October - Harlem Roscoe Fire Protection District

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of theHarlem-Roscoe Fire Protection DistrictFire Chief Oscar Presley.Vol. 12 No. 10 www.harlemroscoefi re.com October 2007Camper Fire Photo by Sheryl DrostFirefighter Adam Cox and Randy Lovelace fi nish putting out some hot spots in a burned camper.Observant and quick-acting neighbors brought the fire department to some of the fires this month intime to save buildings like the one next to the burned camper pictured above.See more on the fi re above and others starting on page 2. . .

Parked Camper Burns By Sheryl DrostSmoke coming from a parked camper next to a building on MainsailDrive prompted a quick call to 9-1-1 on September 14. Firefightersarrived to find the camper fully involved with smoke and fire. Thecamper received major damage from the fire, but the building nextto it was saved. The fire is believed to have started near audio/visualequipment in the front of the camper.Neighbors Save Home and Family By Sheryl DrostResidents on Ramboulet Ridge had no idea the back of the home wason fire until a neighbor started pounding on their door on September29. They called 9-1-1 to report the fire and started spraying it with agarden hose. They were able to knock the fire down before firefightersarrived. The culprit was in a plant box along the back wall of thehome on the deck. Potting soil will catch fire when presented withan ignition source. The residents weren’t smokers (planters seemto be a common ash tray), so the investigators were unsure exactlywhat started the fire. It was a windy day and it could have even beensparks from backyard burning pits in the neighborhood.September 29The TV area was believed to be where the fire started.Fire Investigator Captain Bill Sabin begins his investigationFirefi ghter Mike Baldwin uses a heat gun to check for any fire extension as FireInvestigator Captain Mike Drost starts his investigation of the burned area.A minipumper and Engine/Pumper were used to fi ght the fi re.Oven Fire Photo by Chief Oscar PresleyFirefi ghters Andy Cox and Randy Lovelace reload hose on the minipumper.The Firehouse Scene - Page 2An oven fi re on Anjali Way was quickly extinguished on September 21.

Industrial Building Fire By Sheryl DrostFirefighters were rousted from their beds around 3am for a fire atan industrial builing on Anvil Drive on October 11. First in unitsreported smoke showing. Captain Tim Schrader and his crew onEngine 702 found the fire on the outside of the rear of the building.They extinguished it before it was able to extend into the largemetal building. The night shift working inside the building wereunhurt. The fire is believed to have started in one of the bins ofdebris, possibly by smoking materials.Mulch is Fire Culprit By Sheryl DrostAlert residents spotting smoke on the side of their neighbor’s garageand calling 9-1-1, may have saved a home on Bowen Parkway onSeptember 15. Firefighters found mulch burning and quickly put itout with water extinguishers..Firefi ghtrers pull the burning mulch away from the garage wall.Firefighter Rob Lukowski fi nishes putting out some fi re in one of the metal bins.The mulch fi re had started to burn the garage in two places.Fireplace Fire Too Big? By Sheryl DrostResidents on Kipling Way called for the fire department after the firethey lit in their fireplace grew a little too big - sending sparks evenout the chimney. Firefighters put the fire out and checked the homeover for any fire extension.Firefighters overhaul the bins checking for more fi re.Firefighter Mark Soppe checks behind the metal wall panels for fi re extension.Firefi ghter Mike Baldwin uses a Thermal Imaging Camera to check for any fireextension.The Firehouse Scene - Page 3

Accidents Photos by Chief Oscar Presley and Sheryl Drost09/07/07 Forest Hills Road & West Lane 09/08/07 1219 Brentwood Rd.09/11/07 Hwy 173 & Perryville Road 09/18/07 Hwy 251 & McCurry Road09/20/07 Blue Spruce & Hononegah Road 09/21/07 690 Ralston Road 09/23/07 Argyle Road & Beloit Road09/25/07 5213 Elevator Road 09/28/07 Hwy 25110/01/07 Hwy 251 & Forest Hills 10/06/07 Ralston Road & Old Ralston Road10/05/07 1530 West Lane 10/07/07 I-90 mm 76 10/08/07 Willowbrook Road south of McCurryThe Firehouse Scene - Page 4

