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The Firehouse Scene Page 12

Vol. 12 No.4 www.harlemroscoefi re.com April 2007

Station GossipWelcome to the new 15. We are already seeing them respond to calls, and now with their pictures in this issue, we can maybe get their names right. I can tell you right now though, that the last names will be hard for more than just the Chief! I love when new fi refi ghters come on the department, because their enthusiam breathes new life into some of the ‘old timers’. Oscar predicted that there would be 24 snowfalls, and you guessed it, we got 24 snowfalls!!!Baby count is up to three.Everyone should have signed their insurance cards by now, but if you haven’t, see Asst. Chief O’Dell. We kept teasing Ken to quit putting his name on as benefi ciary!Dead end Christy?.....hmm It seems you can’t do anything in our fi re district without another fi refi ghter seeing you and spreading the word! We learned a few things when Huffman and Miller did the TV spot for the Extrication Team. It seems they are taking some ribbing from the guys for a couple quotes they made. Huffman’s was, “There is a “Golden 10-20”, And Miller’s was ‘“We send the EMS into the vehicle to do EMS to you.”

Thoughts . . .A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel good.No man has ever been shot while doing dishesIts not the jeans that make your butt look fat.My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Pancake Breakfast was a success! The Extrication Team wishes to thank everyone for their support.

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Harlem-Roscoe Fire PDPO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

You may mail this newsletter fl at - you do not have to fold it...

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection DistrictFire Chief Oscar Presley

New Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters!New Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters!

Meet Harlem-Roscoe Fire’s new fi refi ghters: Kneeling L-r, Lindsey Weirick, Anna Hall, Jaime Wagner, Josh Kuhl, Lacy Schoon. Standing L-r, Marice ‘Reety’ Radke, Chad Walker, Brian Mayer, Justin Brown, Adam Cox, Randy Lovelace, Brian Szilagyi, Mike Baldwin, Eric Schweitzer, and Brandon Tietz,

See pages 6-9 for more on the new fi refi ghters and their fi nal burn. . .

Spring Dinner Saturday April 21, 2007 5-8pm

Tickets: Adults - $8, Child 5-12 - $4, Under 5 - Free

The Spring Dinner Committee has one more meeting scheduled for April 10. The To-do Lists are up on the dry erase board at the back of the bay in Station One. We need every one to pitch in to get all the work done. The work detail schedule is as follows. Please mark your calendars.

April 16 Station 3 April 19 Station 1 April 17 Station work detail April 20 Stations 1, 2, & 3April 18 Station 2

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

Bathroom Fan Catches FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

March 18, Firefi ghters responded to a possible house fi re on Wissmach in Machesney Park. Smoke was showing when fi refi ghters arrived. The fi re was found in a bathroom and extinguished. It seems the bathroom fan was the culprit.

Smoke was showing when fi refi ghters arrived.

Firefi ghters check the attic through the scuttle hole in the garage.

Smoke Investigation Photo by Sheryl Drost

March 18, a worker at Mid-States Concrete smelled smoke and called 9-1-1. The culprit was found to be a faulty computer.

VFW Smoke InvestigationPhoto by Sheryl Drost

March 29, the fi re department was called to the Roscoe VFW on Second Street after a patron found smoke in the men’s bathroom. The culprit was found to be the ceiling fan motor in the bathroom and power was shut off to the unit.

Firefi ghters checked the attic area above the fan for fi re extension.

Passing Motorist Spots FirePhoto by Sheryl Drost

April 2, a passing motorist saw an outside light at a home on Cincinnati was on fi re. Power was shut off to the light and Lt. Ron Klaman and fi refi ghter Rob Lukowski check for fi re extension.

Truck VisitPhoto by Chief Oscar Presley

March 27, Doyle Mitchell stopped by on his way to deliver a new Rescue Pumper to Harrods Creek Fire Department in Prospect, Kentucky. Chief Presley and the guys checked the truck out from top to bottom and thought it was a pretty impressive truck.

The Panel By Lt. Jerry McCormick - Engineer

Hello to all. I hope this month’s letter fi nds you safe and enjoying warm weather.These next few months are going to be busy for the Driver’s Division.

We just completed the obstacle course for EMS personnel on April 1st. We will be conducting another obstacle course for other operators on:

April 28th from 9 AM –Noon. May 6th from 10 AM – 1 PM.

A list of the operators and what they need to complete are posted at all three stations. If there are any inaccuracies, please call me and we will take care of the issue. Also, if you are not a current operator and you would like to do the obstacle course, please sign up. The Station Offi cers will decide if you can go through the course and notify you. Preference will be given to current operators fi rst.

The Drivers Division will be conducting an obstacle course coming up this summer for the Quints and aerial platform. The date for this course is TBA. We will also be conducting pump operations for the aerials. All operators and offi cers are encouraged to attend the pump operations classes.

The road postings were recently removed. We have a lot of operators that need to get their road course done. A list will be posted as to who needs to complete their road course and in what classifi cation of vehicle. Please get this done as soon as possible. You need to do the road course with one of the Driving Division members.

As a reminder, per department guidelines, you cannot drive any classifi cation of vehicle without the following done:

Probationary time completeFirefi ghter II At least one year of active dutyIn good standing with the departmentClass “B” licenseFive hours non-emergency drive time for each classifi cationBe 21 years-of-ageAir brake test, and if necessary for classifi cation, defensive driving course, and any applicable pump or aerial operations classes.

