Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

My Worst Call- The Seven Angels of Fox River Grove

Everyone has their worst call.

Mine occurred 15 years ago this morning as an express commuter train traveling at about 70 mph struck a school bus packed full of high school students.  Seven died and dozens more were injured.

Bus body comes to rest 180 degrees and off the chassis

The bus was stopped for a red light and a few feet of the rear portion remained within the path of the speeding train.  As the train gates came down on top of the bus, students screamed for the driver to move.  Some seated in the rear of the bus left the seats and ran forward to get c;ear of the impact point.

The train struck the bus, separating the body from the chassis with such force that several of the children were cruelly hurled directly through the side wall and windows of the bus as the body spun 180 degrees in a fraction of a second.

Four died instantly, three others would fight for their lives before succumbing to their injuries.

My department was small, and I was the lone full-timer.  Not yet on duty, I responded from home, about three blocks away.  Our Assistant Chief was having coffee across the street with a neighboring chief and was on the scene instantly.  He established Command and immediately called for a five-alarm EMS response and an additional request for three medical helicopters.

Arriving a few moments later, I was tasked as the triage officer.  I just went into automatic mode as I suspect everyone else did as well.

The chaotic scene, littered with dead and dying children, was awash with passing motorists cradling the injured.  Nurses suctioned airways, off duty firefighters forced entry into the mangled school bus.

There was screaming, and there was silence.  It was the most surreal event of my life.

Eventually, as resources arrived, everything gelled and ran as smoothly as could be expected.  An impromptu sector called “parents” was set up to control the response and notifications paramount during the incident.

In the following days, a dozen satellite trucks and the constant drone of helicopters permeated out small community.  It was the nightmare that seemingly had no end.  Rescue workers followed up with their patients with daily visits to their hospital bedsides.  Sadly, wakes and funerals seemed endless, but the community responded with open arms and compassion.

Each year we pause to think of the seven angels taken away from us on that crisp, sunny morning.  God bless those children and those they left behind.

Jeffrey Clark, 16
Stephanie Fulham, 15
Susana Guzman, 18
Michael Hoffman, 14
Joseph Kalte, 16
Shawn Robinson, 14
Tiffany Schneider, 15

Our Seven Angels.

Posted in Chicagoland, Disasters, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Never Forget, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on October 25, 2010 • 13 comments

Washington State Referees Become the Latest Victims of Common NONsense

Can you believe the story out of Washington State in which a dozen or so high school football referees face disciplinary action for their outrageous behavior this week?

Drunk or high?  Nope.

None were involved in a physical confrontation with players or parents.  No accusations of throwing a game, neither.

So what happened?

They donated all their paychecks for this week’s games to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of breast cancer research.  If that weren’t enough, they decided to use pink whistles during the games as well.

Here is the video report from KING 5 News:

Fresh out of the cacophony in Obion County, Tennessee, here is yet another example of common sense gone nuts.  Just as the firefighters and their policymakers in South Fulton found themselves embarrassed in a global outcry of “what are you idiots thinking?”, the  Washington Officials Association has become a victim of their own short-sightedness by publicly condemning the officials- for supporting breast cancer research without permission.

Todd Stordahl, chairman of the WOA, says he has little choice but to discipline officials who used colored whistles. He claims that letting them continue without punishment would send the wrong message to student athletes.  “It sends the wrong message to kids,” he said.

Hey Todd?  What about the message being sent out by the WOA?

Again we find ourselves realizing the idiocy of reacting the wrong way.  Sometimes, the result is not what we expected- nor wished for.  But when we react without thinking it all the way through, we deserve the fallout.

Idiots.

Posted in News, Videos, WTF?

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on October 23, 2010 • 3 comments

Make your decision-makers SMART with Fire Ops 101

She's not a firefighter, but now she gets it!.

Last week, Fire Daily shared a video forwarded us in which Palatine Council members spoke glowingly about the time they shared on a Saturday with their village’s firefighters.

Now we have the video of the actual Fire Ops program these council members and others attended in northwest suburban Chicago. This particular Fire Ops 101 program was offered by Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, and Des Plaines Fire Department’s IAFF locals in an attempt to enhance the relationship between firefighters and those who make decisions for them.

After watching this video, be sure to check out how those who hold the purse strings reacted to their time spent with their firefighters.  You will be blown away at what they have to say.

Here’s another video from north suburban Evanston, Illinois recorded last year, courtesy of Evanston’s Local 742.  It also includes the immediate reaction reaction (read: payoff) of many of the local administration who attended.  Again, time well spent.

Many of us have made the visits to schools, churches, and community centers during Fire Prevention Week . We talk to our citizens about the importance of smoke detectors, and we teach children how to stop drop and roll. We hope this type of fire prevention will save property and lives.

Now we should add one other cog to the fire prevention machinery- getting a message across to those decision-makers about what we need to do what we do on a daily basis.

Like teaching kids how to crawl on the floor and feel the door, our fire prevention message to those who hold our purse strings can be just as important as it relates to our ability to effectively save property and lives.

This type of program is an absolute must if we desire the equipment, the staffing, and the training necessary to provide a vital, top-notch service to our communities. Let’s work to bring public safety back to where it belongs- off-limits to the budget axes swinging these days.

To find out more on this much-needed and highly successful program, please visit the IAFF’s website here, or google Fire Ops 101 for more information including success stories and videos from across the nation.

Stay stoked!

-J

Posted in Administration & Leadership, AFFI, Change, Chicagoland, Fire Prevention & Education, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, Staffing, Videos

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on October 11, 2010 • 1 comment

Whoa! What Did THESE Council Members Say?

Minds are like parachutes. Just because you've lost yours doesn't mean you can borrow mine.

As we trudge through the muck of crap we’ve been hearing from Oakbrook, Illinois, Xenia, Ohio, and Obion County in Tennessee, I have become weary, incredulous, and frankly- pissed off.

You’ll understand then, how ecstatic I was when this video was forward me.

It’s from a Village Board meeting in a neighboring town of mine- Palatine, Illinois. Firefighters stepped up and shared with those who hold the purse strings the reality of operating as a firefighter and paramedic in their local community. As these council members fervently extol, their eyes were opened.

Palatine Council Meeting Clip 10-4-10 from AFFIVideo on Vimeo.

It’s a welcome breath of fresh air when I needed one most. The video gives us hope that sanity still exists despite the slop we’ve been enduring.

It worked in Palatine. I wonder if we can make this work elsewhere?

Hmmm.

Stay stoked!
-J

Posted in Administration & Leadership, AFFI, Change, Chicagoland, Firefighters, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Pub Ed, Staffing, Videos

Tagged , , , , ,

Posted by on October 8, 2010 • 1 comment