Station GossipDid everyone remember to replace their batteries in their smoke detectors and CO alarms when you set your clocks forward? Did you also remember to set your clocks forward in your digital cameras and video equipment? Our prayers and wishes are with Ike Schoonover’s wife Diane for a speedy recovery after her knee surgery.Hey, Tom Lake, Christi wants me to ask if you lost something?I walked into the kitchen of Station One the other day and found out how many fi refi ghters it takes to change a light bulb. There was an IC, Ops, Sector Offi cer, and the fi refi ghter that actually was changing the light bulb. :)DC John Presley writes, “I recently had been researching my new job title as Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention & Safety. I had looked online and found some leads. I then looked through magazines and IFSTA Manuals. Well, I fi nally called the Offi ce of State Fire Marshal-Div of Personnel Standards (OSFM –PSE) to get some direction. They told me to check with the Illinois Fire Inspectors (IFIA) Association. They sent me to Illinois Fire Service Institute for information who in turn sent me back to IFIA - this time with a phone number. I called, and the person at the other end gave me a phone number …….back to the OSFM ……this time to the Fire Marshal’s secretary! She graciously passed me back to OSFM-PSE. I was advised that the classes I inquired about are not available currently, but rather are under development. Did I mention this was over three days? Government at its best!”

Gotcha!

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Station Funnies

Megan never let go of the hose line!

Almost deep enough to bring out the boats?

John’s new hood ornament

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection DistrictFire Chief Don Shoevlin

PostageHarlem-Roscoe FirePO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

The Firehouse Scene - Page 12

Vol. 13 No. 4 harlemroscoefi re.com April 2008

Dangerous Car FireIt was a wake up call when a pneumatic shock on the front of the burning car above exploded and blew out into the crowd of onlookers in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart. Luckily no one was hit by the fl ying projectile. . . . See page 2 for more on how dangerous car fi res can be.

Photo by Sheryl Drost

Mutual Aid FirePhotos by DC Kirk Wilson

Harlem-Roscoe Fire sent an engine, an ambulance, and a Chief to a house fi re in Rockford in response to a MABAS call for help from Northwest Fire. Chief Shoevlin says he was put in charge of staging. Lt. Alms says the ambulance took care of rehab and the crew on the engine helped fi ght the fi re and the overhaul.

Crews work on ventilating the roof.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire’s ambulance was used for rehab.

Smoking Rooftop A/C Photos by Sheryl Drost

Workers arriving for their shift at Gordmans found smoke in the building and called 9-1-1. Firefi ghters tracked the culprit to a roof top A/C unit that was smoking.

A crew headed up to the roof top in the bucket of the aerial truck.

Traffi c was blocked as the truck put a crew on the roof.

Freeport Disaster DrillBy Ramona Baldoni-Lake

The tones rang out for several fi re departments across the state line requesting multiple search and rescue teams from around that area to respond. A terrorist attack had caused the explosion of a car bomb next to a structure and there were several people trapped beneath the rubble pile.

The drill began around 3:00 in the afternoon with Freeport Police and Fire responding followed by teams from Jo Daviess, Winnebago and Rock Counties. We responded

in Tech Rescue 747, and met up with members of the Stateline Technical Rescue Team in Beloit.

Staging began at the Travel Lodge parking lot in Freeport. There we joined up with MABAS 8 team members from Rockford, Rockton, and Belvidere fi re departments. After a short waiting period, our team was called to the scene. Pulling up we could see the skeleton of a car next to a building. The police, military, and FBI were all actively searching for “suspects” and a reported secondary device.

The police secured the scene, and a recon team of three rescue personnel were sent in to do a preliminary search and size-up of the situation. The report came back that there were several people trapped in a pile of rubble. Our team of 12 members went to work shoring and tunneling through wood, concrete and debris to reach and free the trapped victims. Other teams began their search from the other side of the pile. We met up within the mess, joining forces together at times. We freed approximately 20 mannequins in total that had been placed within the pile - tagged with the injuries that they had sustained in the explosion.

The drill provided us the opportunity to train and practice the skills that we have been working on over the years at monthly trainings.

Training Snapshot

March 11 - Table top exercises.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 2 The Firehouse Scene - Page 11

Car Fires Are Dangerous!Story by Ramona & Tom LakePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghters Tom Lake and Rob Gonia approach the burning car properly.

Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters were dispatched to the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart for a report of a vehicle on fi re on March 19. As crews arrived, they saw a fi re in the engine compartment of a two-door sedan. Flames were blowing out from under the hood on each side. The crew approached from the rear corner of the vehicle with a charged line to push the fi re back into the engine compartment. All of a sudden, a pneumatic hood strut blew out through the front of the vehicle. Luckily, it missed the crew members, as well as the crowd that had gathered to watch.

There are many potential hazards we face today fi ghting vehicle fi res such as blowing tires, pneumatic shocks, pressurized bumpers, airbags, gas tanks, hybrid vehicles and more. Auto makers strive to develop the safest vehicles for consumers that present as potential hazards to rescue and fi re personnel. Harlem-Roscoe has been fortunate to avoid injury from these dangers over the years while fi ghting car fi res, but to continue this safety record in the future, we need to be proactive. AirBag Systems.Org is an excellent resource to educate and update. (http://www.airbagsystems.org) Look under “vehicle fi res and the dangers of new technology” on the sidebar to fi nd photo galleries, Power Point presentations, forums and more. Then share what you’ve learned.

