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Vol. 10 No 10 www.harlemroscoefire.com October 2005

A father and son escaped injury when a tree fell on their pickup in Riverside Park during the storm

Storms Causes Havoc

September 13, 70+ mph winds caused a lot of havoc when a line of thunderstorms raced through the fire district. The fire department responded to almost 20 emergency calls for such things as downed trees and electrical lines. Luckily, no one was injured. A majority of the Village of Roscoe was without power for several hours and some homes in Machesney Park were without power for over 24 hours.

See page 2 for more storm pictures…

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Storm Damage Photos by Sheryl Drost

A tree fell on wires that started a fire at a home on Bridge Street. Luckily the fire did not spread into the house.

A driver was unhurt when a tree fell on his car on Main Street by Rural Edge.

A large pine tree was snapped in half on Main Street near Rural Edge.

A tree smashes a shed on Glen Dr.

A tree is snapped in half next to the swing set at Leland Park.

A tree limb fell on wires behind homes on Croix and started burning.

Radio Tower Damaged in Storm By Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell

The high winds also twisted and blew over our main tower and antenna at Station One. Our main radio frequency was now off the air and the fire phone was ringing off the hook with emergency storm calls. All radio traffic was switched to our Tack 2, which has an antenna on a

different tower. As soon as the storm passed, firefighters brought out the aerial, went up in the bucket, and were able to temporarily fix the tower. Our main frequency was back online, but not at full power. A new tower and antenna were quickly ordered and have arrived. The cement base has been poured (pictured below) and a contractor out of Dubuque Iowa (that will do the work for Comelec), should be erecting the tower shortly and get us back to full power. Hopefully it will be back in service by time you are reading this issue. Now I was asked, what would have happened if the storm had taken down both towers at Station One and the main radio loop would be down even at the remotes? Well, each remote has a radio they use for Tack 2, which also can be turned to the Tack 1 frequency. These radios have their own antennas located at each remote. Also, Loves Park can now tone out on our frequency and can be used as a backup.

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Neighbors Save Rockton Home Story & photos by Sheryl Drost

Saturday, September 19, a neighbor was driving by 770 Wingate when he noticed the back deck on fire. He stopped and went into action. After checking to see if someone was inside, he located the garden hose, and was able to extinguish the fire. The

back deck was burned and the siding on the house was melted, but the fire was out when Harlem-Roscoe units arrived. Harlem-Roscoe Fire Investigator Captain Mike Drost reports, “The homeowners are lucky this guy saw the fire and reacted the way he did. He kept the fire from getting inside the home where there would have been much more severe damage. The fire was accidental. It seems the resident may have unknowingly started the fire by putting a cigarette out in a planter. The planter was filled with peat moss and potting soil that will burn and smolder when provided with an ignition source.”

Firefighter Ryan Alms and Lt. Tom Aaker check for fire extension. The siding on the back wall of the home was melted but fire had not burned through the walls.

Tom and Ryan watch as Captain Mike Drost checks the burned area of the deck.

Neighbors Save Home in Machesney Park Story and photos by Sheryl Drost

Sunday, September 11, for a second day in a row, neighbors saved a home from fire where residents weren’t at home. This time it was on 808 Brentwood Road in Machesney Park. It seems the contents of a garbage can may have spontaneously started on fire, melting the can, and started burning the surrounding fence. The fire lapped up the wall of the home and was just starting to burn the eaves of the garage when the neighbor spotted the fire. Again the resident’s garden hose was used to extinguish the fire.

Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell checks for fire extension in the eaves of the garage.

Freon Release Causes Scare Story & Photo by Sheryl Drost

Deputy Chief Kirk Wilson checks the attic from the garage entrance.

September 19, a resident on 3989 Montclair was getting her children ready for school when she noticed a haze of smoke in her living room. She and her children got out of the home as she called 9-1-1. Firefighters checked all the rooms, the attic, and the basement, before finding the culprit. It seems the coil in the air conditioning unit on the furnace had sprung a leak and the release of Freon was blown out the registers putting a haze into the room. The resident was informed to call her repair person to fix the leak.

