This from Larry Shapiro:
Gary Engine 7, one of five 2018 Pierce Saber 2000/500 pumpers

Larry Shapiro photo
This from Larry Shapiro:
Gary Engine 7, one of five 2018 Pierce Saber 2000/500 pumpers
Larry Shapiro photo
Tags: #firetruck, #GaryFD, #larryshapiro, chicagoareafire.com, Gary FD Engine 7, Gary Fire Department, larryshapiro.tumblr.com, larryshapiroblog.com, Pierce, Saber, shapirophotography.net
Several fire departments in the area have placed orders for new apparatus.
From Marion:
From Pierce:
Thanks to Bill Friedrich for updating this information.
Tags: Arrow XT, Bill Friedrich, Bristol-Kendal FPD, Chicago Ridge Fire Department, Contender, Elk Grove Township FPD, Evanston Fire Department, Homewood Fire Department, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District, Lincolnwood Fire Department, Marion, Pierce, rear mount aerial, rear mount platform aerial, Saber, Spartan Metro Star, TDA, Tractor Drawn Aerial, West Chicago Fire Protection District
Jan 3
Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News | 1 Comment
A fire was reported this morning in Lake Bluff and with a header visible from the fire station, the alarm was upgraded to a working fire prior to the arrival of the first unit. Companies arrived at 113 Woodland Avenue and reported heavy smoke from the structure. The fire was quickly elevated to a MABAS Box Alarm shortly thereafter. Lake Bluff was assisted by Knollwood and Lake Forest on the initial alarm, and companies from Highwood, Highland Park, North Chicago, Libertyville, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, and Countryside were due on the box alarm. A 2nd Alarm was requested another 30 minutes later as fire broke through the roof. The older tudor home needed extensive overhaul which required several companies for relief.
Tim Olk was not too far away when the fire came in and made it to the scene just after the initial companies arrived. Jeff Rudolph also made it in and submitted several images. Tim’s images will be posted in an update.
Knollwood Truck 44 was the first-in truck. Knollwood and Lake Bluff respond together on most alarms. Jeff Rudolph photo
Lake Bluff Engine 519, a 2007 Pierce Saber was the first engine on the scene and setup in the 'A' Sector in front of the house. Jeff Rudolph photo
Highwood Truck 37 was due on the Box Alarm with their 2001 HME Smeal 75' quint. Jeff Rudolph photo
Fire vents through the roof as a firefighter works to hit any remaining fire in the lower soffit. Other firefighters can be seen inside the house on the second floor where the fire has been knocked down already. Jeff Rudolph photo
A light smoke is visible from the front of the house as firefighters chase hot spots and begin overhaul. Jeff Rudolph photo
Firefighters carry a ladder to the roof for safety prior to gaining roof access for ventilation. Jeff Rudolph photo
A firefighter is enveloped in smoke as he works to vent the second floor of the house. Jeff Rudolph photo
Highwood firefighter Karl Klotz regroups in the rear before going in to perform overhaul. Jeff Rudolph photo
Tags: Highwood Fire Department, HME, house fire, Jeff Rudolph, Knollwood FIre Department, Lake Bluff Fire Department, MABAS Box Alarm, Pierce, quint, Saber, Smeal, Tim Olk
Dec 8
Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Reader submission | Comments off
Additional images from the Leyden Township 3-11 yesterday submitted by Steve Redick, Jeff Rudolph, and Larry Shapiro.
Flames are visible from a vantage on the east side of the fire after the roof was in. Jeff Rudolph photo
Westchester's E-ONE Cyclone aerial is set up with an elevated master stream at the east side of the 'A' sector. Jeff Rudolph photo
Northlake Engine 808 is positioned on the street and awaits water from an in-line operation. Jeff Rudolph photo
Another shot from the front of the address showing Westchester's master stream. Larry Shapiro photo
Elmwood Park firefighters carry a 5-inch line to Northlake Engine 808. The Elmwood Park engine is making it's way further west on Grand Avenue to find a hydrant down the street. Steve Redick photo
Leyden Quint 133 is operating on the west side of the driveway with an elevated master stream and several hand lines. Larry Shapiro photo
Firefighters work a handline at the rear of the building. Jeff Rudolph photo
An overview of the western exposure of the fire building from the vacant lot next door. Steve Redick photo
Bensenville firefighters pull hose from Engine 89 to put additional hand lines into operation to hit the many hot spots throughout the ruins. Larry Shapiro photo
River Grove Engine 565, a Pierce Saber, is pumping in-line to Bensenville Engine 89 in the rear sector. Steve Redick photo
Bensenville Engine 89, a 2002 Pierce Lance, is supplying several hand lines in the 'C' sector. Larry Shapiro photo
Stone Park Engine 908, is the only E-ONE Quest engine in MABAS Division 20. It is on a hydrant east of the fire scene on Grand Avenue. Jeff Rudolph photo
A gallery of Steve Redick’s images can be seen HERE.
