

Another Division 4 department has been added to the site. The Lake Bluff Fire Department is another volunteer department covering the roughly 4 square miles of Lake Bluff along Lake Michigan between Lake Forest and North Chicago. This is mostly a Pierce department with four Pierce units plus a brush rig built by Danko.

There are several interesting points with regard to the apparatus here. First of all, each of the suppression rigs bears a unique name on the front of the cab. Lake Bluff has always gone to the local third grade class for help with a name when a new piece of equipment is ordered. The current names are ‘The Volunteer’, ‘The Defender’, ‘Guardian’, and ‘Centennial Pride’.

Built-in, color-coded, cross-lays are located amidship. Larry Shapiro photo

Lake Bluff Fire Department Pierce Saber pumper squad

Rescue 520 has a rear pump along with rescue squad type storage and a full complement of hydraulic tools. Larry Shapiro photo

Lake Bluff has an interesting rescue/pumper. Rescue 520 is a Pierce Saber with a squad body that features a rear 1500-GPM pump, built-in cross-lays, and has a roof-mounted, Will-Burt Night Scan, light tower. As a matter of fact, all three of Lake Bluff’s engines also have a Night Scan.

Lake Bluff Fire Department Ford C-8000 Pierce engine

At one time, all of the Lake Bluff engines were built by Pierce on Ford C-Series chassis. When they purchased their last Ford unit in 1990, they were informed by Pierce that this unit would be the last Ford-C-8000 that Pierce would build on.

Tags: Division 4, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, North Chicago, patch, Shapiro, volunteer

Knollwood is on the site

Oct 14

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Patch | Comments off

The Knollwood Fire Department covers the 1.5 square mile Rockland Fire Protection District in Division 4. They have one station at 14 Skokie Highway along Route 41 at Route 176. Knollwood is a volunteer department with two engines, a 75′ E-ONE quint, a rescue unit, utility, and a boat which they house that is jointly owned with Lake Bluff and Lake Forest. Knollwood does not have an ambulance and contracts with Lake Forest. Lake Bluff has the same arrangement. Both Knollwood and Lake Bluff have EMTs who respond on EMS runs to arrive prior to one of the ambulances from Lake Forest.

Knollwood Fire Department EONE Typhoon 75' Sidestacker quint

Tags: Division 4, E-ONE, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, patch, Rockland FIre Protection District, Shapiro

Lake Forest is on the site

Oct 13

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Patch | Comments off

In Division 4, the Lake Forest Fire Department‘s two stations have been added to the site. The main station at 255 W. Deerpath Road is packed full of equipment including a buggy, two engines, three ambulances, a tower ladder, squad, utility, boat, and ATV. All but one ambulance has been posted.

Lake Forest Fire Department headquarters station 1

The headquarters station at 255 W. Deerpath also houses the police department and dispatch center. Photo by Larry Shapiro

The Lake Forest apparatus was painted all red until 1991 when they purchased four Pierce units which were painted with a white roof. As recently as 2007 they were still using the white over red color scheme when they received Engine 422, a Pierce Dash rescue pumper. In 2008, they took delivery of an IHC/Horton ambulance that was painted black over red. In addition to the new ambulance, the 1994 Pierce Saber was recently sent to Renewed Performance, Inc. (RPI) in Tipton, Indiana to have body work done and it is now black over red as well.

Lake Forest Fire Department Pierce Saber Engine 421

Station 2 on the west end of town was for many years in the old converted Everett School House on Everett Road near Waukegan Road (Rt 43). As the town grew and the area was rebuilt, the school house gave way in 1993 to a new, large firehouse with three drive-though bays, offices for the Fire Prevention Bureau, and classroom space. The new station was built within a block of the old station.

Lake Forest Fire Department Fire Station 2

Station 2 is at 1111 S. Telegraph Road, less than a block from the old Everett Road house. The second floor dormers on this large station are cosmetic only. There is no second floor. Photo by Larry Shapiro

Tags: Division 4, Horton, Inc, Lake Forest, patch, Pierce, Renewed Performance, RPI, Shapiro

Site updates

Oct 10

Posted by bgshap in Site News, updated listing | Comments off

A few updates have been made to departments posted on the site already:

The Troy patch has been added to their stations
Frankfort Station 3 now has a shot of Brush 3 and a new shot of the Fire Academy Engine (both from Bill Friedrich)
Joliet Station 7 has a shot of Engine 7 (from Karl Klotz)
Deerfield Station 19 has an updated image of the station (from Larry Shapiro)

Tags: Deerfield, Frankfort, Friedrich, Joliet, Klotz, patch, Troy

Joliet Fire Department Patch

Sep 25

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Patch, Site News, updated listing | Comments off

We recently received a Joliet Fire Department patch to update the JFD pages on the site. Along with the patch came an introduction/description of the patch and it’s design. Much thought and energy went into the design of this patch as described below.