Bad Weekend on I-90EMS and firefighters had a very busy weekend October 5-7including five accident calls out on I-90 - four of them rollovers.We landed the helicopters for two of them and one had a fatal.October 6, a single car rollover at mm2 sent three patients to the hospital. One victimwas extricated and airlifted by Lifeline Helicopter and two went by ambulance.From the Chiefs DesksBy Chief Oscar PresleyThis is our busy month. The Fire PreventionCrew under Captain Bill Sabin has been veryactive, not only in the schools, but at the Hwy173 corridor.The schools have been doing a wonderful job evacuating theschools during their fire drills. We got many requests for Sparky,so the next few weeks we may have to return with him.I would also like to say that the Captains who ran the accidents onthe tollway did a good job. And the fire personnel performed wellalong with the medics, helicopters, and police.Now, in the next few weeks, we have several tours of our station.We can use help if you can.Our Open house is at Station #2 on the 14th. Lets hope all showup for a time and make it a lot of fun for area children who hope toshoot water, and slide down the fire pole. There will be other thingsand the treats, oh boy, lots of cake and refreshments. Mothersdon’t forget to bring the camera to take pictures of your children inaction. I look forward to greeting you there. OscarStation UpdatesBy Assistant Chief Ken O’DellI-90 was shut down and Lifeline Emergency Helicopter landed. They transportedone of the patients and an ambulance took the other two to the hospital.The first week of September, when we were getting Sparky readyfor the Fall Festival Parade, I found out that Sparky had a sore neckand could not turn his head. After looking inside Sparky’s head, Idecided he needed a specialist and closed him back up. I contactedParamedic Mike Powell who decided that Sparky needed a motortransplant. So, Mike went to work on the transplant. After comingoff the operating table (actually the lounge table), Sparky onlyneeded a few adjustments and the surgery was a success. So, nowSparky is ready to get back to meeting the kids. A big Thank youto Paramedic/FF Mike Powell.If you know anyone interested in our cruise. They need to sign-upby October 15 to get with our group.A few hours later, another single car rollover sent EMS and fi refi ghters back outon I-90 to mm74.5. This accident would send fi ve victims to the hospital. One wasthrown from the vehicle and fi refi ghters extricated one from the vehicle. Two wereair-lifted by Lifeline and React Emergency Helicopters and three were transportedby ambulances.Mark October 20th on your calendar for the 14th Annual StatelineArea Firefighter Memorial. Please wear full dress blue uniforms. Wewill meet at your respective stations and leave at 7:45am for breakfastat the Salvation Army at 628 Broad Street in Beloit. The breakfastis open to all firefighters and their family. At 10am the Processionstarts at the Salvation Army and ends at the Peoples Church. Then at10:45 there will be the memorial service at the church.All Aboard!!!Harlem-Roscoe Firefighter’s AssociationWestern Caribbean Cruise FundraiserJanuary 13 - 20, 2008You will be cruising the Western Caribbean for 8 days and 7 nights with stopsat Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. Cost includes the seven nightcruise, round trip air fare, transfers, and taxes.I-90 was again shut down and Lifeline and React Helicopters were landed totransport two of the patients. Sadly one wouldn’t make it and died at the hospital.Inside Cabin - $993.00Oceanview Cabin - $1093.00Balcony - $1243.00The Firehouse Scene - Page 5