A gallery of Larry Shapiro’s images can be seen HERE.
Tags: All Stars Gentlemen's Club, Bensenville, Cyclone, Darley, E-ONE, Fire, HP75, Jeff Rudolph, Lance, Larry Shapiro, Leyden Township FPD, Maywood, Northlake, Pierce, Quantum, Quest, River Grove Fire Department, RK Aerials, Rosemont, Saber, Spartan, Steve Redick, Stone Park, Westchester
As the Chicago area saw it’s first snow of the season, area fire departments responded to many accidents. Jeff Rudolph took in a two-car, head-on collision this morning at Route 173 west of Delaney Road in Wadsworth, IL. The Newport Township FPD responded with several units and was aided by Zion and Winthrop Harbor. Six patients were transported with what did not appear to be life-threatening injuries.
A head-on collision on slick roads this morning in Wadsworth, IL. The Newport Twp FPD responded with several units. Jeff Rudolph photo
Both Newport ambulances including 1441 shown here were on-scene at the collision on Route 173. Jeff Rdolph photo
Newport Squad 1458 was positioned to block the road to provide added safety to everyone on-scene. Jeff Rudolph photo
A closeup of the minivan involved in a collision this morning in Wadsworth, IL. Newport Township FPD firefighters removed the driver's door in order to remove the driver. Jeff Rudolph photo
Winthrop Harbor ambulance 1742 was one of the mutual aid EMS companies on the scene. A total of 6 patients were transported with what appeared to be non life-threatening injuries. Jeff Rudolph photo
Newport Brush 1475 brought additional personnel to the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo
Another view of the spotting of Squad 1458 blocking the roadway and acting as a protective barrier to the rescue workers and patients in the event that another motorist would fail to stop before the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo
Zion Ambulance 1842 was the fourth ambulance on the scene assisting the Newport Township FPD. Jeff Rudolph photo
Jeff Rudolph recently set up a Flickr site to showcase his photography. His images which include on-scene and static apparatus from more than just the Chicago area can be seen HERE. Jeff has included images that date back many years.
Tags: ambulance, Flickr, icy road, Jeff Rudolph, MVA, Newport Township FPD, Pierce, Saber, snow, Wadsworth, winter, Winthrop Harbor Fire Department, Zio Fire Deparment
Nov 30
Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Patch | 1 Comment
Lake Zurich has now been added to the departments in MABAS Division 4. They have four stations of which one is in Deer Park and another is in North Barrington. This is a 100% Pierce department for suppression apparatus with four Saber engines, a Dash tower ladder, and a squad with a commercial IHC 4400 chassis. The ambulances are a mixture of Road Rescue and Medtec Type I units on IHC chassis.
The four engines are virtually identical though they span being built between 1997-2002. All but one carry 1,000 gallons of water and have foam tanks. The downtown engine has 750 gallons of water on board.
Lake Zurich Fire Station 4 is located at 21970 Field Parkway in Deer Park. This two-bay house is similar to the other outlying stations. Larry Shapiro photo
Tags: Dash, IHC, Lake County, Lake Zurich Fire Department, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Division 4, MedTec, patch, Pierce, Road Rescue, Saber, Type I
Nov 6
Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News | Comments off
Another extra alarm fire this week occurred on the border where Lake Zurich’s Fire Protection District meets with Barrington’s Fire Protection District. The house at 24506 W. Scott Road, with a Barrington mailing address, sustained major damage. If the house was on the other side of the street it would evidently have been in Barrington’s district.