Joliet Fire Department patch

The Joliet Fire Department Patch

The design of the patch creates a visual image which signifies an organization that is well trained and capable of responding to and controlling the emergencies which daily threaten the citizens of, and visitors to the City of Joliet. This patch stands alone, is unique to the JFD, and represents the values of the JFD.

The Joliet Fire Department (JFD) shoulder patch was designed by the Uniform Committee and was implemented as the official patch in April of 1997.

The Joliet in gold at the top denotes the new Joliet. The center of the patch denotes the emblem that is on all of the JFD equipment. The number 1852 in the red area is the year that the city was chartered and the year that the fire department was officially recognized to protect the city.

The area surrounding the inner design denotes the services provided by the JFD;

Fire – fire fighting, fire prevention, fire and arson investigation, public education, juvenile fire setting counseling, and the hazardous materials response team.

Rescue – includes confined space, below grade, high angle, building collapse, water rescue, and specialized rescue involving farm equipment.

Medics – the JFD is an Advanced Life Support provider with paramedics on ALS ambulances and engines. All other equipment is staffed by EMT-B’s or IDOT trained first responders.

The red, white, and blue overall color scheme represents our nation’s flag.

The red flame is associated with an emergency needing immediate attention while the blue area creates an image of confidence and self control.

Finally, the shape of the patch is made to resemble the shield worn on the firefighter’s helmet.

All ten Joliet stations were posted to the site several weeks ago, and it was brought to our attention that many rigs were missing and some were not shown in the proper stations. All 10 stations have now been updated with the help of Deputy Chief Randich and although there are still several missing images, we hope that we are substantially more accurate and up-to-date with the current state of the JFD fleet and stations. Thanks to Steve Redick and Hank Sajovic for providing additional images.

Tags: Joliet, patch, Randich, Redick, Sajovic

Chicago Fire Department updates

Sep 16

Posted by bgshap in Patch, Site News | 1 Comment

Several firehouses in Chicago have had updated postings to show new rigs or company emblems.

The following houses have had company emblems added: Engine 4, Engine 5, Truck 19, Truck 3, Tower 21, Engine 49, OFI, and the 5-11 Club

The following rig photos have been added or updated: Battalion 14, Ambulance 11, Ambulance 4, Ambulance 85, 4-5-7, and the 5-11 Support Units at Engine 106‘s house and Engine 80‘s house

Tags: Chicago, decal, emblem, patch

Richmond FPD is posted

Jul 16

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Site News | Comments off

Along the Illinois/Wisconsin border in McHenry County is the town of Richmond and the Richmond Fire Protection District. They are in Division 5 covering roughly 28 square miles from one fire station which is packed with apparatus. The design of the Richmond fire station is sightly unique in that all of the apparatus bays are in the rear of the ‘L-shaped’ building.

Richmond Fire Protection District Fire Station

The Richmond FPD station was designed in an 'L-shape' with the apparatus bays around the back of the building. Larry Shapiro photo

The department has a full-time chief and is staffed by 40 part-time firefighters. They run two engines, a truck, a tanker, two ambulances, a brush unit, two AWD ATVs and a pickup which doubles as a chase vehicle for medical runs and a take-home vehicle for the night-time shift commanders. Additionally, they have two beautiful antique engines.

Several years ago, Richmond purchased a 1984 E-ONE, 110′, rear mount, single axle straight truck from Franklin Park. This was an early custom cab/chassis unit from E-ONE with the square cab. Richmond updated the emergency lighting, repainted the black roof white and did various other work to the unit before putting it in service.

Richmond FPD EONE E-ONE 110' truck X-Franklin Park

One of Richmond’s engines built in 1999 by US Tank with an enclosed top-mount pump panel has a twin unit in neighboring Spring Grove. Both feature the HME 1871 super command cab.