CHAOS - Chief Has Arrived On Scene....

I posted some new High Angle Drill Photos on my profile.

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THE CHICAGO SOUTHSIDE IRISH PARADE IS FAST APPROACHING. IF YOU'VE BEEN YOU KNOW IT IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD. IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN - YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO GET THERE THIS YEAR! CHICAGO SOUTHSIDE IRISH PARADE SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2008 30TH ANNIVERSARY VISIT SOUTHSIDEIRISHPARADE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Building May Be Demolished After Blast That Hurt 8

Cause Of Blast Still Unknown; One Woman Sustained Serious Back Injuries



WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) ― An explosion caused a building to collapse and destroyed several businesses in Waukegan Thursday afternoon, and eight people are injured.



Grand Avenue, which was closed after the blast and fire, was reopened Thursday night. Traffic was slow as gawkers stared at the damage.



Even in the dark, a close-up look at the… Continue

My good friend, Tim Olk, gets around the Chicago area and takes some great photos. Check out his site at http://www.olkee.smugmug.com

Enjoy an ITunes Mix I recently set up:…



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My shift is on tonight but I'm off for a time trade, so to all those
"do'in it" tonight - have a safe and quiet New Years Eve!

See you all "next year!"

I'll be on duty Christmas Day.

Though it's a sacrifice to be apart from family, I know that anyone who needs my crew, will get A-1 service.

I just want to offer a word of appreciation to everyone who has duty on Christmas, is called into action or is on standby. MERRY CHRISTMAS!…

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Tomorrow is a return to duty on RED shift after a 1+1. The guys

are all pretty psyched about the holidays, so the next few shifts will

be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to getting back to

work. It's always important to maintain a positive focus on why

we do this job. Always remember it is the best job in the world

and when heading off to the firehouse in the morning, say to yourself,

"Today I get to be a firefighter" rather than, "I have to go to work

now."… Continue

Had a very intersting call, yesterday. A vacant house's natural

gas line was piped to the detached garage to supply a heater. The

heater had been stolen, leaving the gas pipe spewing natural gas into

the empty and sealed up garage. The LEL was 27% upon opening the

man door - the walls and buiding were saturated with highly explosive

natural gas.



Everything turned out OK. We shut down the gas and ventillated the garage.



Just imagine if the FIRE DEPT… Continue

Had an interesting call today. A semi trailer was being towed by a moving company - not pulled by a tractor - but pulled by a "tow truck" rolled over into a utility pole. The rig was being pulled around the turn of an intersection (E/B to N/B) and the inertia toppled the trailer. No one got hurt. The box came off it's chassis. COMED had to cut the power to the power lines so that we could move 3 vehicles with the power line draping over them. They crained the trailer back onto it's chasis,… Continue

I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone who has been welcoming to FFN. It looks as though we're going to have most, if not all firefighters in the nation aboard.

The list of groups to join is extensive and I'm looking forward to sharing in the discussions.

Have fun and be safe out there!