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Q: How does a Forest Service fire fighter handle a fire on the kitchen stove? A: He lights a back burn on the living room sofa. How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a barbecue?

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Broken Sprinkler Head Photos by Chief Presley

Firefighter Andrew Willis gets soaked as he turns off the water to the sprinkler head. September 27, workers at 8107 Burden Road accidentally broke a sprinkler head. Water was now spraying from the sprinkler. Firefighters were able to stop the water to the sprinkler and the business owners called in for repairs.

Porch Fire Photos by Chief Presley

October 2, a resident 4489Mathew was using a torch to burn off weeds at the foundation of his home. He didn’t realize that he was accidentally starting a fire inside the walls until smoke

started coming out. The fire department was called and after overhauling the door jamb extinguished all the fire. Above, Jim Daughenbaugh and Ramona Lake check for fire.

************************************************ “Intelligence capacity is diminished when frustration, anxiety or

inner turmoil operate. Such emotional states cause incoherence in the rhythmic and electrical output of the heart, diminishing

neurological efficiency. It's one of the reasons smart people can do stupid things. When you make internal coherence a daily priority, you save time and energy. Internal coherence "oils" your system.

Without oil in an engine, it burns up. So can you” Doc Childre and Bruce Cryer,

From the Chief’s Desk By Chief Oscar Presley

Fire Prevention Week is here with visits from children, visits to all the schools in the district, and our Open House on October 16, from noon until 3pm at Station One. That’s just for starters. Our construction at Station Three on Willowbrook Road is well underway. Construction may last until the end of the year or the first of next year.

And then there is the road construction in the district. It seems like there is construction on every road. We keep a constant eye on all of them just to make sure we can make it to an emergency in that area as quickly as possible. We are also hosting the Stateline Area Firefighter Memorial Service October 22. There will be a processional of Color Guard, Bag pipers, Firefighters, and fire apparatus. It will start at 6pm from Roscoe Middle School travel East along Elevator Road and then South on Main Street to the Roscoe United Methodist Church. Then there will be a moving memorial service at the church starting at 7pm. If you have never attended one in the past, please do this year. We also will have fire personnel attending a National Fire Code meeting on the 22. Halloween is on a Monday this year and we’ll have a lot of little spooks running around. Be sure to trick or treat at the fire station to get your treat from Sparky! On top of all this activity, we are still setting records on the number of emergency calls nearly every month. My question, are we having fun yet?

Construction Updates

• Hononegah Road is still under construction. So far no accidents there – we hope that continues.

• Willowbrook Road between Rockton Road and Prairie Hill Road is closed and only local

traffic is allowed. • Hwy 251 is being resurfaced from Hwy 173 to Hwy 75 and will

have lanes closed at different time as well as intersections along 251.

• The 251 bridge over Rockton Road is being resurfaced is still down to one lane.

• Swanson Road East of Hwy 251 is now under construction.

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Accidents Photos by Sheryl Drost

09/14/05 2-vehicle plus pedestrian accident – 3 victims transported by ambulance, 1 by helicopter, 1 not injured.

09/13/05 I-90 Fatal 09/16/05 Rockton Road and I-90 Exit Ramp

09/25/05 Prairie Hill Road and Willowbrook Road 09/25/05 Hwy 251 north of Ralston Road

09/19/05 Cherrywood 10/03/05 Hamborg and Skyview

10/03/05 Hwy 173 and Belvidere Road

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Chaplains Notes By Chaplain Jim Cole