Fire Prevention Week and Fall Festival Parade 2007The Firehouse Scene - Page 6

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A Probie’s Ponderings - Part IIIHow the Recruits Became FirefightersBy Randy LovelaceIn the first week of January, 27 eager newrecruits entered their first class to becomefirefighters with the Harlem-Roscoe FireDepartment. Those recruits ranged in agefrom 17 to 48, and most had no clue aboutwhat they were beginning. That classgraduated 15 people on March 24, whothen entered probationary status. Now,at the end of 6-months probation, wehave 10 people left from the initial class.Although it’s good that we made it from “know-nothing civilians”into active service with the HRFD, we need to remember how weactually accomplished this.In speaking with Lt. Jerry McCormick, I learned that well over 1000hours goes into the preparation, set up and execution of the recruitclass. The entire training division was involved in the planning ofthis operation, and every member (and some non-members) wastasked with the job of getting us to understand the tools, methodsand dangers of fire service. We heard on more than one occasion,“If you do that, you’re going to die”, “If you don’t do this, you’regoing to die”! I think I even remember hearing “You’re recruits.Therefore, you’re going to die”!The training division devoted each Thursday and Saturday for3-months to our development. While that was going on, theycontinued normal training operations for the rest of the department.Talk about a workload!Throughout the class, we saw something of ourselves. We sawpanic in the SCBA maze. We witnessed fear take hold at the top ofa tall ladder. We watched big men tremble at the thought of being“carried” down a ladder. We saw trainees claim “asthma” to getout of the burn tower. We saw tears flow when we were told ourperformance was appalling. We saw shoulders slump when wewere told to do even more laps up and down the tower. But thebest thing we saw was our own growth as we overcame each ofthose fears, and learned to do as we were taught. Each time panicwould appear, there would be an instructor talking calmly to us,helping us work through the fear, and helping us understand howwe got to that point in the first place.I’d like to report that it was through our own hard work, perseverance,and never-ending quest for knowledge that got us this far. But,that would be untrue. We got here because of the dedication ofthe rest of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department. Our instructors,assistant instructors, mentors, officers and firefighter friends pulledus along to where we are now. We were transformed, not by ourefforts, but by the efforts of all those that trained us. Our teachersyelled at us when it was helpful. They consoled us when it wasnecessary. They joked with us to help us stay relaxed as we tookon new challenges.Once we graduated from the recruit class, and became probies, werelied heavily on the experience of our officers and the firefighterswith whom we ride vehicles and process scenes. From them, welearned pertinent information regarding a variety of topics.We learned some simple lessons:1. Do we don our packs, or just go with bunkers and gloves?(depends on the call)2. Do we move quickly (note, I didn’t say speed recklessly) to thestation with blue lights, or simply get to the station and offer oursupport as needed? (depends on the call)3. If we sprint for our gear, the driver will usually hold the truckfor us. If we jog, the truck won’t wait. (depends on us)4. When do we wash the trucks? (if we have red hats, we washall the time)5. What do we need to do to support fundraisers? (anything we’reasked to do)6. What do we need to do to support parades? (anything we’reasked to do)7. Where do we go to complain about the workload? (there’s nosuch place)We learned some humiliating lessons:1. Show up to a fire call without your helmet, and no one will letyou forget it!2. Fail to fit in with the demands of probie-life, and the firefighterswill make your life as difficult as possible.3. Show up to a scene dressed improperly, and the Chief willdirect your officer to have a conversation with you about how toclothe yourself.4. Fail to appear for details or training and the firefighters willspend all their time forgetting your name!5. Put on the dog costume just one time, and it gets assigned toyou until you retire!6. Don’t yet know truck numbers or the type of vehicle that goesto a specific type of emergency, the firefighters will laugh longand hard as you’re the only one in 761, watching 701 roll out thedoor!We learned some hard lessons. Well, not really. We learned there’ssome hard work to be done, but all the lessons were easy to learn.Remembering our place was the toughest part. A couple of callswon’t make us experts on anything. Although we can questionactions to learn the thinking behind the processes, we should onlyquestion safety as we receive our tasking.We found a family within the three stations of the Harlem-RoscoeFire Department. We found people willing to teach us what weneeded. We found people willing to welcome our presence. Wefound people willing to make us feel at home, both at the station,and socially. We found people that wanted us to feel like webelonged to their family – the brothers and sisters of HRFD. Wefound a unique group of firefighters that were happy that we wantedto be firefighters, too. I believe that each and every one of us founda place we can call home.To everyone helping us grow into the job, thank you for youreffort. Thank you for your time. Thank you for the experienceyou’re sharing with us. Thank you for making us feel useful andnecessary to the department. Most importantly, thank you forputting up with us as we worked only to reach the day we couldremove our probie hats forever!The Firehouse Scene -Page 8

