Local Resources
Cook
County:
www.co.cook.il.us
Cook County
Sheriffs Police: www.cookcountysheriff.org
Eisenhower
Library:
www.eisenhowerlibrary.org
Giles
and Leigh School District 80 -
www.norridge80.org
Illinois State
Police:
www.isp.state.il.us
Harwood
Heights, Norridge Chamber of Commerce -
www.harwoodchamber.org
JFH
Educational Academy
www.jfhacademy.com
Main South
High School:
www.south.maine207.org
Office of the
State Fire Marshall: www.state.il.us/osfm
Norridge
Park District -
www.norridgepk.com
Pennoyer
School - www.pennoyerschool.org
Ridgewood High
School:
www.ridgenet.org
St.
Paul Lutheran Elementary School
www.stpaulcanfield.org
The
Academy at Divine Savior
www.stpriscillaacademy.org
Union
Ridge School -
www.urs86.k12.il.us/
Village of
Norridge (includes Police and Public Works): www.villageofnorridge.com
Village of
Harwood Heights (includes PD and Public Works): www.harwoodheights.org
Fire and Life Safety Resources
American
Burn Association:
www.ameriburn.org
Consumer
Product Safety Commission:
www.cpsc.gov
Home Safety
Council:
www.homesafetycouncil.org
Illinois
Poison Control Center:
www.mchc.org/ipc
Illinois Fire
Safety Alliance:
www.ifsa.org
Safety
Resources:
www.safetyresource.org/firesafety.html
Seatcheck.net:
www.seatcheck.net
SafeKids:
www.safekids.org
Additional Resources
Alzheimer's Resource Site:
www.thiscaringhome.org
Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: www.atf.treas.gov
Federal
Aviation Administration:
www.faa.gov
Federal
Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov
Illinois
Department of Public Health: www.idph.state.il.us
My
Safe Home: www.mysafehome.org
National
Transportation Safety Bureau: www.ntsb.gov
National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health: www.cdc.gov/niosh
National
Fallen Firefighters Foundation: www.firehero.org
Occupational
Safety and Health Administration: www.osha.gov
Residential
Fire Sprinkler Protection Systems by Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition:
www.homefiresprinkler.org
Underwriter's
Laboratory: www.ul.com
Articles
Don’t See Red This Summer!
July 2010
What a beautiful Summer it’s turning out to be! July’s fireworks have
rolled over into beach worthy days and hot Summer nights! Now more than
ever we’re leaving the house for children’s camps, beaches and pools,
and playgrounds. Ever present with such beautiful days is a temptation
to avoid the basics while getting out there, and forgetting those little
things might get you burned!
Without proper sun protection, people can begin to burn within 15
minutes of being outside. What, however, is ‘proper’ sun protection, and
what do those fancy SPF numbers on the bottle mean? Most important, what
can be done if there’s an “Oops” in the sun?
SPF actually means something!!!! It stands for Sun Protection Factor,
and the numbers to guide you range from 2 to somewhere around 50. Those
numbers represent an ideal time factor of protection. SPF 2 through 15
work mathematically in this way. Say it takes you 15 minutes to burn
without a protective sunscreen. An SPF rating of 4 means that you could
be in that same sun for four times that 15 minutes, or one hour, before
starting to burn. This works all the way through SPF 15, at which point
the extra protective time falls off dramatically.
That reads great, doesn’t it? So simple to work out in your head how
safe you are…but there are a lot of factors that alter that number and
give you less protection. For maximum effectiveness, sunscreen should be
put on 20 minutes before going outside in the sun. It also needs to be
applied evenly over the whole body, reapplied regularly or when you get
wet (like the pool or lake), and that the numbers are only accurate if
the amount of time needed in the sun before burning begins is a
constant, which is not true at this time of year!
So add sun protection early and often, and know what to do if you or
someone you love starts getting a burn. A helpful sheet on sunburn can
be found by
clicking here.