Branson, Missouri is a family friendly place. You can take your children to any show, and not hear something of which you would be ashamed. And what impressed me was the unabashed patriotism of the place. Most every show honored veterans. Whenever they sang songs like "God Bless America," or "Proud to be an American," the audience without prompting, would stand. We went on this bus trip with station WGSL seven years ago, but we do not intend to wait seven years again. My wife Betty and I were at the First Assembly parking lot in Rockford to leave at 5:00am (that is the middle of the night!) on a bus to Branson, Missouri. We got there about 4:30 to a nice motel. We saw the first show that evening, right there at the theater at the motel. It was a musical program with a lot of humor, which set the tone for the whole week. We saw four shows that were basically country/bluegrass, all with comedians that kept us in stitches. Tuesday afternoon, we went to the Showboat Branson Belle. This was a big paddlewheel boat made just for that lake. The food was so tasty and the program was tops. In addition to the musical people, there was a ventriloquist whose dummy was a little bulldog. Believe it or not, he was able to move the dog’s mouth as he would a dummy, and the dog just sat there. In fact, he had three dogs in all. We saw the Baldknobbers, which group was one of the two that really began the saga of Branson as it is today. This was basically bluegrass, which I enjoy immensely. Wednesday afternoon, we saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The story line faithfully followed the Bible tale, but the dancing girls were not Scriptural! The man who played the part of Pharaoh did a takeoff on Elvis Presley, which was priceless. As a change of pace from bluegrass and country/western, we saw the Great Passion Play. It is produced in a big outdoor amphitheater, and was awesome. We got to see a dance show featuring Irish dancing. I can watch that kind of dancing anytime. In addition to the shows, of course, we did do some shopping. At one plaza there was an antique auto show, including a 1953 Allstate car. This sign said it was not a "Henry J" but an Allstate. You could buy one from Sears, believe it or not. Only lasted a couple of years and really it was a Henry J (do you remember the Henry J? I do!). If you’ve never been to Branson, you ought to!

This year’s Fire Prevention Week Theme is “Use Candles with Care”. Candles may be beautiful, but too often they are the cause of deadly home fires. In 2001 alone, candles started an estimated 18,000 home fires and caused 190 deaths. What’s more, young school-age children are the most likely to be the victims of fires started by candles.

Fire Prevention Week Activities

Harlem-Roscoe Firefighters will be visiting and performing fire drills and/or fire safety talks at all the Schools in the Harlem-Roscoe Fire District. Ralston School’s 1st graders will again be visiting Harlem-Roscoe’s Fire Station #2, and this year, some classes from Stone Creek School will be touring Station #1. Group tours to the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Stations are also a common occurrence during October. To schedule a tour call the office @815-623-7867.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire also has teamed up with Pizza Hut and the American Red Cross to host a “Home Hazard Hunt” Contest. Information and forms were sent home with all the grade school students in the district. After performing a home safety hazard check with their parents, students turned their completed forms back into their school, and received a coupon for a free Pizza Hut pan pizza. Then, two students from each school will be drawn and win a pizza party with Harlem-Roscoe Firefighters at the Fire Station.

OPEN HOUSE • Sunday, October 16, 2005 • Noon - 3PM • Harlem-Roscoe Fire Station #1 10544 Main Street in Roscoe.

Come visit Sparky and the Harlem-Roscoe Firefighters. Be sure to check out the Fire Trucks, the Kid Safe Smoke House, and try the new interactive fire hazards demonstration as well as other activities. Refreshments will be served.

Birthdays

October

7th Richard Schoonover ‘70’ 10th Brad Delmore 12th April Cooper 15th Ryans Alms 17th Dave Doyle 26th Tom Aaker 31st Bob Stark November

1st Jerry McCormick Don Shoevlin 3rd Joe Quast Bill Scheider 11th Kelly Green 16th Jim Daughenbaugh November Breakfast Crew

Kirk Wilson, Jim Johnson, Jeff Ball, Vern Sarver,

& John Donovan

Total Calls

September 2005

Medicals - 120 938 Accidents - 13 154 Fires - 10 117 Misc. - 56 235 Total Calls 199 1444

The Firehouse Scene is a monthly newsletter produced by the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District. Editor-in-Chief – Chief Oscar Presley Editor, Producer, Writer, & Photos by Photographer Sheryl Drost Special thanks to this month’s contributing writers: Assistant Chief Ken O’Dell, Lt. John Bergeron, Tracy Wilson, and Chaplain Jim Cole. Printer – Premier Printing The newsletter is available at Station One - 10544 Main Street in Roscoe and on the depts.’ website www.harlemroscoefire.com after the second Sunday of each month.