Just after 11PM the resident reported a fire on the second floor of the house. First arriving companies reported fire showing and thick black smoke venting from the attic. The house is located right along the roadway which is a very long, narrow, dead end street. Second due companies were ordered to back in and lay a large diameter supply line out to Route 59 for tanker ops. After Engine 3214 setup, Barrington’s tanker backed in to supply additional water until the tanker shuttle could be initiated. Companies laid over 2,100 feet of 5-inch large diameter hose (LDH) from the house to Route 59 where Lake Zurich Engine 3211 setup to draft from a portable tank. Within minutes of arriving, a 2nd Alarm MABAS Box was requested. Until crews were available to move the LDH out of the road, firefighters had to walk almost a half mile to the scene. Once the road was open, additional rigs including Palatine’s quint, Deerfield’s squad, a Countryside ambulance for rehab, and one of the MESS Support rigs were able to advance to the scene. A short time later, a MABAS Polaris ATV assigned to MABAS Division 4, was brought to the scene to shuttle additional companies from staging to the scene.
Lake Zurich Engine 3214, a 1997 Pierce Saber, was the first engine to arrive at the fire. This company pulled a line and had 1,000 gallons of water to work with until the Barrington tanker could back up the street providing an additional 3,000 gallons. Larry Shapiro photo
Barrington Tanker 3668 is a 1981/1990 3D/US Tank, 3,000-gallon tanker on an IHC F3674 chassis. This was used to nurse Lake Zurich Engine 3214 until the tanker ops could be initiated from Route 59. Larry Shapiro photo
Lake Zurich Engine 3212 is one of four Pierce Saber pumpers in the fleet. After laying out all 750-feet of LDH, it is positioned out of the way to make room for tenders to fill the portable tanks. Larry Shapiro photo
Surrounded by mansions on this isolated block, this farmhouse sits right on the roadway. As fire vents out of the second floor, Grayslake firefighters bring a ground ladder around to the 'C' side of the structure. Larry Shapiro photo
Deerfield's squad moved up to the scene and filled air bottles. They were able to deploy thier Wil-Burt light tower to illuminate the street and an area setup for rehab. This shot shows just how narrow the road was with the LDH deployed. Larry Shapiro photo
Fox River Grove Engine 641 is a 2004, American LaFrance on an Eagle chassis. Positioned as one of the first arriving mutual aid companies, it was well poised to illuminate the tanker ops with a telescoping light tower. Larry Shapiro photo
One of the MABAS Polaris ATV units which is housed in Lake County was brought to the scene and was utilized to ferry companies from the staging area to the scene when they were needed. Here the Lake Forest company, which arrived on the 3rd alarm, is moving up to the scene to relieve another company. Larry Shapiro photo
Grayslake's new Seagrave engine sits in staging on Route 59. Larry Shapiro photo
A large gallery of images from this fire can be viewed HERE.
Tags: 3rd alarm, American LaFrance, American LaFrance Eagle, ATV, Barrington, Fire, Fox River Grove, Grayslake, Lake Zurich, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Division 4, Pierce, Polaris, porta-tank, Saber, Seagrave, tanker box, tanker shuttle, tender box
Nov 6
Posted by bgshap in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Department News, Site News | 2 Comments
Winnetka is due to place their new Smeal quint in service next week. Yesterday, the current Truck 28, which is a 1990, Pierce Arrow, 75′ quint, responded to a box alarm in Glencoe. Though the aerial wasn’t put to work, this may very well have been the last working fire response for this unit. A small gallery of scene images can be seen HERE.
Truck 28 on-scene in Glencoe on 11-5-10 at a box alarm for a basement fire in a new home. This may be the last real fire for this 1990 workhorse which is scheduled for replacement in roughly a week. Larry Shapiro photo
Truck 28 was delivered with the Winnetka Fire Department decal design which was designed from their patch featuring the rising sun on the lake. Larry Shapiro photo
Winnetka Truck 28 is the first-due truck into neighboring Glencoe. Over the years, Glencoe has had a number of fires where Truck 28 went to work. It is seen here at an extra alarm in December of 2000. The door decal shows the current emblem which replaced the sun rising over the lake. Larry Shapiro collection
Winnetka provides fire and EMS services to Kenilworth in addition to Winnetka. Several years ago they added the Kenilworth name to each piece of apparatus. In this image, Truck 28 is setup in the driveway of a large house in Kenilworth at a fire around the time of halloween. If you look closely, you will see a skeleton hanging by the front door. Larry Shapiro collection
Three homes burned on the night of September 25th in 1996 on Edgewood Lane, which is on the border between Glencoe and Winnetka. One house was under construction at the time and was totally destroyed. Winnetka Truck 28 went to work here as part of this defensive attack with an elevated master stream. At the time of this fire, the old decal was still in use. Larry Shapiro collection
In 1990 when Truck 28 went into service, it replaced this 900 Series 100' mid-ship American LaFrance Ladder Chief. Prior to the creation of RED Center (Regional Emergency Dispatch) which was originally out of Niles' headquarters station, Winnetka's apparatus carried numbers in the 70s. This was Truck 70. Then with RED Center, all of the fire departments in MABAS Division 3 were renumbered consecutively in an attempt to create a more standardized cohesive system. Larry Shapiro collection
The sequence of photos depict three different types of graphics packages on the Winnetka trucks over the years. Originally, as seen on the 900 Series, American LaFrance Ladder Chief, the only name on the trucks was Winnetka and the unit number was in a decorative emblem of gold leaf. Later they took the patch design with the rising sun over the lake, which was followed by a new patch and decal incorporating a traditional shield shape. Within the seal they incorporated a design that was created for their centennial which features a maltese cross with a steamer. The new 2010 Spartan/Smeal unit will feature different graphics again. The work has not yet been completed, but is rumored to have a return to a more traditional way of featuring the rig number along with the decal.