Remember to watch your families, particularly the very young and very
old, for signs of sunburn or sun poisoning, and take the proper safety
steps before and after to keep yourselves safe!
The Big Bang Theory
July 2010
What are fireworks? What is a fireworks show? Why am I asking such a
silly question on the eve of the fourth of July, one of our countries
most lavish and revered public displays of noise and light?
Fireworks have been documented as far back as the 12th century, where
they were used in China to both frighten away evil spirits and as a
prayer for happiness. In America, fireworks even predated the American
Independence that they have come to represent. The displays have become
more scientific since then, bigger, more colorful and louder fireworks
have become the norm. Within the fireworks professional communities,
Pyrotechnicians have dedicated themselves to safer displays (often borne
of tragedy) for these amazing ceremonies, to the point where injuries or
loss of life at professional events have been largely curtailed.
Disneyland, for example, started launching fireworks with compressed air
a few years ago, instead of the traditional gunpowder, and found it lead
to better timing and accuracy.
Fireworks in the home, however, are a different story. The average
person in our country gains education about fireworks from personal
experience and reading instructions on a package rather than formal
education, and often entrust their judgement in this education to the
use of smaller pyrotechnics when handing them off to children and
friends. Herein lies the problem. Let’s look this year at a very
specific, very serious misuse of one particular pyrotechnic, the
Sparkler.
As a consumer firework, Sparklers are one of the most common devices
handed off to young children on the fourth of July. By all appearances
it seems relatively benign, a stick throwing off bright lights and a
shower of sparks when lit. These sparklers are responsible for some
horrendous burn injuries among children however, simply because they
seem so harmless. I want to go over some interesting comparisons between
Sparklers and some common sense heat sources you keep children away from
in the home for safeties sake, compiled by the Illinois Fire Safety
Alliance.
Children and matches don’t mix, everyone agrees with this. A match burns
at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (we’ll use Fahrenheit for all of our numbers
in this article from now on), but a Sparkler burns hotter than that
match. Pizzas cook in your oven at about 425-450 degrees, and we keep
children from playing with or around ovens because of the burn risk,
right? Guess what-Sparklers burn hotter than your oven too. Let’s take a
jaunt to a factory that melts glass, which is 900 degrees. Are we there
yet?
Not yet. In fact, Sparklers burn hotter than temperatures needed to melt
that glass, or even aluminum-which melts at 1200 degrees. If we still
aren’t hot enough for you, then let’s give away the correct answer. A
lit Sparkler burns at up to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, four times the heat
needed to cook your pizza! Yet this awesome heat is contained in a small
stick being held by a little child not old enough in some cases to use
the bathroom yet. It should be a little clearer now how these injuries
have occurred year after year among children. Many times it’s just that
you haven’t run the numbers in a way that you can relate to as
responsible and loving adults. So now we’ve crunched those numbers,
let’s think about our kids this Fourth of July, and keep them safe.
Sparklers aren’t for children with adult supervision. They’re for adults
only, just like an oven, or matches. Keep your children safe, and
celebrate the holidays responsibly.
Out and About This Summer!
June 2010
Summer arrived hard this past month, with temperatures climbing
thirty degrees overnight in some cases, and after a long winter, people
have started finding themselves climbing the walls to get out and start
enjoying summertime. For most, this means camps, sports,
vacations...anything that takes the family into sunlight and away from
electronics...and most people will get there by automobile.
Automobile vacations are already up for the year, and even more so
automobile staycations (there’s a term that will be in dictionaries
soon!). Of course we’ve been inundated with a variety of safety talks
and commercials to limit accidents. Everything from ‘Click It or Ticket’
to free child safety seat checks are touted regularly in most media
forms. Despite this, nationwide there have already been 66 fatalities of
children based on automobile accidents THAT WEREN’T COLLISIONS. So what
types of accidents could these be? Playing with seat belts, windows, and
other vehicle devices account for many of them. Another type of incident
is becoming more prevalent, leaving children unattended in the car.