Out of our archives - another dangerous car fi re was back on July 22, 2001. Firefi ghters Dan Gunderson and Neil Roe begin to pull hose to fi ght a fully involved car fi re on I-90 mm72. They started to hear a loud hiss then fi re shot over 30 feet out the gas line at the rear of the car as the rear gas cap blew off.

Firefi ghters Save Apartment BuildingStory & Photo by Sheryl Drost

Improper storage of a combustible liquid seems to be the cause of a fi re around 4am, on April 6, in a 4-family apartment building on Talcott Drive in South Beloit. The resident called 9-1-1 after trying to put the fi re out himself. The fi re and smoke damage was contained to one of the four apartments. “The initial crew did an excellent job in locating the seat of the fi re and extinguishing it with minimal water usage and damage!”, reported Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief Don Shoevlin.

Firefi ghters Randy Lovelace, Mike Morrison, and Jeff Brandenburg were on the fi rst in hose line, and were able to quickly hit the seat of the fi re.

The kitchen received extensive damage from the fi re.

Investigators Captain Mike Drost and Debbie Rykowski investigate the fi re. It is believed improper storage of a fl ammable liquid was the culprit.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 10 The Firehouse Scene - Page 3

From the Chief’s DeskBy Fire Chief Don Shoevlin

Congratulations to our 2008 recruit class. On Sunday, April 6, we issued the fi re department oath to 18 new fi refi ghters. This is the largest class we have had for a couple years. They all completed well over 100 hours of training and will

continue working towards their Firefi ghter II certifi cation. We welcome all of them to our fi refi ghting family.

Thank you to everyone that came to the dinner. It was a pleasure to be able to meet you. Those that I did not get to talk to, I look forward to seeing you again in the upcoming months of activities.

As we fi nally get the warmer weather and begin to clean the yards from the long winter, please remember there are burning ordinances. (See page 3) When burning, please be cautious. Even though the ground is wet, the top growth is dry, and it burns quickly.

We greatly appreciate all of your continuous support. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me. Don’t forget to keep up on the progress of your fi re department by visiting our website. www.harlemroscoefi re.com

If I’m not back in fi ve minutes.. wait longer - Jim Carrey

Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day - Polish Proverb

Don’t take life too seriouly because you’ll never get out alive- Josh Shippe

Whatever you are, be a good one - Abraham Lincoln

Fire Prevention UpdateBy Deputy Chief John Presley

Hello, everyone. The inspection bureau is going strong; Virgil and Jerry have been out checking several new businesses and doing the safety checks as required.

They have some new Nextel phones to use. This will limit radio traffi c on Channel One. Bill has fi nally come back and he is looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.

I heard he has already been in the Chief’s offi ce and he’s only been back at work less than 2 days - he is setting some kind of standard. Seriously, construction season is beginning (as if it ever stopped) and if rumors are correct, there will be a lot of commercial, retail, and residential development springing up. Bill and I are going to be looking for “a few good men” (or women) who are interested in working for the Inspection Bureau in the near future. If interested, contact Captain Bill Sabin or myself for more info.

Operations/TrainingBy Deputy Chief Kirk Wilson

I’m very excited to be taking over the Training Division from Deputy Chief Presley. I would personally like to thank John for making training a success during his time as Training Chief. I hope to continue with the professionalism and continued education we all need to become more advanced in our fi eld. I am currently working with several organizations to improve training standards

throughout our region. I would like to announce the following training opportunities that are up coming to our area.

ICS 300-400 Offi cer Training Check postings at your stations for details

Basic Truck (Aerial) Operations May 25th @ Station 3 8am-5pm. Need 15 people for class to take place.

IFSI Spring Fire SchoolMay 29 – June 1st Sign up and class schedule posted.

Nicor Gas – Troy Grove Fire School May 19th – 22nd. Sign up for only one 8-hour session

Child Car Seat Installation ClassApril 26th & 27th 8-5pmMay 3rd & 4th 8-5pmMust attend all four days

Fire Service Leadership ConferenceMay 9th & 10th 8am – 5pm Rock Valley College

If you are interested in attending any of the above courses, please see the sign up sheets, or simply call me at the station. All outside training requests are to come through me. I have new request forms available. Reminder to the Training Division Personnel, our monthly meeting will be April 21st at Station 3, 19:00 hours. Hope to see you there, and as always, stay safe and thank you for your continued support.

EMS CornerBy Captain John Bergeron

I would like to thank those who assisted in getting the new ambulance stocked and ready for the state inspections. Everything went well. Also, we are now “hands free” on the Lifepak 12’s. Please be mindful of this when restocking the pads. If there are any questions in which pads are needed, please check with the Paramedic. Thanks to all for your hard work.

Our new C-51 ambulance is in service and we will be selling the truck it replaced. The truck will include a Stryker cot. Sealed bids will be accepted up to April 25. Reserve price is $13,500.