When the new aerial goes into service, the 1990 Pierce will be moving on to another life with a fire department in southern Illinois.
…Engine 28, a 2000, Pierce, Saber, top-mount, is currently under going repairs and refurbishing. When it returns, it will have a black roof to match the new truck.
Tags: 75', 900 Series, American LaFrance, Glencoe, house fire, Kenilworth, Larry Shapiro, mid-mount ladder, Pierce, Pierce Arrow, quint, Saber, Smeal, top-mount, truck 28, Winnetka
Oct 27
Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Fire Station, New Listing | Comments off
Another Lake County, MABAS Division 4 department has been added to the site. Formerly known as the Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District, The Beach Park Fire Department covers roughly 14 square miles in northeast Lake County which includes unincorporated areas of the county as well as Beach Park. They do not though currently provide coverage for the entire town of Beach Park as the Winthrop Harbor Fire Department has responsibility for a portion of the town.
According to the Beach Park Village Link Newsletter in the winter of 2003:
The New Beach Park Fire Department
In the last months of 2002, there were plenty of positive changes in the fire protection services for our village. Formerly known as the “Bonnie Brook Fire Protection District”, the name was officially changed to the “Beach Park Fire Department” (BPFD) last November to better define the department’s capabilities and service areas.
Beach Park has a mixture of apparatus in the fleet including Alexis, Pierce, Seagrave, Medtec, and Osage. The newest rig is Engine 1222 which is a 2008 Seagrave Maurauder II engine. Currently, Beach Park Engine 1212, a 2002 HME/Alexis engine is undergoing work at Alexis Fire Apparatus.
Engine 1211 prior to the creation of the Beach Park FD was lettered for the Bonnie Brook FPD. Larry Shapiro photo
Bonnie Brook FPD Engine 1211 shortly after being delivered by Pierce in 1993. Larry Shapiro collection
In recent Beach Park FD news, they have opened a second station at 13110 W. Major Avenue in Beach Park. This interesting station originated as an existing house with an attached garage. The garage was modified as a lobby and office area and a two-bay addition was then added for the apparatus. At the present time, this station has a crew of two or three which are a jump company, staffing either the engine or ambulance based on the nature of a request for service.
Beach Park Station 2 at 13110 W. Major Avenue opened in April of 2010. Larry Shapiro photo
Beach Park Fire Department Station 2
Tags: Alexis, Beach Park, Bonnie Brook, decal, HME, Lake County, MABAS Division 4, Maurauder II, MedTec, new station, Osage, Pierce, Saber, Seagrave, Winthrop Harbor
Jul 20
Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing | Comments off
McHenry Township FPD Station 1 in downtown McHenry is also the headquarters for the fire district. Larry Shapiro photo
The largest fire department in McHenry County Division 5 is the McHenry Township FIre Protection District. With over 150 part-time firefighters running out of four stations, this department responded to 4,369 calls for service in 2009 in a district that is roughly 56 square miles. Their fleet of suppression equipment is 99% Pierce with the one exception being a 1986 S&S tanker running out of Station 2. The newest additions are a pair of twin 2009 Pierce Velocity engines and a 2010 Ford F350/Medtec Type I ambulance. Prior to the purchase of these Velocity units, all McHenry Township engines were on Pierce Lance chassis. They have two squad units; one Pierce Arrow and one Pierce Saber.
Tags: Arrow, Division 5, Ford F350, Klotz, McHenry Township, MedTec, Pierce, Saber, Sajovic, Shapiro, Velocity
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
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