Congratulations - Probation is OverFor eight of the ten new recruits, the waiting is over. No more probiered hats - they are off probation. The other two will follow soon.Trainings Photos by Sheryl Drost & Jim JohnsonSeptember 25, Trustee Jim Burdick gave the oath to the eight fi refi ghters.L-r Chief Oscar Presley, Captain Don Shoevlin, newly sworn in fi refi ghters, EricSchweitzer, Randy Lovelace, Brian Mayer, Brian Szilagzi, Reety Radke, MikeBaldwin, Lindsey Weirick, & Brandon Tietz, Deputy Chief John Presley, andTrustee Jim Burdick.October 7 - Boat Ops Class at Lake Victoria.ISO Shuttle - By Sheryl DrostSix fire departments joined Harlem-Roscoe for a timed water shuttledirected by ISO Field Rep. Chris Moore. - Boone Co. Rural #2, NorthBoone #3, Northwest, Pecatonica, Rockton, & Win-Bur-Sew.The purpose of the shuttle is to get a better ISO rating in the nonhydrantareas of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire District; to save districtresidents money on their insurance.September 23, Rope Ops Class at the tower.Eight tankers and an engine were used in the shuttle. The engineset up and flowed water as in a real fire. The tankers were then eachtimed as they dumped their water.Driver Training CoursePhoto by Sheryl DrostThen the tankers were each timed as they were filled from a hydrant.It will be a few months before we get the ruling on whether ourrating has improved.Matt Bush checks off two more drivers as they complete theobstacle course for the aerials on September 23.The Firehouse Scene -Page 9

Happy BirthdayHappy ‘25th’ BirthdayRyan AlmsHappy ‘50th’ BirthdayDon ShoevlinFamily PicnicSeptember 16 - good food, fun, and family,who could ask for more? Enjoy somepictures. . .BirthdaysOctober2nd Randy Lovelace5th Chad Walker7th Dick SchoonoverJon Pyzynski ‘25’Brandon Tietz8th Ryan Goode12th April Scott ‘25’15th Ryan Alms ‘25’17th Dave Doyle26th Tom Aaker27th Ryan Bussey31st Bob StarkNovember1st Jerry McCormickDon Shoevlin ‘50th’3rd Joe QuastBill Scheider8th Harry Wagner11th Kelly Green16th Jim Daughenbaugh30th Mike BaldwinNovember Breakfast CrewJeff Morris, Scott Gredenius,Mike Sherbon, Ron Klaman,Vern Sarver, & Matt Lane.Total 2007 CallsAs of 09/30/071648EMS CornerBy Captain John BergeronIDPH was here and inspected all theambulances. All ambulances passed withonly minor problems. Please, rememberthat the OB Kits that we carry must besealed. Thanks to all the personnel thathelped to get the ambulances ready for theinspections.There have been a new type of lancetsplaced on the trucks for the glucometers.EMS personnel, please look at the lancetsand become familiar with them.A new ambulance has been ordered fromMed Tech and is due to arrive here nextspring. The ambulance is similar to 1-C-39with a few changes done to it.Gone,But not forgottenSome people come into our lives,and quickly go. Some stay awhile andleave footprints in our hearts.And, we are never, ever the same.• Rico VanderHeyden’s mom, Elisabeth, ofSycamore, IL, passed away September 15.Our deepest sympathies and prayers go outto Rico and his familyThe Firehouse Scene - Page 10

New BabyCongratulations to Jerry & AmyMcCormick on the birth of their son.Robert Samuel McCormick arrived onOctober 4 at 10:45 PM. Sam measuredin at 5lbs. 13oz and 19 inches long.Jerry says Sam is the fourth generationof Robert McCormicks that will goby their middle name. Mom and babyare doing better after a rough laborand a trip back to the hospital. Amysays Jerry is wonderful and has evenbeen taking care of most of the diaperchanging while she recovers fromsurgery! Congratulations Jerry andAmy, he is just adorable.Congratulations!April & Chris ScottSeptember 29, 2007The Firehouse Scene - Page 11