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J

October 1, 2005 Tom & Amber Aaker

EMS Report By Lt. John Bergeron

The PHTLS Provider Class is still slated for November. It is worth 16 hours of Continuing Education. The sign up sheet is posted at Station One.

For those interested in becoming a PHTLS Instructor, the class will be held in December,

date unknown. If interested in becoming an instructor, please contact me. You must hold a valid PHTLS card to take the instructors course.

There will be a meeting for all CPR Instructors coming shortly. Lt. Tim Bergeron will post the time and date for this meeting. Please make every effort to attend.

All ambulances have been outfitted with new Pulse Ox units. They are carried in the O2 bag. They are slightly different than the older ones. Please become familiar with them. Pet Resuscitation Masks

Deputy Chief Kirk Wilson holds up one of the new breathing masks for pets that are now on each of the ambulances.

Times Rekindled

Former Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief Jack Brown joined Harlem-Roscoe Fire on August 23, 1953 as a firefighter. He was Chief Ben Alexander’s Assistant Chief for 18 years and retired in February 1984 after becoming Chief the year before. His first fire was the Brown’s barn fire out on Beloit Road. At that time they had

three trucks - a grass rig, a 1941 old gas tank truck they used for shuttling water, and a 1951 Darly Pumper that held 500 gallons of water. He said the barn had burned to the ground but they spent the night out there with the burning hay. Jack’s most memorable call was a storage building fire that caught a cornfield on fire on Willowbrook Road. Jack recalls, “The wind was blowing and the fire in the cornfield was heading north toward some houses. Don Hall was driving the grass rig and it died out in the middle of the field with fire all around him. We worked hard to get to them before the fire did. We also stopped the fire before it made it to the houses to the north.” Then there was the garbage dump fire down on the east side of Hwy 251 and Hwy 173. He said it took them days to get that fire out. Jack also remembers the basement fire in a house down on Sleepy Hollow when it was very cold. Jack remembers, “The trucks were covered with ice and were freezing up. Our coats were frozen shut and we used our helmets to break the ice to get them open. Plus we had to ride back on the back of the trucks!” One of the funnier calls he remembers was when Chief Cobby Rogers lost his false teeth when they were heading in on a hose line to a house fire. “Cobby kept yelling watch out for my teeth, don’t step on my teeth” Jack recalls. He said Cobby found them, washed them off with the hose line, and put them in his pocket. Jack agrees a lot has changed in the last 50 years. Getting stuff in your eyes and breathing smoke was rough so getting air masks, even the first crude ones, helped. He remembers them sending Harry Schoonover into the fire with one of those first face masks (it was just a mask with a charcoal filter on the bottom of it that you breathed through). Well Harry kept coming right back out and they would send him back in wondering what was going on. Well after the second time he came right back out, they figured out they had forgotten to pull the tape off the bottom of the canister so Harry could breath. Those were the first types of air masks and they had only 2 or 3 of them, so not everyone got one. He says he also remembers the times before 9-1-1 and dispatchers. There were no pagers – they would respond when the siren was set off. When asked what he thinks of Harlem-Roscoe Fire, Jack responded, “Ain’t no better in the country! We have proved that throughout our history. We didn’t stand by. We have always went with the times and pushed schooling.”

Left, this picture was taken from the Rockton Herald and reads: “Virgil Johnson, Jerry Schreck, and Jack Brown, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) on the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Dept., are applying for seats in upcoming paramedic classes. Laurence Michaelson (not pictured) is also applying”.

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By Captain Don Shoevlin As we enter the last quarter of the year, you can still see changes being made to our training. • We will now be having daytime training. You will receive 5

points for this when a training sheet is filled out and signed by an officer. The monthly calendar will be posted in the training office at Station One for the Officers to follow.

• Station Captains have the 3rd quarter training points. Please check with them on your status.

• There are new Training Point System Guidelines posted at all stations for your review.

• We are having a MANDATORY driving class on 11/15 and 11/22. Information is posted at your station.