Station Three personnel; please remember to keep track of all of your drive time on your new Quint. This will go towards your fi ve hours of drive time.

If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Also, if anyone has any ideas regarding driving or pumping, please forward them to me for consideration. Any ideas are welcomed and encouraged, and will be taken to the training division for consideration. Please keep in mind that it takes time for the Instructors to put together classes. Your idea might not be put into training right away, but it does not mean that we are not using or working on your idea.

Until next month, have fun and stay safe.

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Training Snapshots

03/10/07 - New Recruit Extrication Training

03/27/07 Ladder Cleaning

04/03/07 Heavy Extrication Tools Training

BirthdaysApril 1st Jeff Ball10th Colleen Bloyer12th Ami Rafferty13th Chaplain John Powell14th Eve Salstrom21st Trustee Jim Burdick24th Paul Stanphill29th Snoopy

May 1st Dan Gunderson8th Kevin Bouton23rd Rob Lukowski25th Scott Gredenius31st Jordan Stark

April Breakfast CrewDon Shoevlin, Aaron Miller,

Chad Radke, Ken O’Dell, Tom Ricotta, Mike Powell

& Ron Swain.

Total Calls for 2007 530

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

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Oscar PresleyEditor, Layout, Writer, & Photographer - Sheryl Drost

Thank you to our contributing writers this month: Lt. Jerry McCormick, Lt. Tom Aaker, and Chaplain John Powell..Printer - Premier Printing

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

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

Smoke was billowing from the home when fi refi ghters arrived.

Firefi ghter knock down the fi re that was billowing out the back windows.

Firefi ghters overhaul the chimney area trying to get to all the fi re.

Even after the house was checked at 3am, a couple hours later the home was found completely engulfed with fl ames.

Firefi ghters quickly had the second fi re under control.

Firefi ghters fi nish hitting hot spots in the attic area.

Wal-Mart Opens. . .Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters participated in a couple of the new store’s opening ceremonies. Chief Presley and some of our fi refi ghters were on hand for the ribbon cutting on March 14.

Earlier on March 12, the store presented several local agencies with grants. Chief Presley accepted a check for $1,000. Chief Presley is planning on using the monies in his endeavor to bring wireless communications county-wide between all the fi re departments.

Cheif Oscar Presley thatnks Wal-Mart Associates for the generous grant of $1000.

Del Taco Grand Opening

Del Taco owner Phil DiGiovanni invited Chief Oscar Prsesley and our fi refi ghters to join them in their grand opening ceremonies at their new store on West Lane. The ceremonies were all week long, but Tuesday was Fire Safety Day. Several fi refi ghters kept Engine 702 on hand in the front parking lot for patrons to check out. And then they built the largest sub, which I believe was over 15 feet. So much money was donated to the fi re department per foot. Phil and Lt. Jerry McCormick were then on WROK for 20 minutes discussing with DJ Aaron Wilson the grand opening events as well as what Harlem-Roscoe does for fi re safety in the community.

Paul Stanphill & Captain Tim Schrader took a turn at manning 702.

Girl Scouts Visit Girl Scout Troop #420 visited Fire Station #1 on March 21. Troop member Emily Knipp had a special time because her dad, Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Brad was one of the fi refi ghters giving the tour.

Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell made sure that Emily showed her fellow scouts how to wear fi re gear!

Community Fair

The Roscoe United Methodist Church held their fi rst annual Community Health Fair, Thursday, March 22. Many vendors were on hand and covered many health topics It is now a State law that everyone must have a CO alarm in their home, so church member and Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustee Jerry Ocker and Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief Oscar Presley were on-hand with information on the detectors as well as how to get them.

Leprechaun Invasion?

Nope, just members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association dropping by on St. Patricks Day to drop off some goodies to Deputy Chief Presley and Chief Presley. They wanted to thank all the fi refi ghters for their support during the MDA drives.

Wallace Drive House FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

March 22, just before 11pm, neighbors on Wallace Drive in Roscoe reported smoke showing from the home at the end of the street. First-in fi refi ghters reported smoke showing with fi re erupting out a back window. Neighbors didn’t know if the occupant was home, but his truck was in the driveway. Searches of the building did not fi nd anyone, and it was found that the home had been condemmed earlier in the day. The fi re was extinguished, overhauled, and investigators believe the cause of the fi re to be electrical. It was now after 1am.

However, 4 hours later, fi refi ghters were again toned out for a fi re at the same address. It seems the building was on fi re again. The fi re was quickly knocked down and the building overhauled.

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Accidents Photos by Chief Oscar Presley & Sheryl Drost

03/03/07 Hwy 251 & McCurry Road 03/16/07 Roscoe Road & Gleasman Road

03/24/07 6500 West Lane Road 03/30/07 7300 West Lane

03/26/07 Forest Hills Road in front of Hawksview Restaurant

04/03/07 West Lane Road and Hwy 251 - Children on bus were not injured. 04/06/07 Harlem High School parking lot

Brian Mayer is single and is a machine operator for Jefco Screw Machine.

His hobby is dirt bike riding. He also likes to drive RC cars and to go to the drag strip with one of his good friends. Brian is running out of Station Two.