Firefi ghters Chase Field FiresStory & photos by Sheryl Drost

Tis the season - fi eld and grass fi res kept fi refi ghters busy the fi rst weekend of April.

Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell works on putting out a fi re on I-90 on April 5.

Left, fi refi ghters Ryan Alms and Brandon Tietz fi nish putting out the fi re on I-90. Right, Lt. Ron Klaman has command as fi refi ghter Ryan Alms puts the fi nishing touches on a fi eld fi re on Rockton Road on April 5.

April 6, Mike Baldwin and Lt. Ron Klaman work on a fi eld fi re off Anjali Way. Kids playing with fi re works are believed to have started the fi re.

Firefi ghters Megan Alms, Lt Jerry McCormick, and Lt. Ron Klaman work on bringing a large fi eld fi re off Anjali Way under control.

After the fi res were out, it was time to refi ll the trucks. Left, Lt. Ron Klaman and fi refi ghter Neil Roe fi ll one of the grass rigs. Right, Erik Hansen opens the hydrant to send water to the trucks.

Burning OrdinancesVillage of Roscoe - Burning allowed anytimeRoscoe Township - Same rules as Winnebago CountyVillage of Machesney Park - Residents can burn yard waste materials only during the months of April and November during daytime hours.Unincorporated Winnebago County See http://www.co.winnebago.il.us for complete restrictions and exemptions.

Burning of dry landscape waste is permitted on the weekends from April 15th through May 15th and on weekends during the month of November when following the Standard Restrictions below - brush may be burned in recreational fi res as stated in “Exemptions” below - burning of any materials other than landscape waste, brush, or those materials identifi ed in the “Exemptions” below is prohibited and punishable.

STANDARD RESTRICTIONS - No unattended burning; some form of fi re extinguishing must be available at the burning site. - No burning of landscape waste or brush generated on another property. - No burning before 10:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. - No burning on non sunny days when the wind exceeds 10 m.p.h. - No burning within 25 feet of any building, structure, or property line. - No burning upon sidewalks, right-of-way, streets, highways, or other public roadways.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 4 The Firehouse Scene -Page 9

03/05/08 Hononegah Road

03/12/08 I-90 03/29/08 N. Alpine Road & Hwy 173

03/21/08 Hwy 251 near Rockton Road

03/25/08 Hononegah Road & Edgemere Terrace

Accidents Photos by Sheryl DrostErik Hansen has been married to wife Kathryn for 15 years. They have one son, Mitchell age 11. Erik works for ComEd as an Underground Technician.

Erik previously served on Round Lake Fire Department for 10-1/2 years and on Boone County Dist.

#1 for four years. Erik enjoys hockey, horses, and trap shooting. He will be running out of Station One.

Scott Jensen has been married to wife Jennifer for 14 years. They have two children, 9-year-old Noah, and 11-year-old Sierra. He is a service technician for Advanced Machine & Engineering.

Scott enjoys coaching his kid’s sports. He will be running out of

Station One.

Bryson Knox is single and works in Customer Service at Wal-Mart. He is also a Fire Science student at Rock Valley College.

Bryson enjoys fi refi ghting and sports. He will be running out of Station One.

Gerard Pena is single and works in the fast food business at Beef-a-Roo.

Gerard enjoys boxing and playing the guitar. He will be running out of Station Two.

Tom Person is single and is a Production Manager for Serola Biomechanics, Inc.

Tom enjoys sports, especially kickboxing and MMA Fighting. He will be running out of Station Three.

Zak Prieliff is single and works as a Teachers Assistant at Trinity Day Care.

Zak enjoys running, lifting, and music. He will be running out of Station Two.

Mark Schafman has been married to wife Brenna for four years. They have two children, 4-year-old Mackenna, and 6-month-old Brock. Mark is a truck driver for Columbia Pipe & Supply. He also served in the National Guard. Mark enjoys working on his truck. He will be

running out of Station One.

Jason Schmeling says he is single, but might as well be married. :) He is a driver for Super Max Ready Mix. Jason previously served on North Boone Fire Dist. #3 for a year and a half. Jason enjoys hunting and hog farming. He will be running out of Station Three.

Greg Wernick is a senior at Hononegah High School and will graduate in May. He works for the Village of Rockton Public Works Department. He was an Explorer on Rockton Fire for four years. He enjoys being a NWS Sky Watch Storm Spotter. He will be running out of Station

Three after he graduates from High School.

Andrew Yastrab is single and works in the dairy dept at Logli’s. He also has a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences from the National Louis University. Andrew enjoys music, the guitar, and weightlifting. He will be running out of Station Two.

The Firehouse Scene -Page 8 The Firehouse Scene - Page 5The Firehouse Scene -

BirthdaysApril

1st Jeff Ball10th Colleen Bloyer12th Ami Rafferty “40th”13th Chaplain Powell “40th” 21st Jim Burdick “50th” 23rd Andrew Yastrab 24th Paul Stanphill29th Guy ‘Snoopy’ Stirts

May

1st Dan Gunderson ‘30th’ Lindsey Wierick Erik Hansen3rd Christian Bush8th Kevin Bouton23rd Rob Lukowski25th Scott Gredenius31st Jordan Stark ‘21st’

May Breakfast CrewRon Klaman, Radi Huggard, Brad Knipp, Brian Szilagyi,Ron Swain, & Paul Stanphill

Total Calls Through 3/31621

The Firehouse Scene is a monthly newsletter produced by the Harlem-Roscoe F.P.D.

