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OUR MISSION: TO LIMIT THE LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY THROUGHPLANNING, PREVENTION AND RESPONSEPark Ridge fire equipment along with auto-aid and mutual companies responded to the 0–100block of S. Dee for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival, a working fire was confirmed on thesecond floor of an eight-unit apartment building. Initial reports indicated there were peopletrapped in the fire unit. Companies quickly stretched a hoseline and entered the unit to begin firesuppression and to conduct a search. No occupants were found during the search. The fire wasquickly confined to the room of origin and extinguished.Volume XI, Issue IIIwww.parkridgefd.org

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010Highlights of the MonthRed Cross recognizes Bill Pretzer as 2010 HeroThe American Red Cross of Greater Chicago has announced the 2010 Heroes Award winners.We are very proud to say one of them is our own Battalion Chief Bill Pretzer. The Red Crosschooses heroes who embody its guiding principles and inspire others to do good. Each year, theAmerican Red Cross of Greater Chicago honors local people for acts of great bravery, dedicationand service to the community at its Heroes Breakfast.Battalion Chief William Pretzer received the Disaster Relief Award for his continued efforts toeducate and prepare his community for pandemic during the H1N1 crisis. His leadership in thiseffort and in helping special needs populations and other vulnerable communities has beenoutstanding. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago honored him at the 2010 HeroesBreakfast on April 14, at the Fairmont Hotel Chicago.“Bill's daily mission and work ethic in life is to prepare his community for emergencies through hiswork as a firefighter,” said Connie Polke of CHUG. “He is a model citizen, firefighter and businessassociate, whom many acknowledge and admire for his distinguished courage, leadership andthe countless hours spent ensuring that others were well educated regarding H1N1.”Please click on the link below to watch Battalion Chief Pretzer’s acceptance SN 483&OP 484&SUOP 1417&SUOP2 9631&SUOP3 10360&IDCapitulo VF223FBDFD1

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010A Park Ridge police officer and 12 Park Ridge firefighters were honored on March 8, 2010 at the12th annual VFW Awards program held at the Park Ridge VFW Post.The Fire Department selection committee chose 12 members for their actions in response to anautomobile crash that occurred in December of 2009. Six people were trapped in two vehicleswhen emergency workers arrived on the scene. It took rescue workers only 38 minutes toextricate all six patients from the vehicles, while administering Advanced Life Support to each ofthem. Park Ridge firefighter/paramedics recognized were: Aaron Blane, Chris Buckley, MikeIsom, Matt Jarka, Russell LoCoco, Dave Malcomson II, Bill Smaha, Tom Sutfin, Frank Villari,Greg Woodford as well as Firefighter Nick Falco and Lieutenant John Ortlund.The program originally began at the VFW Hall as a way to honor Park Ridge police officers andfirefighters. It now includes honorees from Des Plaines, Chicago, Norridge, Cook County, and theIllinois State Police, as well.Personnel NewsCongratulations to Chris and Tera Herling on the birth of their first child!Heidi Laila was born on March 16 at 12:32 PM. She was 20" long and weighed 6 pounds 12ounces.2

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010This is the second consecutive year in which members of the Park Ridge Fire Department havecome together to participate in this fundraiser for child cancer research through a program calledSt. Baldrick’s. St. Baldrick’s is a nation-wide fundraising program in which people volunteer toraise money for the St. Baldricks event in their area. Money raised goes toward child cancerresearch. Attached is the link explaining what St. Baldricks entails. http://www.stbaldricks.org/The St. Baldrick's Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than anyorganization except the U.S. government, more than 12 million in 2009 alone!The event held on March 12, 2010 raised 121,785.00. There were a total of 391 participants whohad their head shaved. Overall attendance at the event was approximately 500 people throughoutthe night.Park Ridge "Team Paramaniacs” consisted of Christopher Cleary, Tim Schneider, Bill Smaha,Brian Pavone, Nick Koletsos, and Aaron Blane. The team raised 1,860.00. Not knowing howmany Fire Department personnel would participate, team leader, Christopher Cleary set an initialgoal on the website of 500. He was very pleased they exceeded that.Response StatisticsFire AdministrationCODENUMBER OFRESPONSESMONTHLYPERCENTAGE1– ambulance20366%2– single vehicle3210%3 – full fire3812%3411%13 – mutual aid & auto aid3TOTAL RESPONSES307

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 20106005004002008300200920020101000Code 1Code 2Code 3 Code NT MONTHTOTAL ALARMS YTDFIRE INVESTIGATIONLieutenant Derek DeckerThe Park Ridge Fire Department investigated three fires during the month of March 2010.March 6Park Ridge fire equipment along with auto aid companies was dispatched to the1200 block of Hoffman for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival of Battalion 35and Truck 36, a working fire was found. The 2-car attached garage was fullyinvolved and the fire was beginning to extend to the living space. Companies spentseveral hours fighting the fire, which was also being fueled by a vehicle that wasparked in the garage. The owner’s insurance company estimated the resultingdamage to be 500,000.Park Ridge fire investigators along with the Illinois State Fire Marshal examined thescene and determined the fire had started in the corner of the garage. A spaceheater was found in the area of origin; however investigators have not been able todefinitively state the fire started as a result of the space heater until an electricalengineer examines the unit. The fire has been classified as undetermined pendingfurther investigation.March 19Park Ridge fire equipment along with auto-aid and mutual companies responded tothe 0-100 block of S. Dee for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival, a working firewas confirmed on the second floor of an eight-unit apartment building. Initialreports indicated there were people trapped in the fire unit. Several bystanders andPolice Officers had evacuated many of the residents prior to the arrival of the FireDepartment. Companies quickly stretched a hoseline and entered the unit to beginfire suppression and to conduct a search. No additional occupants were foundduring the search. The fire was quickly confined to the room of origin and4