Marice Radke is single and friends call her Reety. She is currently a student at Rock Valley College

Her hobbies are rock climbing, playing football, baseball, ultimate frizbee, and scuba diving. Reety is running out of Station One

Lacy Schoon is single and works at Pacifi c Sunwear at the Cherryvale Mall. She was an Explorer on Rockton Fire for four years. She is a state certifi ed Rescue Technician.

Lacy says all of her family members are fi refi ghters, so fi refi ghting is in her blood. She has family members on Byron Fire,

Rockford Fire, and her grandpa was on Stillman Valley Fire. Her Uncle Rick Baker and cousin Scott Johnson also served on Harlem-Roscoe Fire. She is very family oriented and says her family is her hobby. She also enjoys fi shing, camping, and jet skiing. Lacy is running out of Station One.

Eric Schwitzer is single and is a full-time student at Rock Valley. He is pursuing a degree in Fire Science. He also works part-time at Loglis.

Eric’s hobbies are working out, fi shing, and baseball/softball. Eric is running out of Station Two.

Brian Szilagyi has been married to wife Jane for three years. They have son Noah age 2, and one on the way, due in August.

Brian is a construction heavy machine operator for CCI in Beloit.

His hobbies are video games, nitro RC trucks, and sleeping. Brian is running out of Station Three.

Brandon Tietz is single and is an assistant manager at Valvoline Instant Oil Change. He also served on Shirland Fire for one year.

His hobbies are dog training, working on cars, and playing guitar. Brandon is running out of Station Three.

Chad Walker has been married to wife Jacqueline for a year and a half. His step kids are Jimmy-15, and Kayla-13. He also has a brother-in-law that is a full-time fi refi ghter for Appleton Wisconsin.

Chad is a Propulsion Technician for Orbitec in Madison. He says, “Yes, I’m a rocket scientist.” He adds, “Our

propulsion team is responsible for research development and testing rocket engines. I love my job!

His hobbies are boating, camping, travel, the desire to live on a beach, and Go Packers! Chad is running out of Station One

Lindsey Weirick is single and is a server for the Firehouse Pub. She also is a sales associate for General Nutrition Center (GNC).

Lindsey previously served for two years on the Town of Madison Fire Department. She also is Wisconsin state certifi ed, EMT-

B, FFI, and FFII.

Her hobbies are camping, fi shing, soccer, hockey, volleyball, softball, and Go Packers! Lindsey is running out of Station One.

Jaime Wagner is engaged to Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Keith Sandberg. She has two sons, Austin - age 7, and Alex - age 2, and will become step mom to JT - age 3 when she marries Keith. Her father Harry is also a Harlem-Roscoe Dispatcher.

We welcome Jaime back to the fold as she served on Harlem-Roscoe for three years as she puts it, “Way back when.” She is an EMT-Paramedic and works for Metro Ambulance as well as dispatches for ROCKCOM.

Her hobbies are line dancing, working out, and going for walks. Jaime is running out of Station Two once again. Welcome back to the family Jaime!

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New Firefi ghters By Sheryl Drost

March 24, after a long day at the burn site, Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustee Jerry Ocker administered the Oath to the 15 new probationary fi refi ghters. After months of training, including over 100 hours, the new recruits can now respond.

Throughout their training, certain phrases have stuck in the minds of the new fi refi ghters. I had them write down several of them and here is a list of some of them: Shake & Bake. Move, move, move. Pick up the pace. This isn’t a game. Do it again. Did you lose someone? Pink, warm, and dry. But our department doesn’t do it that way. What are you doing? Quit whining. You want to keep your ears? Where is your tool? Fair enough. Chaos - Chief has arrived on scene. Your people are down, why aren’t you ready? Captain, can you help a little through this tube? Let me tell you a short war story. And, the latest is where is your red hat Probie?

Lets Meet the New Firefi ghters . . .

Mike Baldwin is married to wife Diane and they have one daughter, Madison. Mike works as an X-ray Tech for Woodstock Memorial Hospital. Mike previously served as a FF/EMT for Woodstock Fire Rescue District and for Harvard Fire. He also served three years in the U.S. Army.

Mike is currently taking EMT-Paramedic classes and is state certifi ed as Firefi ghter II, Hazmat Awareness, and Tech Rescue Awareness.

His hobbies are spending time with his family, St. Louis Cardinal games, and fi ghting fi re. Mike is running out of Station Two

Justin Brown says he is single for now and works as a Life Guard. He is working on getting his EMT license, and then onto being a Paramedic. His hobbies are camping, hunting, soccer, rock climbing, swimming, and saving lives.

Justin will be running out of Station Two after he graduates from Guilford High School in June.

Adam Cox is single and works at the Pizza Ranch in Roscoe. He is also a USA Hockey referee as well as a team leader at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. He was an Explorer for Rockton Fire for three years.

His hobbies are being outdoors, being active, spending time with friends, fi shing, and athletics. He will be running out of

Station One after he graduates from Hononegah High School in May.

Anna Hall is single and works on the Dennis Luckey Dairy Farm in Caledonia. she also trains horses and farms grain with her dad on on her home farm, Halteigen Farm. Her ‘kids’ names are Skeeter, Daisy, Baxter, and Lucy!

Anna is an EMT-B and served previously on Capron Rescue for one year. Her grandpa, Oscar Hall, was a trustee for

Boone County District 5. Her dad, Bill Hall, is currently a Boone County 5 Trustee.

Her hobbies are barrel racing, fi shing , basketball, skiing, volleyball, raising puppies, rodeos, and line dancing. Anna is running out of Station Three.