• The new recruit class in running good. We have 10 recruits and will be starting another class in Feb. 2006. Thank you for all who have helped.

Keep watching the sign up board at Station 1. This is where I will post any outside classes that are available. They usually have a date, which we must reply by. As always suggestions, ideas, and question are always welcome.

Extrication Drills Photos by Sheryl Drost A couple Tuesday night drill in September focused on practicing the firefighter’s extrication skills. Junk cars were cut apart as firefighters went through several scenarios the Extrication Team had set up for them to rescue victims.

Dan Zintak operates the controls as Ron Klaman checks on the air bag as they practice lifting a vehicle. Extrication Team member Ramona Baldoni watches their progress.

Paul Stanphill and Chris Scott practice securing the car.

2005 Float

MABAS Division 8’s Katrina Crew Returns

Photos by Sheryl Drost

Ron Klaman and Tom Lake string up their side of the welcome home sign.

Harlem-Roscoe’s aerial was used to help hold up the welcome home sign as the team arrived home to North Park Fire’s Wood Avenue Station.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. . . . Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.

. . . Martha Washington

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Construction Begins at Station Three Photos by Chief Presley and Sheryl Drost

Construction has begun on the new addition to Station Three. A cement pad has been poured and the garage will be moved to make way for the addition. The bathroom and kitchen area have been gutted and the remodeling has begun. The old bay floor was dug out and the new floor has been poured. After the garage is moved, the new walls should start going up.

Station 3½? Photos by Sheryl Drost

Station Three trucks and personnel have now been moved to a temporary location until construction is finished on their station. Captain Shoevlin and his firefighters have dubbed it Station 3½. Or as recent radio traffic had 706 back at the “barn”!

Captain Shoevlin even has a desk!

Firefighter gear racks are nails on the wall and folding chairs.

Captains Pet?

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Jon Pyzynski and DC Richard Schoonover sell raffle tickets at the festival.

Raffle Winners

1st Prize – Husqvarna Zero Turn Riding Mower went to Jim Argyle

2nd Prize – Barbecue Gas Grill Package went to Kathy Pomahac

3rd Prize – 6-Month YMCA Family Membership

4th Prize – Child’s Fire Truck Pedal Car

Joe lost his list with the names of #3 and #4. They have picked up their winnings. So if anyone knows these names, please call the fire station.

Fall Festival Weekend Activities

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New Sign for Station One

With the new maintenance addition completed it was time to put the sign up on the new west side of the building. The original letters and emblems had been salvaged. First, Richard Fisher came in and repaired all the letters and the emblems (pictured below). Then, left, Assistant Chief Ken and Captain Bill Sabin glued them up on the wall.

Dick Fisher repairs the backs of one of the emblems.

The new sign looks great.

Oscar for Show & Tell

Little Logan Wilson attends Stepping Stones Preschool on Second Street in Roscoe. His dad is Deputy Chief Kirk Wilson and him mom is dispatcher Tracy Wilson. So, Logan knows the ins and outs of the fire station and all the personnel pretty well. When it came time for him to bring in something that started with an O for show and tell, you guessed it, he wanted to bring in Oscar! Pictured above is little Logan Wilson with Oscar during O week show and tell.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS by Tracy Wilson Halloween is a fun time for kids, but it is also an important time to be vigilant for possible safety hazards. We want your children to have a fun and safe Halloween. Here are some tips to make

Halloween safe: Costume Safety • Make sure the costume is made of a flame retardant

material. Children will be going up on porches with jack-o-lanterns and you don’t want a brief contact with flames to catch the costume on fire. Have your children rehearse the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” technique in case their clothes do catch on fire.

• Try to use make-up instead of masks when ever possible. Masks obstruct vision and make it more difficult to breath. Use only hypoallergenic make-up. If your child insists on wearing a mask, make sure the holes are large enough in the eyes, nose, and mouth (cut them bigger if you have to).

• Choose bright colored costumes • If you find yourself with a little

witch or vampire, add reflective tape or fabric paint. It is as easy as adding stars cut out of reflective tape to the cape.