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010extinguished. Damage to the structure and contents were estimated to be 100,000.Park Ridge fire investigators conducted an investigation and determined the fireoriginated in a bedroom of the apartment. A control unit from an electrical blanketwas found in the area of origin and showed evidence of failure. The fire wasclassified as accidental.March 24Park Ridge fire equipment along with auto-aid companies responded to the 1400block of N. Dee for a reported fire. Upon arrival, a fire in an oven was found andwas still contained to the appliance. A CO2 extinguisher was used to extinguishthe fire. Damage was estimated to be 1,500. The fire was determined to havestarted as a result of improper use of the appliance. The fire was classified asaccidental.20 S. Dee upon arrival of fire companies20 S. Dee looking into the room of origin1200 block of Hoffman fire-garage1200 block of Hoffman fire-home5

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010One of the three fires was classified as undetermined while the other two were classifiedas accidental. The total fire damage estimates for March 2010 are 601,500; however, theproperty saved exceeds 2,000,000.No firefighter or civilian injuries resulted from these fires.TrainingCaptain Scott SankeyDaily Quick DrillsEach shift day, the Training Division assigns a quick drill to be discussed at the morning roll call.The quick drill topics for March included a bungalow fire scenario, review of ice rescue equipmentand procedures, carbon monoxide health and flammability properties, a NIOSH firefighter line ofduty death review, work ethics, and paradigms in the fire service.Online Training PortalAll personnel completed training on emergency response to terrorism incidents. This concludesthe four part series that was started in February.Rope OperationsAll shift personnel continued working towards completing the practical components for the 40hour Office of the State Fire Marshal rope operations certification.Building FamiliarizationAll shift personnel participated in a building walk through of Maine South High School and theTooling & Manufacturing Association on Dee Rd.Roundabout High-rise PackAll shift personnel were introduced to the “Roundabout” hotel pack. After watching a short video,the crews practiced packing and deploying this new hose load.NICOR TrainingBlack and Red shift personnel participated in a three-hour natural gas emergencies for firstresponders course. This free training was provided by NICOR. Gold shift personnel will receivethe training in April.METRA TrainingGold shift personnel participated in a three-hour “Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness”certification course. METRA provides this training free of charge to first responders with METRApassenger lines in their jurisdiction.6

MONTHLY REPORTMarch 2010Sprinkler System ClassUnited States Fire Protection provided training on commercial and residential sprinkler systems.Upon completion of the classroom session, Gold shift personnel visited Resurrection Health Careand the Uptown development for practical training.MABAS Division III Special TeamsMembers of the Fire Investigation, HAZ-MAT, URRT (Dive), and TRT (Technical Rescue) teamsparticipated in Division III training drills.Tool of the MonthThe program continued this month. A particular tool or tools are selected for the month and eachmember of the shift must be prepared to discuss and demonstrate the proper use andmaintenance of the tool to the rest of their shift. The tool of the month topic for March was powersaws.Outside TrainingFF/PM WolffFire Investigator Mod IFire Investigator Mod IIFire Investigator Mod III40 hrs40 hrs40 hrsApparatus & EquipmentBattalion Chief John HansonFor the month of March 2010, the fire department front line vehicles logged 3,691 miles. Due tothe high amount of miles and the stresses that the vehicles are put under, it is critical that weperform routine and emergency maintenance in cooperation with City Garage. Below is a list ofthe maintenance completed for the month:F-261998 Command VanF-312005 AmbulanceF-322005 AmbulanceF-332005 AmbulanceF-352001 Squad-Front battery replacedReplaced ball jointsReplaced fuel pumpReplaced transmission torque converterFix turbo inter-cooler hoseBatteries replacedReplaced emergency light switchesRebuilt driveshaftNedermann switch replacedEGR valve replacedEngine oil cooler gaskets replacedWasher fluid reservoir and pump motor replacedAlternator replacedSiren brake replaced7

MONTHLY REPORTF-421996 EngineF-432005 EngineF-452001 Aerial PlatformMarch 2010-Replaced running lightManual pump shift cable replacedAir brake compressor replacedAir leaks repairedRear lights in bumper replacedBroken seat belt replacedReplaced rear amber rotator lightAerial device greasedFire Prevention and Public EducationLieutenant Kevin PlachActivityMonthly TotalsInitial InspectionsRe-InspectionsPre-Permit MeetingsConstruction VisitsFinal InspectionsPlan reviewsSprinkler HydrosStorage Tank InstallsStorage Tank RemovalsResidential SprinklersFire Flow TestsFire Alarm TestsFire Pump TestsKey Box Insp./InstallsHood TestSingle Family Home InspectionsCitationsMeetingsFire DrillsSeminar/SchoolsComplaintsShift ToursPublic Education Tours1946315313700102112001003150Total-1328