Josh Kuhl says he has been engaged for what seems like forever. He has two children, Gunner age 4, and Wally age 2. He is a Group Manager for Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors. He also served eight years in the Army.

Josh’s step-brother and brother-in-law were on Capron Fire Department. The

brother-in-law is now on Belvidere Fire.

Josh’s hobbies are motorcycle riding, golfi ng, and softball. Josh is running out of Station Two.

Randy Lovelace has been married to wife Diane for 24 years. He has two daughters Angel and Amber as well as one granddaughter Arynn age 12. Randy will also become Lt. Aaron Miller’s father-in-law when Aaron marries Randy’s daughter Amber in May.

Randy is a software engineer for GE. He also served 3 years in the US Army. He is a pilot and his hobbies are skydiving, Civil Air Patrol, and the guitar. Randy is running out of Station One.

From the Chief’s DeskBy Chief Oscar Presley

April, it brings a change in the weather, new fl owers, color, and green yards. It is also a start of a very important month.

We have Easter with Grandma watching the Easter Bunny and coloring and hiding Easter eggs for the grandchildren. And let’s not forget the Spring Dinner on April 21st and the VFW Awards for fi refi ghters to climax the month.

Then soon enough we have Mothers Day - a reminder how important your mom is or was. Yes, they do a lot for us, especially the jobs we don’t care or want to do. It’s true, we couldn’t do many of the things we do if not for our moms. So, lets take her out for an enjoyable day on Mother’s Day.

I would also like to welcome aboard the 15 new fi refi ghters. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing you on scene. Oscar

SCBA & ERT MASK FIT TESTINGBy Lt. Tom Aaker

Starting on April 14th we will begin fi t testing for SCBA masks. This will be for all active members of the department that utilize SCBA masks. This is a mandatory fi t test and there are no exceptions. There will be a sign-up sheet posted at Station One. This is a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis, so please pick your date and sign up early. Testing will take 20 minutes total & be held in the training room at Station One. Please bring both your SCBA mask and your government issued terrorism mask to the test. The following dates are when the testing will proceed:

April 14th & 15th 10am-4pmApril 19th 10am-7pmApril 16, 20 & 25 9am-6pm

If you do not currently have a mask one will be provided. Any questions please call Lt. Radke or Lt. Aaker. Thanks in advance!

Captain John Bergeron keeps tracks of the results as fi refi ghter Tom Lake does his fi t testing.

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Chaplains CornerBy Chaplain John Powell

Well here we are at another holiday. For many Christians, Easter is one of the two major holidays of the entire year. And with that, many will be

donning the doors of the church. As a minister, a great amount of focus is spent preparing for such a day. One thing for me personally as I look forward to Resurrection Sunday, as we and many call Easter, is the anticipation of visitors. There is always the possibility that there will be many new faces in attendance that day.

As I see one of our paramedics, Chris Kaiser, I’m reminded of one Easter service two years ago. This particular day started out as all the others. Our church offers a free Sunrise Breakfast. This has been a special service that we have offered for years. And the menu is awesome, just ask Joe Quast (one of our fi refi ghters and recipient of last year’s Firefi ghter of the Year award). Speaking of Joe, this was the fi rst year that he and his wife Jane attended our Sunrise Breakfast. As breakfast was in full swing, a commotion was heard in the commons area in the lower level of the church. It seems that a visitor had taken a nasty tumble to the fl oor. Immediately when something goes wrong in the church (and I mean that in a very broad sense of the word), the fi rst one called is the pastor. So as I made my way to the individual. I saw Joe standing nearby. After just a short assessment of the situation, I asked Joe to call the fi re department for me.

This is where Chris comes into the picture. He was one of the responders that morning. I can not begin to tell you how grateful I was for their presence. As is always the case, the situation was handled precisely. The individual was not hurt badly and required no further assistance.

So now everything can go back to normal, right? No. Not this time. As is the custom with our church, we have the breakfast (did I mention how awesome the food was), then we have a Sunrise Service, Sunday School and then the regular Sunday Morning Worship service. During the Sunday Morning Service one of the church members passes out while sitting in the pew. I turn to Joe, again, and asked him to call the department AGAIN. Again Chris enters the picture. I could only imagine the stories and the tales that would ensue. After a brief assessment by the paramedics, it was decided that the individual needed to be transported to the hospital (Non life threatening). As preparation was being made for the trip, then comes my interview with the crew. When asked how bad or looong the preaching was, I responded that it was no different than usual. Thus I would not and still do not take credit for this situation.

I ended up riding to the hospital with the member and staying until tests were run. While there, I found out that several churches had calls that day for medical attention and transports to the different hospitals. So, as I told Chris, “See, I wasn’t even at those other churches.” But I thanked him and the others because on special days for us (especially the Chaplains) they sacrifi ce their time for the betterment of our community. So thank those who serve for you and many others like you. And by the way, this year we don’t plan on calling the paramedics. But if you see an ambulance outside the church, PRAY for us. Preacher

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Rockton Road Live Burn By Sheryl Drost

March 24, fi fteen new fi refi ghters went through their fi nal burn and became probationary Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters. The burn was also used as a practical for the Firefi ghter II Class, as well as a practice water shuttle for the ISO test this summer. The day started early with a live burn at the Rockton Road site. Two large barns and a 2-story house were used for this burn after proper permits were applied for and received. Fires were started and evolutions for fi re suppression etc. were done over and over until fi nally the buildings were left to burn to the ground. The day ended back at the Station Three Training Facility where the fi fteen men and women were sworn in as active probationary fi refi ghters. The live burn proved to be a great learning tool and practice for all the fi refi ghters.