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Don ShoevlinEditor, Layout, Writer, Photographer -Sheryl Drost

Thank you to our contributing writers this month: A/C Ken O’Dell, DC John Presley, DC Kirk Wilson, Captain John Bergeron.Printer - Premier Printing

The Firehouse Scene is available at Station One - 10544 Main Street in Roscoe and on the department’s website after the second Sunday each month.

www.harlemroscoefi re.comEmail: harlemroscoefd@charter.net

Happy Birthday

Chaplain John PowellApril 13 ‘40th’

Trustee Jim BurdickApril 21 ‘50th’

Dan GundersonMay 1st ‘30th’

Midwest Regional Extrication Competition

May 17 & 18Cherry Valley FireBlackhawk Road Station

Come see the team compete. Times will be posted the week before. Good luck team!

Station UpdatesBy Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell

A few reminders:

Vacations (for myself it’s called trips) are starting. If you are available we need you to show up for calls to cover those that are gone.

Grass fi res are here. Be careful of taking the trucks off-road. If possible, for grass fi res, take 764 and 765.All garage door openers in the ambulances will open all the doors in the ambulance bays, at all three stations. When moving up to another station there’s no need to have dispatch open the door anymore.A special Thank You to the Fire Prevention Division for doing walk-throughs of all Kinnikinnick Schools.I am working on another cruise for next January and February. See next month’s newsletter for details.

A special thank you to the following sponsors for their donations for door prizes at our Spring Dinner:

Backyard Bar & GrillBeef-A-RooBill’s Barber ShopBryden MotorsBuds MarketFinnegan’s R.V. Center Inc.First National Bank & TrustWhiffl etree TavernGuy StirtsHistoric Auto AttractionsLoves Truck StopOSP Readers DigestRoscoe MobilHawthorne Heating & A/C (Nicor Div.)Windridge Herb Farm

Cruise Check

Donny Ball & Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell present Association President Joe Quast a check from the travel company. The monies were from the last cruise fundraiser.

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Let’s Meet our New Firefi ghters. . .Megan Alms is single and is a nursing student at Rock Valley College. She also works as a CNA at Provena Cor Mariae Center. Megan becomes the third Alms family member on the department. Her brother is Ryan Alms and her father is Lt. Jay Alms.

Megan enjoys being with friends and family. She will be running out of Station Two.

Kenneth Boris is single and works in maintenance at the Carlson Ice Arena. He also is attending Rock Valley College. Ken’s father is a fi refi ghter for Rockford Fire.

He enjoys hockey and playing the guitar. He will be running

out of Station One.

Christian Bush is single and will graduate from Hononegah High School in May. He works at Walmart as a Courtesy Associate. Christian joins his father Matt Bush on the department.

Christian enjoys cars and football. He will be running out of Station One after he graduates.

Patrick Condon has been married to wife Stephanie for three years. They have one daughter, Makenzie, age 21 months. He is self-employed in the carpentry fi eld.

Patrick’s hobbies are cars and motorcycles. He will be

running out of Station Two.

Joseph Doyle is single and works on cars for Trickie Ent. Joseph joins his father Dave Doyle on the department.

Joe’s hobbies are going fast and working on cars. He will be running out of Station One.

Adam Eich has been married to wife Anna for 10 months.

He works for the City of Rockford Public Works in the Maintenance-Property Division. Adam previously served on Mendota Troy Grove Fire Department for six years. His dad is also a fi refi ghter for

Mendota Troy Grove FD.

Adam’s hobbies are football, baseball, and curling. He will be running out of Station Three.

Christopher Farr has been married to wife Amanda for fi ve years. They have two sons, 3-year-old Caleb and 1-year-old Logan. He is self-employed, installing and servicing commercial and residential garage doors.

Chris’s hobbies are sports. He will be running out of Station One.

Raymond Garza and fi ance Kim Laroche have two children, 11-year-old Nick and 5-year-old Jenna. Ray repairs Chicago’s EL trains for the CTA Heavy Rail Department in Skokie, IL. He also served in the R.O.T.C. while at Farragut High School in Chicago.

Ray’s hobbies are real estate. He will be running out of Station One.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 6 The Firehouse Scene - Page 7

New Firefi ghtersPhotos by Sheryl Drost

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustees Jim Burdick and Jerry Ocker gave the fi re-fi ghter oath to 18 new Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters on April 6. The new fi refi ghters have completed over 100 hours of fi refi ghter training and will now serve a 6-month probation period. The group’s fi nal practical was another day at the department’s training burn tower.

Congratulations to l-r: Bryson Knox, Christian Bush, Raymond Garza, Mark Schafman, Tom Person, Jason Schmeling, Megan Alms, Erik Hansen, Adam Eich, Greg Wernick, Christopher Farr, Zak Prieliff, Ken Boris, Joseph Doyle, Patrick Condon, Andrew Yastrab, Scott Jensen, & Gerard Pena

The Firehouse Scene - Page 6 The Firehouse Scene - Page 7

New Firefi ghtersPhotos by Sheryl Drost

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustees Jim Burdick and Jerry Ocker gave the fi re-fi ghter oath to 18 new Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters on April 6. The new fi refi ghters have completed over 100 hours of fi refi ghter training and will now serve a 6-month probation period. The group’s fi nal practical was another day at the department’s training burn tower.

