Posts Tagged Shapiro

Area Departments and Chief Officers Receive Awards

Aug 30

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | Comments off

During the International Association of Fire Chiefs Conference in Chicago last week was a ceremony recognizing achievements that were awarded by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Among the awards were fire departments that became accredited agencies, Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Designees, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Designees and Fire Officer (FO) Designees.

Several local chief officers were recognized as CFO Designees; some for the first time, some received their second recognition and several were awarded their third or fourth term as CFO Designees.

Both the Lake Forest Fire Department and the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District received their accreditation for the first time.

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Accreditation

Representatives of the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD were on hand to accept the plaque recognizing their department as an accreditated agency. Larry Shapiro photo

Lisle Woodridge and Downers Grove fire chiefs

From left to right: Downers Grove Fire Chief James Jackson, Sr., Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Chief Thomas Freeman (third term CFO Designee), and Downers Grove Deputy Chief Richard Mikel (first term CFO Designee). Larry Shapiro photo

From left to right: Downer Grove Deputy Chief Jefferey Pindelski, Westmont Fire Chief Frank Trout (third term CFO Designee) and Montgomery & Countryside FPD Chief Thomas Meyers, Jr (third term CFO Designee). Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: Downers Grove, IAFC, Lisle Woodridge, Montgomery, Shapiro, Westmont

Many new area rigs at Fire Rescue International

Aug 28

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery | 5 Comments

There are many new pieces of apparatus for our area currently on display at the Fire Rescue International 2010 trade show at McCormick Place. Among them are:

Pierce – South Holland Velocity PUC 100′ PAP rear mount tower ladder; Great Lakes NTC Impel 75′ RM quint
Medtec – Algonquin Lake-in-the-Hills Type I Freightliner
Crimson – CFD Spartan pumper; CFD Spartan 103′ RM aerial ladder; Naperville Spartan pumper
Horton – Minooka Ford Type III MICU
US Tank – Pingree Grove FPD Kenworth tanker
Federal Signal – CFD Ford Expedition battalion chief unt
Ferrara – Algonquin Lake-in-the-Hills Inferno engine and RM Tower ladder
Sutphen – Exxon Mobil Joliet Refinery industrial mid-mount tower ladder quint
Super Vac (SVI Trucks) – Cherry Valley Spartan HDR

The first Spartan Gladiator Crimson 103′ rear mount aerial ladder built for Chicago was displayed at the Fire Rescue International (FRI) 2010 trade show. Larry Shapiro photo

Algonquin Lake-in-the-Hills Medtec ambulance

This Freightliner/Medtec Type I ambulance for the Algonquin lake-in-the-Hills Fire Department was on display in the Pierce booth. There were a total of three units on the trade show floor for this department. Larry Shapiro photo

Algonquin Lake-in-the-Hills Ferrara engine

The smaller than normal pump enclosure and built-in cross lays on the new Ferrara engine for the Algonquin Lake-in-the-Hills Fire Department resembles a trend in apparatus design which was first introduced several years ago by Pierce. Larry Shapiro photo

Cherry Valley Fire Department Spartan SVI Super Vac heavy rescue

A Spartan Super Vac (SVI) heavy rescue for Cherry Valley with walk-around body, light tower, front bumper hydraulic rescue tools, air cascade system and an abundance of slide-out shelving and trays. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery showing several of these units can be seen on Larry Shapiro’s site HERE.

Tags: Algonquin, Battalion, CFD, Cherry Valley, Chicago, Crimson, Exxon Mobil, Ferrara, FRI, Great lakes, Horton, Impel, Inferno, Joliet, MedTec, Minooka, Naperville, Pierce, Pingree Grove Fire District, PUC, Shapiro, South Holland, Spartan, Super Vac, Sutphen, SVI, tower ladder, Type I, Type III, US Tank, Velocity

E-ONE gives fire truck away at FRI 2010 trade show

Aug 27

Posted by bgshap in Fire Service News, New Delivery | 1 Comment

For the second year in a row, E-ONE has enlisted the help of several industry partners to sponsor a contest to give a brand new fire truck away to a department which shows an overwhelming need for a new truck. After the field of entrants was narrowed to seven finalists, the winner was determined by on-line voting for the most deserving department. Today, E-ONE awarded the fire truck to the Owens Cross Road Volunteer Fire Department from northern Alabama.

The winner was announced after Peter Guile, E-One’s president, read one heart wrenching story after another to a large crowd on the trade show floor who had gathered at the E-ONE booth.

Members of one of the finalist departments wait anxiously for the winner to be announced. Folks at home are listening to the event on the phone. Larry Shapiro photo

Fire Chief Dan Kelly of the Owens Cross Road Volunteer Fire Department reacts to winning the fire truck. Larry Shapiro photo

E-ONE workers apply the name of the winning fire department to the engine. Larry Shapiro photo

A large crowd gathered at the E-ONE booth to see the giveaway. Larry Shapiro photo

E-ONE president Peter Guile poses with Fire Chief Dan Kelly and his wife after the Owens Cross Road VFD won the brand new engine. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery of images depicting the event can be seen HERE on Larry Shapiro’s site.

Tags: E-ONE, EONE, FRI 2010, giveaway, IHC, navistar, Shapiro

CFD LODD FF/PM Chris Wheatley

Aug 14

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News | Comments off

This is one of four commemorative markings that now adorns Truck 2.