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New Firefi ghters By Sheryl Drost

March 24, after a long day at the burn site, Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustee Jerry Ocker administered the Oath to the 15 new probationary fi refi ghters. After months of training, including over 100 hours, the new recruits can now respond.

Throughout their training, certain phrases have stuck in the minds of the new fi refi ghters. I had them write down several of them and here is a list of some of them: Shake & Bake. Move, move, move. Pick up the pace. This isn’t a game. Do it again. Did you lose someone? Pink, warm, and dry. But our department doesn’t do it that way. What are you doing? Quit whining. You want to keep your ears? Where is your tool? Fair enough. Chaos - Chief has arrived on scene. Your people are down, why aren’t you ready? Captain, can you help a little through this tube? Let me tell you a short war story. And, the latest is where is your red hat Probie?

Lets Meet the New Firefi ghters . . .

Mike Baldwin is married to wife Diane and they have one daughter, Madison. Mike works as an X-ray Tech for Woodstock Memorial Hospital. Mike previously served as a FF/EMT for Woodstock Fire Rescue District and for Harvard Fire. He also served three years in the U.S. Army.

Mike is currently taking EMT-Paramedic classes and is state certifi ed as Firefi ghter II, Hazmat Awareness, and Tech Rescue Awareness.

His hobbies are spending time with his family, St. Louis Cardinal games, and fi ghting fi re. Mike is running out of Station Two

Justin Brown says he is single for now and works as a Life Guard. He is working on getting his EMT license, and then onto being a Paramedic. His hobbies are camping, hunting, soccer, rock climbing, swimming, and saving lives.

Justin will be running out of Station Two after he graduates from Guilford High School in June.

Adam Cox is single and works at the Pizza Ranch in Roscoe. He is also a USA Hockey referee as well as a team leader at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. He was an Explorer for Rockton Fire for three years.

His hobbies are being outdoors, being active, spending time with friends, fi shing, and athletics. He will be running out of

Station One after he graduates from Hononegah High School in May.

Anna Hall is single and works on the Dennis Luckey Dairy Farm in Caledonia. she also trains horses and farms grain with her dad on on her home farm, Halteigen Farm. Her ‘kids’ names are Skeeter, Daisy, Baxter, and Lucy!

Anna is an EMT-B and served previously on Capron Rescue for one year. Her grandpa, Oscar Hall, was a trustee for

Boone County District 5. Her dad, Bill Hall, is currently a Boone County 5 Trustee.

Her hobbies are barrel racing, fi shing , basketball, skiing, volleyball, raising puppies, rodeos, and line dancing. Anna is running out of Station Three.

Josh Kuhl says he has been engaged for what seems like forever. He has two children, Gunner age 4, and Wally age 2. He is a Group Manager for Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors. He also served eight years in the Army.

Josh’s step-brother and brother-in-law were on Capron Fire Department. The

brother-in-law is now on Belvidere Fire.

Josh’s hobbies are motorcycle riding, golfi ng, and softball. Josh is running out of Station Two.

Randy Lovelace has been married to wife Diane for 24 years. He has two daughters Angel and Amber as well as one granddaughter Arynn age 12. Randy will also become Lt. Aaron Miller’s father-in-law when Aaron marries Randy’s daughter Amber in May.

Randy is a software engineer for GE. He also served 3 years in the US Army. He is a pilot and his hobbies are skydiving, Civil Air Patrol, and the guitar. Randy is running out of Station One.

From the Chief’s DeskBy Chief Oscar Presley

April, it brings a change in the weather, new fl owers, color, and green yards. It is also a start of a very important month.

We have Easter with Grandma watching the Easter Bunny and coloring and hiding Easter eggs for the grandchildren. And let’s not forget the Spring Dinner on April 21st and the VFW Awards for fi refi ghters to climax the month.

Then soon enough we have Mothers Day - a reminder how important your mom is or was. Yes, they do a lot for us, especially the jobs we don’t care or want to do. It’s true, we couldn’t do many of the things we do if not for our moms. So, lets take her out for an enjoyable day on Mother’s Day.

I would also like to welcome aboard the 15 new fi refi ghters. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing you on scene. Oscar

SCBA & ERT MASK FIT TESTINGBy Lt. Tom Aaker

Starting on April 14th we will begin fi t testing for SCBA masks. This will be for all active members of the department that utilize SCBA masks. This is a mandatory fi t test and there are no exceptions. There will be a sign-up sheet posted at Station One. This is a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis, so please pick your date and sign up early. Testing will take 20 minutes total & be held in the training room at Station One. Please bring both your SCBA mask and your government issued terrorism mask to the test. The following dates are when the testing will proceed:

April 14th & 15th 10am-4pmApril 19th 10am-7pmApril 16, 20 & 25 9am-6pm

If you do not currently have a mask one will be provided. Any questions please call Lt. Radke or Lt. Aaker. Thanks in advance!

Captain John Bergeron keeps tracks of the results as fi refi ghter Tom Lake does his fi t testing.