It doesn’t take much, in all honesty, for a perfect day out to become a
tragedy. In a car with windows closed, the interior temperature can
climb a degree a minute and more for the first half hour, meaning that
it’s entirely possible an infant could die of hyperthermia on a
comfortable 75 degree day in less than 20 minutes. Children in the past
have died on substantially cooler days as the car becomes stifling also,
since the body over time loses it’s ability to compensate for the heat
building up. Although it’s believed that cracking the windows would make
a significant impact, studies have shown this to not be true, as the
heat cannot be released as quickly as it builds in the vehicle. An
illustration of this type was seen on a large scale in the 1990's in
Chicago, when the heat build up overcame people in their homes and
apartments without air conditioning...at that time, fans did little more
than push heated air around. Who were the victims? Elderly, children,
and the sick.
But we will be driving around this summer...and it will be hot! There
will be children in our cars and some of us won’t have air conditioning.
So what can be done? Here are some tips to help you make the most of a
safe season:
When traveling with kids, whether on business or pleasure, keep your
“needs” in the backseat on the floor (be that a cell phone, laptop, or
diaper bag). Then you’ll have to go back there every time you stop to
get them , reducing the danger of a child being left behind or even
temporarily forgotten. Children and infants are small and hard to see,
infant seats also face backwards and so you can’t readily see a child in
the rearview mirror. Keep them on the passenger side or in the middle of
the back seat whenever practical, to improve their visibility to you.
Keep kids in the fluids, and out of the car! Follow pediatrician
recommendations for drinking water and other drinks in the heat to keep
hydrated, and make sure the car is a “No Go Zone” for kids, who love to
play inside parked cars without realizing the dangers even an unlocked
car can have for a playful child. Also, practice practicality for your
car. Unlock all doors and keep your key in hand or out of pockets and
purses when placing your child in the car after or before shopping.
Children have been locked in cars at the mall by parents who strapped
them in and inadvertently triggered the automatic locks on the car
doors. If you’re shopping locally, make sure someone reliable can get
access to a spare car key at your house, and call 911 for assistance
from Police and Fire Departments. Don’t wait when you discover a
problem, a degree a minute on a hot day doesn’t give you the time you
think you have!
Lastly- Your child always leaves the car when you do! Even if it’s only
“for a second”. There is no inconvenience so great to risk a child’s
life, and we have a habit of losing track of time on errands, so play it
safe!
For more tips and tricks to child safety in vehicles, please check out
www.Kidsandcars.org.
Have a great summer, and a safe one with your family!
Big Boots to Fill!
May 2010
You may have noticed in the past few weeks that Firefighters have
been plying the streets of our local communities, walking back and forth
between stopped cars at lights and holding high an old boot. “Fill The
Boot!” and other slogans abound at these lights.
It’s not unusual to feel slightly invaded at these lights as we walk
back and forth in our red vests, brochures hanging out…but Firefighters
soliciting money?! What’s THAT all about?
For firefighters there are few charities as near and dear to our
hearts as those that deal with burn prevention and recovery. In the last
week, the Norwood Park Fire Protection District firefighters had an
inter-shift competition to raise money for one of these charities, the
Illinois Fire Safety Alliances annual Burn Camp.
Camp I Am Me is a camp for burn survivors that’s held every summer,
funded in part by contributions donated to firefighters from people on
the street Just Like You! This year, by raising money at intersections,
the firefighters were able to raise $7,999.95 for sponsoring kids to
attend camp. Take a look at the video below to see how giving just a
little can make such a huge difference in a child’s life. We were proud
to do our best to help these kids, and we thank all of you for reaching
out to us with every amount, large and small, to help fill those boots
and make summer a whole lot more fun for these kids! Thank you again,
for more information check out the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s
website at www.ifsa.org.