Congratulations to l-r: Bryson Knox, Christian Bush, Raymond Garza, Mark Schafman, Tom Person, Jason Schmeling, Megan Alms, Erik Hansen, Adam Eich, Greg Wernick, Christopher Farr, Zak Prieliff, Ken Boris, Joseph Doyle, Patrick Condon, Andrew Yastrab, Scott Jensen, & Gerard Pena

The Firehouse Scene -Page 8 The Firehouse Scene - Page 5The Firehouse Scene -

BirthdaysApril

1st Jeff Ball10th Colleen Bloyer12th Ami Rafferty “40th”13th Chaplain Powell “40th” 21st Jim Burdick “50th” 23rd Andrew Yastrab 24th Paul Stanphill29th Guy ‘Snoopy’ Stirts

May

1st Dan Gunderson ‘30th’ Lindsey Wierick Erik Hansen3rd Christian Bush8th Kevin Bouton23rd Rob Lukowski25th Scott Gredenius31st Jordan Stark ‘21st’

May Breakfast CrewRon Klaman, Radi Huggard, Brad Knipp, Brian Szilagyi,Ron Swain, & Paul Stanphill

Total Calls Through 3/31621

The Firehouse Scene is a monthly newsletter produced by the Harlem-Roscoe F.P.D.

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Don ShoevlinEditor, Layout, Writer, Photographer -Sheryl Drost

Thank you to our contributing writers this month: A/C Ken O’Dell, DC John Presley, DC Kirk Wilson, Captain John Bergeron.Printer - Premier Printing

The Firehouse Scene is available at Station One - 10544 Main Street in Roscoe and on the department’s website after the second Sunday each month.

www.harlemroscoefi re.comEmail: harlemroscoefd@charter.net

Happy Birthday

Chaplain John PowellApril 13 ‘40th’

Trustee Jim BurdickApril 21 ‘50th’

Dan GundersonMay 1st ‘30th’

Midwest Regional Extrication Competition

May 17 & 18Cherry Valley FireBlackhawk Road Station

Come see the team compete. Times will be posted the week before. Good luck team!

Station UpdatesBy Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell

A few reminders:

Vacations (for myself it’s called trips) are starting. If you are available we need you to show up for calls to cover those that are gone.

Grass fi res are here. Be careful of taking the trucks off-road. If possible, for grass fi res, take 764 and 765.All garage door openers in the ambulances will open all the doors in the ambulance bays, at all three stations. When moving up to another station there’s no need to have dispatch open the door anymore.A special Thank You to the Fire Prevention Division for doing walk-throughs of all Kinnikinnick Schools.I am working on another cruise for next January and February. See next month’s newsletter for details.

A special thank you to the following sponsors for their donations for door prizes at our Spring Dinner:

Backyard Bar & GrillBeef-A-RooBill’s Barber ShopBryden MotorsBuds MarketFinnegan’s R.V. Center Inc.First National Bank & TrustWhiffl etree TavernGuy StirtsHistoric Auto AttractionsLoves Truck StopOSP Readers DigestRoscoe MobilHawthorne Heating & A/C (Nicor Div.)Windridge Herb Farm

Cruise Check

Donny Ball & Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell present Association President Joe Quast a check from the travel company. The monies were from the last cruise fundraiser.

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•

•

•

•

•••••••••••••••

Let’s Meet our New Firefi ghters. . .Megan Alms is single and is a nursing student at Rock Valley College. She also works as a CNA at Provena Cor Mariae Center. Megan becomes the third Alms family member on the department. Her brother is Ryan Alms and her father is Lt. Jay Alms.

Megan enjoys being with friends and family. She will be running out of Station Two.

Kenneth Boris is single and works in maintenance at the Carlson Ice Arena. He also is attending Rock Valley College. Ken’s father is a fi refi ghter for Rockford Fire.

He enjoys hockey and playing the guitar. He will be running

out of Station One.

Christian Bush is single and will graduate from Hononegah High School in May. He works at Walmart as a Courtesy Associate. Christian joins his father Matt Bush on the department.

Christian enjoys cars and football. He will be running out of Station One after he graduates.

Patrick Condon has been married to wife Stephanie for three years. They have one daughter, Makenzie, age 21 months. He is self-employed in the carpentry fi eld.

Patrick’s hobbies are cars and motorcycles. He will be

running out of Station Two.

Joseph Doyle is single and works on cars for Trickie Ent. Joseph joins his father Dave Doyle on the department.

Joe’s hobbies are going fast and working on cars. He will be running out of Station One.

Adam Eich has been married to wife Anna for 10 months.

He works for the City of Rockford Public Works in the Maintenance-Property Division. Adam previously served on Mendota Troy Grove Fire Department for six years. His dad is also a fi refi ghter for

Mendota Troy Grove FD.