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Chaplains CornerBy Chaplain John Powell

Well here we are at another holiday. For many Christians, Easter is one of the two major holidays of the entire year. And with that, many will be

donning the doors of the church. As a minister, a great amount of focus is spent preparing for such a day. One thing for me personally as I look forward to Resurrection Sunday, as we and many call Easter, is the anticipation of visitors. There is always the possibility that there will be many new faces in attendance that day.

As I see one of our paramedics, Chris Kaiser, I’m reminded of one Easter service two years ago. This particular day started out as all the others. Our church offers a free Sunrise Breakfast. This has been a special service that we have offered for years. And the menu is awesome, just ask Joe Quast (one of our fi refi ghters and recipient of last year’s Firefi ghter of the Year award). Speaking of Joe, this was the fi rst year that he and his wife Jane attended our Sunrise Breakfast. As breakfast was in full swing, a commotion was heard in the commons area in the lower level of the church. It seems that a visitor had taken a nasty tumble to the fl oor. Immediately when something goes wrong in the church (and I mean that in a very broad sense of the word), the fi rst one called is the pastor. So as I made my way to the individual. I saw Joe standing nearby. After just a short assessment of the situation, I asked Joe to call the fi re department for me.

This is where Chris comes into the picture. He was one of the responders that morning. I can not begin to tell you how grateful I was for their presence. As is always the case, the situation was handled precisely. The individual was not hurt badly and required no further assistance.

So now everything can go back to normal, right? No. Not this time. As is the custom with our church, we have the breakfast (did I mention how awesome the food was), then we have a Sunrise Service, Sunday School and then the regular Sunday Morning Worship service. During the Sunday Morning Service one of the church members passes out while sitting in the pew. I turn to Joe, again, and asked him to call the department AGAIN. Again Chris enters the picture. I could only imagine the stories and the tales that would ensue. After a brief assessment by the paramedics, it was decided that the individual needed to be transported to the hospital (Non life threatening). As preparation was being made for the trip, then comes my interview with the crew. When asked how bad or looong the preaching was, I responded that it was no different than usual. Thus I would not and still do not take credit for this situation.

I ended up riding to the hospital with the member and staying until tests were run. While there, I found out that several churches had calls that day for medical attention and transports to the different hospitals. So, as I told Chris, “See, I wasn’t even at those other churches.” But I thanked him and the others because on special days for us (especially the Chaplains) they sacrifi ce their time for the betterment of our community. So thank those who serve for you and many others like you. And by the way, this year we don’t plan on calling the paramedics. But if you see an ambulance outside the church, PRAY for us. Preacher

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

Accidents Photos by Chief Oscar Presley & Sheryl Drost

03/03/07 Hwy 251 & McCurry Road 03/16/07 Roscoe Road & Gleasman Road

03/24/07 6500 West Lane Road 03/30/07 7300 West Lane

03/26/07 Forest Hills Road in front of Hawksview Restaurant

04/03/07 West Lane Road and Hwy 251 - Children on bus were not injured. 04/06/07 Harlem High School parking lot

Brian Mayer is single and is a machine operator for Jefco Screw Machine.

His hobby is dirt bike riding. He also likes to drive RC cars and to go to the drag strip with one of his good friends. Brian is running out of Station Two.

Marice Radke is single and friends call her Reety. She is currently a student at Rock Valley College

Her hobbies are rock climbing, playing football, baseball, ultimate frizbee, and scuba diving. Reety is running out of Station One

Lacy Schoon is single and works at Pacifi c Sunwear at the Cherryvale Mall. She was an Explorer on Rockton Fire for four years. She is a state certifi ed Rescue Technician.

Lacy says all of her family members are fi refi ghters, so fi refi ghting is in her blood. She has family members on Byron Fire,

Rockford Fire, and her grandpa was on Stillman Valley Fire. Her Uncle Rick Baker and cousin Scott Johnson also served on Harlem-Roscoe Fire. She is very family oriented and says her family is her hobby. She also enjoys fi shing, camping, and jet skiing. Lacy is running out of Station One.

Eric Schwitzer is single and is a full-time student at Rock Valley. He is pursuing a degree in Fire Science. He also works part-time at Loglis.

Eric’s hobbies are working out, fi shing, and baseball/softball. Eric is running out of Station Two.

Brian Szilagyi has been married to wife Jane for three years. They have son Noah age 2, and one on the way, due in August.

Brian is a construction heavy machine operator for CCI in Beloit.

His hobbies are video games, nitro RC trucks, and sleeping. Brian is running out of Station Three.

Brandon Tietz is single and is an assistant manager at Valvoline Instant Oil Change. He also served on Shirland Fire for one year.

His hobbies are dog training, working on cars, and playing guitar. Brandon is running out of Station Three.

Chad Walker has been married to wife Jacqueline for a year and a half. His step kids are Jimmy-15, and Kayla-13. He also has a brother-in-law that is a full-time fi refi ghter for Appleton Wisconsin.

Chad is a Propulsion Technician for Orbitec in Madison. He says, “Yes, I’m a rocket scientist.” He adds, “Our

propulsion team is responsible for research development and testing rocket engines. I love my job!

His hobbies are boating, camping, travel, the desire to live on a beach, and Go Packers! Chad is running out of Station One

Lindsey Weirick is single and is a server for the Firehouse Pub. She also is a sales associate for General Nutrition Center (GNC).

Lindsey previously served for two years on the Town of Madison Fire Department. She also is Wisconsin state certifi ed, EMT-

B, FFI, and FFII.