• Knives, swords and other props should be made of a flexible material so that they don’t pose a hazard if fallen on.

Trick-or-Treating Safety • Children should be supervised by an adult when trick-or-

treating. • Always carry a flashlight. Make sure that your children can

be seen. Use glow sticks or reflective tape on trick-or-treat bags. Do anything you can do to make sure you and your goblins can be seen.

• Stick to well lit houses in a familiar neighborhood. • Follow the rules of the road; avoid taking shortcuts across

backyards, and use sidewalks whenever possible. • Drive slowly! Children don’t drive cars; therefore they do

not have any idea on how long it takes to stop a car. Candy Safety • Instruct your children to bring all candy home before eating

it so that you can carefully inspect it for tampering. Children shouldn’t snack while they’re out trick-or-treating. Parents should have a chance to inspect the goodies first.

• Tell children not to accept – and especially not eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped.

• Throw out any treats that are unwrapped or appear to have been tampered with. Example – pinholes in wrappers, torn wrappers, etc.

• Parents with young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys.

Adhering to these safety tips will help to ensure that all the scares this Halloween will be ones you can enjoy. Harlem-Roscoe Fire wants you to have fun and stay safe.

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Station Funnies

Ah, the last days of summer!

Station Gossip

• !!!Fire Prevention Week is printed wrong in our Harlem-Roscoe Calendar! The correct week is Oct. 9-15 with Open House on Oct. 16th from noon until 3. It will be held at Station One this year due to the construction at Station Three. All firefighters are strongly encouraged to attend. There will be a lot going on and much help will be needed.

• Harlem-Roscoe is hosting this year’s… o Stateline Area Firefighters Memorial o October 22, 2005 o 5pm - Staging and Lineup for Fire Trucks and

Firefighters will be at Roscoe Middle School at 6121 Elevator Road.

o 6pm – Processional (including Bagpipers, Color Guards, Firefighters and Fire Apparatus from Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Fire Departments) will start at the Middle School, proceed West along Elevator Road, turn South on Main Street to the Roscoe United Methodist Church at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets.

o 7pm – Firefighter Memorial Service held at The Roscoe United Methodist Church on Main Street in Roscoe.

• Since Harlem-Roscoe Fire is the host this year, we are hoping to also get the public out to watch the processional and attend the ceremony. It is open to everyone. We are requesting everyone hold a lit flashlight along the processional route. If you have never attended one of the previous memorials, please do this year. Firefighters, let’s get a good turnout of our families along the processional route also!

• Extrication Team will be competing in National Competition in Las Vegas November 9-13.

• Mickey Rykowski is back running and all healed. Just wondering, did anyone tell him they moved Station 3?

• Rumor has it Radi has a passion for spiders! • It seems Trustee Bart Munger took the day off to spend some

time with his family and just basically lay back a little with maybe his feet up on the couch. He had his feet up on the pillow alright – in the ambulance ride to the hospital with a hurt ankle from a fall. Hope everything is healing well Bart.

• You all know where the Hononegah Lake is right? Well, if you didn’t, you will find it right next to the new Roscoe Sand Dunes on Hononegah Road in front of Hilander.

• Now Tom and Ramona say they got married, but still no pictures!!

Almanac Warns of 'Polar Coaster' Winter By JERRY HARKAVY, AP LEWISTON, Maine (Aug. 28)

Get your sweaters, mittens, and hats ready. The Farmers' Almanac warns that the coming winter will bring unusually sharp fluctuations in temperature, and says readers "may be reminded of riding a roller, or in this case, 'polar' coaster." "Mother Nature seems to be in the mood for some amusement this winter season," the almanac said in its 2006 edition, just off the presses. The coldest weather will be in the Northeast, which also will get plenty of snow, the almanac said. It predicts cold weather for the South and Mid-Atlantic regions and snowy but mild weather in the Great Lakes and Midwest. Parts of the Rockies and the Great Plains may have drier-than-normal weather, adding to the area's continuing drought, but wetter-than-normal weather is predicted for the Pacific Northwest and lower Texas.