Last Monday, the 9th of August, CFD FF/PM Chris Wheatley of Truck Co 2 succumbed to injuries incurred after he fell from a ladder near the roof line while working at a fire at 615 W. Randolph. Chris was laid to rest yesterday, August 13, 2010 at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip following a mass at St. John Fisher Church on South Washtenaw.

The casket is loaded onto Engine 5 for the journey to the church.

Chicago Fire Department commissioners and chiefs salute as the casket is brought out of the funeral home.

Chicago Fire Department personnel line the street in front of St John Fisher Church. Beyond the city firefighters and officers are members of the AFFI Honor Guard representing many suburban Chicago fire departments.

Members carry the casket from the church.

Images documenting the ceremonies and service can be viewed at Tim Olk’s website HERE and Larry Shapiro’s website HERE.

Tags: CFD, Chicago, FF/PM Chris Wheatley, funeral, Shapiro, Tim Olk

Addison is added to the site

Aug 4

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing | 5 Comments

Addison Fire District Station 2

In Division 12, the Addison Fire District No. 1 runs out of three stations. They staff one truck, three engines, three ambulances (medic units) and a battalion chief covering 13 square miles. There are a bunch of missing photos though in this listing as Larry Shapiro visited the department Monday with limited time and was not able to complete the photography. A few of the apparatus photos represent the units on-scene at fires over the past year or so. The images will be updated with more flattering shots when new photos are submitted. Addison runs Medtec Type I ambulances and E-ONE engines; two of which are on Cyclone chassis and the newest unit has a Spartan Gladiator chassis. They have a Pierce 100′ tower ladder as their frontline piece with an E-ONE tower in reserve.

Interestingly, their E-ONE tower ladder is unique to this area. By far, the best selling tower ladder for E-ONE for many years has been the 95′ rear mount tower. Addison was one of the few departments in the US that took advantage of a newer EONE model in 1993 when they introduced a longer tower ladder with a reach of 105′. The 105′ model in the E-ONE product line was replaced by the HP100 (100′) tower ladder over 10 years later.

Addison Fire District engine

Tags: Addison, ambulance, Division 12, E-ONE, EONE, MedTec, Pierce, Shapiro, tower ladder

Several departments coming to the site

Jul 23

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

As time permits, photographs from the following new departments will be added to the site;

Joliet (images from Dennis McGuire, Karl Klotz, and George Reichardt)
Crestwood (images from Dennis McGuire and Karl Klotz)
Dolton (images from Dennis McGuire and Karl Klotz)
Alsip (images from Dennis McGuire and Karl Klotz)
CFD Special Operations (images from Hank Sajovic)

The following departments will be updated to include images that are missing:

Frankfort (images from Karl Klotz)
Tinley Park (images from Karl Klotz and Dennis McGuire)
Itasca (images from Larry Shapiro)
Rolling Meadows (images from Larry Shapiro)
Elk Grove Village (images from Larry Shapiro)

Tags: Alsip, Chicago, Crestwood, Dolton, Elk Grove Village, Frankfort, Itasca, Joliet, Klotz, McGuire, Rolling Meadows, Sajovic, Shapiro, Tinley Park

New Schiller Park engine

Jul 22

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

Schiller Park (Division 20) received a new Impel engine from Pierce in March. From a distance, the Impel and the Velocity appear identical since they use the same cab, but the available features and trim are among items that represent the differences in cost between the two.

The new Pierce Impel 1,500/500/30A engine in Schiller Park. Larry Shapiro photo

Schiller Park Pierce Impel pumper low hosebed

Engine 455 features a low hose bed design which has become popular in recent years. This is similar to a design which has been used for many years in New York Cty. Larry Shapiro photo

The pump panel for Engine 455 shows a foam system and color coded gauges. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 455 spent time yesterday in Bensenville/Chicago while Schiller Park firefighters trained with Chicago and Bensenville firefighters in the buildings being torn down as part of the O’Hare Modernization Project. A large photo gallery plus a video segment of the training evolutions and the apparatus on-hand can be seen HERE.

The engine supplied hand lines for the training evolution. This was built in 2007 and used as a demonstrator for Pierce which explains the absence of chevron striping on the rear. Schiller Park received the unit in March of this year. Larry Shapiro photo

Schiller Park Engine 455 is a 2007 Pierce Impel, shown here training with firefighters from Chicago and Bensenville. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: Impel, Pierce, Schiller Park, Shapiro

McHenry Township is added

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

Division 1 construction updates

Jul 19

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

We have been following the progress of two new fire stations in Division 1. Mount Prospect Station 14 on Kensington Road opened several months ago but was not complete until recently when the bay doors were installed. Mount Prospect officials had refused to accept the bi-fold doors with windows on at least two occasions due to a substandard paint job. The building opened with solid doors as mentioned HERE and HERE. Today the station was photographed with the proper doors. As a side note, it appears that a reserve ambulance and a reserve engine are housed at this station which will require an update to the site listing.

Mount Prospect Fire Department station 14

Mount Prospect Station 14 at 2000 Kensington Road is now complete with the proper doors installed for the apparatus bays. Larry Shapiro photo

Station 14 opened with the temporary solid bi-fold doors. Larry Shapiro photo

The second fire station that we’ve been keeping tabs on is the new headquarters Station 24 on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling. Running about a month behind schedule, the majority of this project has been completed. The station has company quarters including kitchen, dayroom, bunk room and lockers on the first floor while the headquarters space and training room are on the second floor.

Wheeling's new headquarters station 24 on Milwaukee Avenue shown here is nearing completion. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: construction, Mount Prospect, MTPR, Shapiro, station, Wheeling, WHLG

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.