Adam’s hobbies are football, baseball, and curling. He will be running out of Station Three.

Christopher Farr has been married to wife Amanda for fi ve years. They have two sons, 3-year-old Caleb and 1-year-old Logan. He is self-employed, installing and servicing commercial and residential garage doors.

Chris’s hobbies are sports. He will be running out of Station One.

Raymond Garza and fi ance Kim Laroche have two children, 11-year-old Nick and 5-year-old Jenna. Ray repairs Chicago’s EL trains for the CTA Heavy Rail Department in Skokie, IL. He also served in the R.O.T.C. while at Farragut High School in Chicago.

Ray’s hobbies are real estate. He will be running out of Station One.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 4 The Firehouse Scene -Page 9

03/05/08 Hononegah Road

03/12/08 I-90 03/29/08 N. Alpine Road & Hwy 173

03/21/08 Hwy 251 near Rockton Road

03/25/08 Hononegah Road & Edgemere Terrace

Accidents Photos by Sheryl DrostErik Hansen has been married to wife Kathryn for 15 years. They have one son, Mitchell age 11. Erik works for ComEd as an Underground Technician.

Erik previously served on Round Lake Fire Department for 10-1/2 years and on Boone County Dist.

#1 for four years. Erik enjoys hockey, horses, and trap shooting. He will be running out of Station One.

Scott Jensen has been married to wife Jennifer for 14 years. They have two children, 9-year-old Noah, and 11-year-old Sierra. He is a service technician for Advanced Machine & Engineering.

Scott enjoys coaching his kid’s sports. He will be running out of

Station One.

Bryson Knox is single and works in Customer Service at Wal-Mart. He is also a Fire Science student at Rock Valley College.

Bryson enjoys fi refi ghting and sports. He will be running out of Station One.

Gerard Pena is single and works in the fast food business at Beef-a-Roo.

Gerard enjoys boxing and playing the guitar. He will be running out of Station Two.

Tom Person is single and is a Production Manager for Serola Biomechanics, Inc.

Tom enjoys sports, especially kickboxing and MMA Fighting. He will be running out of Station Three.

Zak Prieliff is single and works as a Teachers Assistant at Trinity Day Care.

Zak enjoys running, lifting, and music. He will be running out of Station Two.

Mark Schafman has been married to wife Brenna for four years. They have two children, 4-year-old Mackenna, and 6-month-old Brock. Mark is a truck driver for Columbia Pipe & Supply. He also served in the National Guard. Mark enjoys working on his truck. He will be

running out of Station One.

Jason Schmeling says he is single, but might as well be married. :) He is a driver for Super Max Ready Mix. Jason previously served on North Boone Fire Dist. #3 for a year and a half. Jason enjoys hunting and hog farming. He will be running out of Station Three.

Greg Wernick is a senior at Hononegah High School and will graduate in May. He works for the Village of Rockton Public Works Department. He was an Explorer on Rockton Fire for four years. He enjoys being a NWS Sky Watch Storm Spotter. He will be running out of Station

Three after he graduates from High School.

Andrew Yastrab is single and works in the dairy dept at Logli’s. He also has a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences from the National Louis University. Andrew enjoys music, the guitar, and weightlifting. He will be running out of Station Two.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 10 The Firehouse Scene - Page 3

From the Chief’s DeskBy Fire Chief Don Shoevlin

Congratulations to our 2008 recruit class. On Sunday, April 6, we issued the fi re department oath to 18 new fi refi ghters. This is the largest class we have had for a couple years. They all completed well over 100 hours of training and will

continue working towards their Firefi ghter II certifi cation. We welcome all of them to our fi refi ghting family.

Thank you to everyone that came to the dinner. It was a pleasure to be able to meet you. Those that I did not get to talk to, I look forward to seeing you again in the upcoming months of activities.

As we fi nally get the warmer weather and begin to clean the yards from the long winter, please remember there are burning ordinances. (See page 3) When burning, please be cautious. Even though the ground is wet, the top growth is dry, and it burns quickly.

We greatly appreciate all of your continuous support. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me. Don’t forget to keep up on the progress of your fi re department by visiting our website. www.harlemroscoefi re.com

If I’m not back in fi ve minutes.. wait longer - Jim Carrey

Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day - Polish Proverb

Don’t take life too seriouly because you’ll never get out alive- Josh Shippe

Whatever you are, be a good one - Abraham Lincoln

Fire Prevention UpdateBy Deputy Chief John Presley

Hello, everyone. The inspection bureau is going strong; Virgil and Jerry have been out checking several new businesses and doing the safety checks as required.

They have some new Nextel phones to use. This will limit radio traffi c on Channel One. Bill has fi nally come back and he is looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.

I heard he has already been in the Chief’s offi ce and he’s only been back at work less than 2 days - he is setting some kind of standard. Seriously, construction season is beginning (as if it ever stopped) and if rumors are correct, there will be a lot of commercial, retail, and residential development springing up. Bill and I are going to be looking for “a few good men” (or women) who are interested in working for the Inspection Bureau in the near future. If interested, contact Captain Bill Sabin or myself for more info.