Her hobbies are camping, fi shing, soccer, hockey, volleyball, softball, and Go Packers! Lindsey is running out of Station One.

Jaime Wagner is engaged to Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Keith Sandberg. She has two sons, Austin - age 7, and Alex - age 2, and will become step mom to JT - age 3 when she marries Keith. Her father Harry is also a Harlem-Roscoe Dispatcher.

We welcome Jaime back to the fold as she served on Harlem-Roscoe for three years as she puts it, “Way back when.” She is an EMT-Paramedic and works for Metro Ambulance as well as dispatches for ROCKCOM.

Her hobbies are line dancing, working out, and going for walks. Jaime is running out of Station Two once again. Welcome back to the family Jaime!

BirthdaysApril 1st Jeff Ball10th Colleen Bloyer12th Ami Rafferty13th Chaplain John Powell14th Eve Salstrom21st Trustee Jim Burdick24th Paul Stanphill29th Snoopy

May 1st Dan Gunderson8th Kevin Bouton23rd Rob Lukowski25th Scott Gredenius31st Jordan Stark

April Breakfast CrewDon Shoevlin, Aaron Miller,

Chad Radke, Ken O’Dell, Tom Ricotta, Mike Powell

& Ron Swain.

Total Calls for 2007 530

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

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Oscar PresleyEditor, Layout, Writer, & Photographer - Sheryl Drost

Thank you to our contributing writers this month: Lt. Jerry McCormick, Lt. Tom Aaker, and Chaplain John Powell..Printer - Premier Printing

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

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

Smoke was billowing from the home when fi refi ghters arrived.

Firefi ghter knock down the fi re that was billowing out the back windows.

Firefi ghters overhaul the chimney area trying to get to all the fi re.

Even after the house was checked at 3am, a couple hours later the home was found completely engulfed with fl ames.

Firefi ghters quickly had the second fi re under control.

Firefi ghters fi nish hitting hot spots in the attic area.

Wal-Mart Opens. . .Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters participated in a couple of the new store’s opening ceremonies. Chief Presley and some of our fi refi ghters were on hand for the ribbon cutting on March 14.

Earlier on March 12, the store presented several local agencies with grants. Chief Presley accepted a check for $1,000. Chief Presley is planning on using the monies in his endeavor to bring wireless communications county-wide between all the fi re departments.

Cheif Oscar Presley thatnks Wal-Mart Associates for the generous grant of $1000.

Del Taco Grand Opening

Del Taco owner Phil DiGiovanni invited Chief Oscar Prsesley and our fi refi ghters to join them in their grand opening ceremonies at their new store on West Lane. The ceremonies were all week long, but Tuesday was Fire Safety Day. Several fi refi ghters kept Engine 702 on hand in the front parking lot for patrons to check out. And then they built the largest sub, which I believe was over 15 feet. So much money was donated to the fi re department per foot. Phil and Lt. Jerry McCormick were then on WROK for 20 minutes discussing with DJ Aaron Wilson the grand opening events as well as what Harlem-Roscoe does for fi re safety in the community.

Paul Stanphill & Captain Tim Schrader took a turn at manning 702.

Girl Scouts Visit Girl Scout Troop #420 visited Fire Station #1 on March 21. Troop member Emily Knipp had a special time because her dad, Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Brad was one of the fi refi ghters giving the tour.

Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell made sure that Emily showed her fellow scouts how to wear fi re gear!

Community Fair

The Roscoe United Methodist Church held their fi rst annual Community Health Fair, Thursday, March 22. Many vendors were on hand and covered many health topics It is now a State law that everyone must have a CO alarm in their home, so church member and Harlem-Roscoe Fire Trustee Jerry Ocker and Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief Oscar Presley were on-hand with information on the detectors as well as how to get them.

Leprechaun Invasion?

Nope, just members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association dropping by on St. Patricks Day to drop off some goodies to Deputy Chief Presley and Chief Presley. They wanted to thank all the fi refi ghters for their support during the MDA drives.

Wallace Drive House FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

March 22, just before 11pm, neighbors on Wallace Drive in Roscoe reported smoke showing from the home at the end of the street. First-in fi refi ghters reported smoke showing with fi re erupting out a back window. Neighbors didn’t know if the occupant was home, but his truck was in the driveway. Searches of the building did not fi nd anyone, and it was found that the home had been condemmed earlier in the day. The fi re was extinguished, overhauled, and investigators believe the cause of the fi re to be electrical. It was now after 1am.

However, 4 hours later, fi refi ghters were again toned out for a fi re at the same address. It seems the building was on fi re again. The fi re was quickly knocked down and the building overhauled.

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

Bathroom Fan Catches FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

March 18, Firefi ghters responded to a possible house fi re on Wissmach in Machesney Park. Smoke was showing when fi refi ghters arrived. The fi re was found in a bathroom and extinguished. It seems the bathroom fan was the culprit.

Smoke was showing when fi refi ghters arrived.

Firefi ghters check the attic through the scuttle hole in the garage.

Smoke Investigation Photo by Sheryl Drost

March 18, a worker at Mid-States Concrete smelled smoke and called 9-1-1. The culprit was found to be a faulty computer.

VFW Smoke InvestigationPhoto by Sheryl Drost

March 29, the fi re department was called to the Roscoe VFW on Second Street after a patron found smoke in the men’s bathroom. The culprit was found to be the ceiling fan motor in the bathroom and power was shut off to the unit.