Station Gossip••••••••The Association’s Haunted Hayride is at 6512 Manchester Roadevery Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until Halloween. Price is$8.00. See Lt. Miller to sign up for your shift to help with thehayride. The need all the help they can get.The phantom fire brigade saved Jerry Lund’s pizza from a slowburning death.Ike is threatening to buy a pack of mules, but says the guyswould probably put them in the hitch backwards and makethem push the truck, not pull it!It seems Bill is recruting in Florida for his team.Quite the humorous discussion between Oscar, Virgil, and Billon robbing watermelon patches when they were little!!It will probably be awhile before we get the Cooper out of oursystems and call her April Scott. Shoot, Drost still creeps in on thereports instead of Aaker for Amber - and its been two years.Trustee Jim Burdick emailed me the following, “This is whatNOT to due to a Trustee’s vehicle if he pisses you off....”.Check out this website to see what he is talking about.http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentId=365181••B By Debbie RykowskiThe boat class was out at Lake Victoriawhen Randy locked the keys in 746,Too embarrassed to call back to the firestation for the lock kit, they thoughtthey would get South Beloit Police toopen it up and no one would know.. .He He He....Wrong!Yes moms and dads, it’s that time again – time for the little ones to go outtrick-or-treating. We at Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department hope you andyour children have a fun and safe Halloween and practice the followingsafety tips to help ensure a fun evening!Trick – Or – Treating Safety Tips- Trick or treat in your own neighborhood with families you are familiar with.- Trick or treat on well-lit streets.- Instruct your children to only accept those treats at the door, that theyshould stay outside on the porch and not enter someone’s home.- Give your child a proper size trick or treat bag, I’ve seen childrencarrying bags as tall as they are and stumbling over their “goodies” just towalk to the next house.- Have a responsible adult accompany your child or a group of your child’s friends.- Advise your child to bring all their treats home for mom and dad to examine.Dispose of any unwrapped candies or anything looking suspicious.Harlem-Roscoe FirePO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073- Advise your child to walk on sidewalks and up the sidewalk to a house,not to run across yards or driveways to the neighboring house. There maybe yard sprinklers, dog run chains, clotheslines, rakes, or numerous otheritems in someone’s yard that may not be visible at night, which mightcause your child to fall and become injured.Costume Safety Tips- When looking for that “perfect” costume for your little one, please keepin mind the age of your child and their body height and size and pick acostume that fits them properly. Don’t allow the costume to drag – it maycause your child to trip and fall and be injured unnecessarily.- Choose a light colored or bright costume to help illuminate your childas the sun sets.- Be sure the costume is flame resistant.- Be sure masks, wigs or hats fit appropriately and do notobstruct your child’s eyesight.- Carry a flashlight to allow your child to see the walking path.- Have your child carry a light stick as part of their costume tohelp drivers be able to see them in the streets.- If possible, accent your child’s costume with reflective tapeon the back of the costume.- If your child is carrying a prop such as a sword or wand, make it out offlexible materials so that in the event of a fall, the toy will give and notinjure your child or those around him.- Teach your child to “STOP – DROP – AND ROLL” in the event theircostume does catch fire – this will smother the flames and keep your childfrom further burn injury.Halloween Decorating Safety Tips For Your Home- Use only UL-approved lighted decorations at all times.- Never leave your candle lit pumpkins unattended. Better yet – use aflashlight or glow stick for a lighting device in your pumpkin – it is muchsafer for you, your home and the trick-or-treaters.- Carve your pumpkins on a flat, stable surface. Pumpkin carving can betricky and we want you to be safe cutting out those scary faces.- Keep any decorations, such as dried corn stalks, hay bales, scarecrows,dried flowers, etc. away from any open flame or heat source.- Keep your outside light on to let the little “monsters” know that yourhouse is okay to visit and also to aid their visibility walking up yoursidewalk or driveway.Most importantly – HAVE FUN and BE SAFE! Halloween is a fun, timehonoredtradition in most families. Make it a family fun event – have funwith it, take a camera and take pictures or videos, invite neighborhoodkids to walk together, no one wants to go alone. I truly enjoy watching thekiddie show up with their monster and little princess costumes, they areso proud of what they are wearing! It’s even more fun when mom and/ordad are dressed up also – we are all kids at heart and makes it more fun foreveryone – even those giving out the treats!Those of us at the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department wish you and yourfamily a Spoook-tacular Halloween and Boooo-tiful evening, have aMonster of a good time!PostageThe Firehouse Scene - Page 12