Operations/TrainingBy Deputy Chief Kirk Wilson

I’m very excited to be taking over the Training Division from Deputy Chief Presley. I would personally like to thank John for making training a success during his time as Training Chief. I hope to continue with the professionalism and continued education we all need to become more advanced in our fi eld. I am currently working with several organizations to improve training standards

throughout our region. I would like to announce the following training opportunities that are up coming to our area.

ICS 300-400 Offi cer Training Check postings at your stations for details

Basic Truck (Aerial) Operations May 25th @ Station 3 8am-5pm. Need 15 people for class to take place.

IFSI Spring Fire SchoolMay 29 – June 1st Sign up and class schedule posted.

Nicor Gas – Troy Grove Fire School May 19th – 22nd. Sign up for only one 8-hour session

Child Car Seat Installation ClassApril 26th & 27th 8-5pmMay 3rd & 4th 8-5pmMust attend all four days

Fire Service Leadership ConferenceMay 9th & 10th 8am – 5pm Rock Valley College

If you are interested in attending any of the above courses, please see the sign up sheets, or simply call me at the station. All outside training requests are to come through me. I have new request forms available. Reminder to the Training Division Personnel, our monthly meeting will be April 21st at Station 3, 19:00 hours. Hope to see you there, and as always, stay safe and thank you for your continued support.

EMS CornerBy Captain John Bergeron

I would like to thank those who assisted in getting the new ambulance stocked and ready for the state inspections. Everything went well. Also, we are now “hands free” on the Lifepak 12’s. Please be mindful of this when restocking the pads. If there are any questions in which pads are needed, please check with the Paramedic. Thanks to all for your hard work.

Our new C-51 ambulance is in service and we will be selling the truck it replaced. The truck will include a Stryker cot. Sealed bids will be accepted up to April 25. Reserve price is $13,500.

Firefi ghters Chase Field FiresStory & photos by Sheryl Drost

Tis the season - fi eld and grass fi res kept fi refi ghters busy the fi rst weekend of April.

Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell works on putting out a fi re on I-90 on April 5.

Left, fi refi ghters Ryan Alms and Brandon Tietz fi nish putting out the fi re on I-90. Right, Lt. Ron Klaman has command as fi refi ghter Ryan Alms puts the fi nishing touches on a fi eld fi re on Rockton Road on April 5.

April 6, Mike Baldwin and Lt. Ron Klaman work on a fi eld fi re off Anjali Way. Kids playing with fi re works are believed to have started the fi re.

Firefi ghters Megan Alms, Lt Jerry McCormick, and Lt. Ron Klaman work on bringing a large fi eld fi re off Anjali Way under control.

After the fi res were out, it was time to refi ll the trucks. Left, Lt. Ron Klaman and fi refi ghter Neil Roe fi ll one of the grass rigs. Right, Erik Hansen opens the hydrant to send water to the trucks.

Burning OrdinancesVillage of Roscoe - Burning allowed anytimeRoscoe Township - Same rules as Winnebago CountyVillage of Machesney Park - Residents can burn yard waste materials only during the months of April and November during daytime hours.Unincorporated Winnebago County See http://www.co.winnebago.il.us for complete restrictions and exemptions.

Burning of dry landscape waste is permitted on the weekends from April 15th through May 15th and on weekends during the month of November when following the Standard Restrictions below - brush may be burned in recreational fi res as stated in “Exemptions” below - burning of any materials other than landscape waste, brush, or those materials identifi ed in the “Exemptions” below is prohibited and punishable.

STANDARD RESTRICTIONS - No unattended burning; some form of fi re extinguishing must be available at the burning site. - No burning of landscape waste or brush generated on another property. - No burning before 10:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. - No burning on non sunny days when the wind exceeds 10 m.p.h. - No burning within 25 feet of any building, structure, or property line. - No burning upon sidewalks, right-of-way, streets, highways, or other public roadways.

Mutual Aid FirePhotos by DC Kirk Wilson

Harlem-Roscoe Fire sent an engine, an ambulance, and a Chief to a house fi re in Rockford in response to a MABAS call for help from Northwest Fire. Chief Shoevlin says he was put in charge of staging. Lt. Alms says the ambulance took care of rehab and the crew on the engine helped fi ght the fi re and the overhaul.

Crews work on ventilating the roof.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire’s ambulance was used for rehab.

Smoking Rooftop A/C Photos by Sheryl Drost

Workers arriving for their shift at Gordmans found smoke in the building and called 9-1-1. Firefi ghters tracked the culprit to a roof top A/C unit that was smoking.

A crew headed up to the roof top in the bucket of the aerial truck.

Traffi c was blocked as the truck put a crew on the roof.

Freeport Disaster DrillBy Ramona Baldoni-Lake

The tones rang out for several fi re departments across the state line requesting multiple search and rescue teams from around that area to respond. A terrorist attack had caused the explosion of a car bomb next to a structure and there were several people trapped beneath the rubble pile.

The drill began around 3:00 in the afternoon with Freeport Police and Fire responding followed by teams from Jo Daviess, Winnebago and Rock Counties. We responded

in Tech Rescue 747, and met up with members of the Stateline Technical Rescue Team in Beloit.