Firefi ghters checked the attic area above the fan for fi re extension.

Passing Motorist Spots FirePhoto by Sheryl Drost

April 2, a passing motorist saw an outside light at a home on Cincinnati was on fi re. Power was shut off to the light and Lt. Ron Klaman and fi refi ghter Rob Lukowski check for fi re extension.

Truck VisitPhoto by Chief Oscar Presley

March 27, Doyle Mitchell stopped by on his way to deliver a new Rescue Pumper to Harrods Creek Fire Department in Prospect, Kentucky. Chief Presley and the guys checked the truck out from top to bottom and thought it was a pretty impressive truck.

The Panel By Lt. Jerry McCormick - Engineer

Hello to all. I hope this month’s letter fi nds you safe and enjoying warm weather.These next few months are going to be busy for the Driver’s Division.

We just completed the obstacle course for EMS personnel on April 1st. We will be conducting another obstacle course for other operators on:

April 28th from 9 AM –Noon. May 6th from 10 AM – 1 PM.

A list of the operators and what they need to complete are posted at all three stations. If there are any inaccuracies, please call me and we will take care of the issue. Also, if you are not a current operator and you would like to do the obstacle course, please sign up. The Station Offi cers will decide if you can go through the course and notify you. Preference will be given to current operators fi rst.

The Drivers Division will be conducting an obstacle course coming up this summer for the Quints and aerial platform. The date for this course is TBA. We will also be conducting pump operations for the aerials. All operators and offi cers are encouraged to attend the pump operations classes.

The road postings were recently removed. We have a lot of operators that need to get their road course done. A list will be posted as to who needs to complete their road course and in what classifi cation of vehicle. Please get this done as soon as possible. You need to do the road course with one of the Driving Division members.

As a reminder, per department guidelines, you cannot drive any classifi cation of vehicle without the following done:

Probationary time completeFirefi ghter II At least one year of active dutyIn good standing with the departmentClass “B” licenseFive hours non-emergency drive time for each classifi cationBe 21 years-of-ageAir brake test, and if necessary for classifi cation, defensive driving course, and any applicable pump or aerial operations classes.

Station Three personnel; please remember to keep track of all of your drive time on your new Quint. This will go towards your fi ve hours of drive time.

If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Also, if anyone has any ideas regarding driving or pumping, please forward them to me for consideration. Any ideas are welcomed and encouraged, and will be taken to the training division for consideration. Please keep in mind that it takes time for the Instructors to put together classes. Your idea might not be put into training right away, but it does not mean that we are not using or working on your idea.

Until next month, have fun and stay safe.

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Training Snapshots

03/10/07 - New Recruit Extrication Training

03/27/07 Ladder Cleaning

04/03/07 Heavy Extrication Tools Training

Use

.52 centStamp

The Firehouse Scene Page 12

Vol. 12 No.4 www.harlemroscoefi re.com April 2007

Station GossipWelcome to the new 15. We are already seeing them respond to calls, and now with their pictures in this issue, we can maybe get their names right. I can tell you right now though, that the last names will be hard for more than just the Chief! I love when new fi refi ghters come on the department, because their enthusiam breathes new life into some of the ‘old timers’. Oscar predicted that there would be 24 snowfalls, and you guessed it, we got 24 snowfalls!!!Baby count is up to three.Everyone should have signed their insurance cards by now, but if you haven’t, see Asst. Chief O’Dell. We kept teasing Ken to quit putting his name on as benefi ciary!Dead end Christy?.....hmm It seems you can’t do anything in our fi re district without another fi refi ghter seeing you and spreading the word! We learned a few things when Huffman and Miller did the TV spot for the Extrication Team. It seems they are taking some ribbing from the guys for a couple quotes they made. Huffman’s was, “There is a “Golden 10-20”, And Miller’s was ‘“We send the EMS into the vehicle to do EMS to you.”

Thoughts . . .A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel good.No man has ever been shot while doing dishesIts not the jeans that make your butt look fat.My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Pancake Breakfast was a success! The Extrication Team wishes to thank everyone for their support.

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Harlem-Roscoe Fire PDPO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

You may mail this newsletter fl at - you do not have to fold it...

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection DistrictFire Chief Oscar Presley

New Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters!New Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters!

Meet Harlem-Roscoe Fire’s new fi refi ghters: Kneeling L-r, Lindsey Weirick, Anna Hall, Jaime Wagner, Josh Kuhl, Lacy Schoon. Standing L-r, Marice ‘Reety’ Radke, Chad Walker, Brian Mayer, Justin Brown, Adam Cox, Randy Lovelace, Brian Szilagyi, Mike Baldwin, Eric Schweitzer, and Brandon Tietz,

See pages 6-9 for more on the new fi refi ghters and their fi nal burn. . .

Spring Dinner Saturday April 21, 2007 5-8pm

Tickets: Adults - $8, Child 5-12 - $4, Under 5 - Free

The Spring Dinner Committee has one more meeting scheduled for April 10. The To-do Lists are up on the dry erase board at the back of the bay in Station One. We need every one to pitch in to get all the work done. The work detail schedule is as follows. Please mark your calendars.

April 16 Station 3 April 19 Station 1 April 17 Station work detail April 20 Stations 1, 2, & 3April 18 Station 2