Staging began at the Travel Lodge parking lot in Freeport. There we joined up with MABAS 8 team members from Rockford, Rockton, and Belvidere fi re departments. After a short waiting period, our team was called to the scene. Pulling up we could see the skeleton of a car next to a building. The police, military, and FBI were all actively searching for “suspects” and a reported secondary device.

The police secured the scene, and a recon team of three rescue personnel were sent in to do a preliminary search and size-up of the situation. The report came back that there were several people trapped in a pile of rubble. Our team of 12 members went to work shoring and tunneling through wood, concrete and debris to reach and free the trapped victims. Other teams began their search from the other side of the pile. We met up within the mess, joining forces together at times. We freed approximately 20 mannequins in total that had been placed within the pile - tagged with the injuries that they had sustained in the explosion.

The drill provided us the opportunity to train and practice the skills that we have been working on over the years at monthly trainings.

Training Snapshot

March 11 - Table top exercises.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 2 The Firehouse Scene - Page 11

Car Fires Are Dangerous!Story by Ramona & Tom LakePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghters Tom Lake and Rob Gonia approach the burning car properly.

Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters were dispatched to the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart for a report of a vehicle on fi re on March 19. As crews arrived, they saw a fi re in the engine compartment of a two-door sedan. Flames were blowing out from under the hood on each side. The crew approached from the rear corner of the vehicle with a charged line to push the fi re back into the engine compartment. All of a sudden, a pneumatic hood strut blew out through the front of the vehicle. Luckily, it missed the crew members, as well as the crowd that had gathered to watch.

There are many potential hazards we face today fi ghting vehicle fi res such as blowing tires, pneumatic shocks, pressurized bumpers, airbags, gas tanks, hybrid vehicles and more. Auto makers strive to develop the safest vehicles for consumers that present as potential hazards to rescue and fi re personnel. Harlem-Roscoe has been fortunate to avoid injury from these dangers over the years while fi ghting car fi res, but to continue this safety record in the future, we need to be proactive. AirBag Systems.Org is an excellent resource to educate and update. (http://www.airbagsystems.org) Look under “vehicle fi res and the dangers of new technology” on the sidebar to fi nd photo galleries, Power Point presentations, forums and more. Then share what you’ve learned.

Out of our archives - another dangerous car fi re was back on July 22, 2001. Firefi ghters Dan Gunderson and Neil Roe begin to pull hose to fi ght a fully involved car fi re on I-90 mm72. They started to hear a loud hiss then fi re shot over 30 feet out the gas line at the rear of the car as the rear gas cap blew off.

Firefi ghters Save Apartment BuildingStory & Photo by Sheryl Drost

Improper storage of a combustible liquid seems to be the cause of a fi re around 4am, on April 6, in a 4-family apartment building on Talcott Drive in South Beloit. The resident called 9-1-1 after trying to put the fi re out himself. The fi re and smoke damage was contained to one of the four apartments. “The initial crew did an excellent job in locating the seat of the fi re and extinguishing it with minimal water usage and damage!”, reported Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief Don Shoevlin.

Firefi ghters Randy Lovelace, Mike Morrison, and Jeff Brandenburg were on the fi rst in hose line, and were able to quickly hit the seat of the fi re.

The kitchen received extensive damage from the fi re.

Investigators Captain Mike Drost and Debbie Rykowski investigate the fi re. It is believed improper storage of a fl ammable liquid was the culprit.

Station GossipDid everyone remember to replace their batteries in their smoke detectors and CO alarms when you set your clocks forward? Did you also remember to set your clocks forward in your digital cameras and video equipment? Our prayers and wishes are with Ike Schoonover’s wife Diane for a speedy recovery after her knee surgery.Hey, Tom Lake, Christi wants me to ask if you lost something?I walked into the kitchen of Station One the other day and found out how many fi refi ghters it takes to change a light bulb. There was an IC, Ops, Sector Offi cer, and the fi refi ghter that actually was changing the light bulb. :)DC John Presley writes, “I recently had been researching my new job title as Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention & Safety. I had looked online and found some leads. I then looked through magazines and IFSTA Manuals. Well, I fi nally called the Offi ce of State Fire Marshal-Div of Personnel Standards (OSFM –PSE) to get some direction. They told me to check with the Illinois Fire Inspectors (IFIA) Association. They sent me to Illinois Fire Service Institute for information who in turn sent me back to IFIA - this time with a phone number. I called, and the person at the other end gave me a phone number …….back to the OSFM ……this time to the Fire Marshal’s secretary! She graciously passed me back to OSFM-PSE. I was advised that the classes I inquired about are not available currently, but rather are under development. Did I mention this was over three days? Government at its best!”

Gotcha!

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Station Funnies

Megan never let go of the hose line!

Almost deep enough to bring out the boats?

John’s new hood ornament

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection DistrictFire Chief Don Shoevlin

PostageHarlem-Roscoe FirePO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

The Firehouse Scene - Page 12

Vol. 13 No. 4 harlemroscoefi re.com April 2008

Dangerous Car FireIt was a wake up call when a pneuematic shock on the front of the burning car above exploded and blew out into the crowd of onlookers in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart. Luckily no one was hit by the fl ying projectile. . . . See page 2 for more on how dangerous car fi res can be.

Photo by Sheryl Drost