Click here to watch the Camp "I Am Me" Illinois Fire Safety Alliance
Burn Camp video.
Spring Cleaning
April 2010
It’s the middle of the month, and we’re comfortably away from the 1st
of April, enough so that we can discuss Spring Cleaning without having
to, as Eduard de Dene said “Refrain on errand-day/which is the first of
April”.
As you can see from the picture, sometimes we accumulate things in
our homes and apartments that just shouldn’t be there. Although this
picture was an automobile accident, it does humorously underscore the
point that we tend to add a lot of things to our home that end up being
in the way…clutter.
Why is clutter and mess in the home an issue for firefighters? Simply
because of the potential hazards they can become. Homes with a large
amount of materials have a greater fire and life safety risk. In part
it’s because of the nature of the materials themselves. Paper, cardboard
and other materials are highly flammable, and once ignited they create a
massive fuel load, allowing the fire to spread very quickly and creating
more smoke and fumes. Furthermore, they create problems with moving
within the building, making a person’s escape and a firefighter’s entry
extremely difficult.
In extreme cases, even rooms that aren’t on fire present a very real
danger to firefighters, as materials accumulated can shift and collapse
on firefighters as they are bumped or become soaked with water.
Of course, these are exceptions to the average household. Since we’re
talking about spring cleaning, let’s take a second and dwell on our
dwellings, maybe learn about a few small changes that make a big
difference.
First and foremost, Daylight Saving Time has come and gone…did you
change you smoke detector batteries? Make sure those detectors work and
are ready to go, they are the very first line of defense in any house
fire!
Second, check your house for things that might impede your quick
escape. Everything looks great from where you’re standing, but have a
child (or a grandchild) test your house for escape worthiness. How? Have
them (under your supervision so they don’t get hurt) close their eyes
and go from the bedroom to the front or back door. How long did it take?
What got in their way and confused them? Remember that in a fire your
vision will be obscured and it’ll be hard to breathe-organize your home
and spring clean with this in mind! If you are a little older or unable
to crawl-plan for a way to call for help should the worst happen. Make
sure you can open your bedroom windows to call for help and get fresh
air, and keep a phone or a way to contact 911 near your bed.
Finally: Keep that house clean! Look around you and see if there’s
things you’ve “meant to clean up” or get rid of. Take a second and move
them out! A cleaner, more organized house is better for you, us, the
environment, AND your home.
Enjoy yourselves this spring, and keep safe!
March 14th is Great Timing for Fire Safety!
Spring is fast approaching, and snow melts faster than it
accumulates. March means a lot of things to the Fire Service. The nature
of the calls we respond to are a little different than they were last
month, and we work on addressing different safety topics than we did
when it was cold out.
One opportunity we have for making our homes safer in March is Daylight
Saving Time (improperly referred to as Daylight Savings Time). For
hundreds of years time was based on the position of the sun (some of the
first ‘timepieces’ were sundials), and noon was always when the sun was
at it’s highest, which meant it was always a local phenomena. Although
this way of determining time of day (called Apparent Solar Time) works
locally, it plays havoc with travelers, who is the early days of travel
would have to reset their watches sometimes more than 5 times along a
thirty mile ride. In fact, the transportation industry is responsible
for Daylight Saving Time as we know it (and in the U.S. it is currently
regulated and changed as necessary by the Department of Transportation),
and they have been since it was first instituted anywhere in the world,
back in 1840 with the English railroads adoption of London time.
So how do railroad timetables and adoption of time zones help us at
home? Because it gives us a reliable method of scheduling maintenance
that can be performed while changing our clocks to reflect the ‘new’
time of day. Smoke Detectors should be checked for service monthly, but
we ask that all residents replace their batteries twice a year, and we
selected the Daylight Saving Time for this (this year-the date we change
our clocks and Smoke Detector batteries is March 14th, by the way).
Keeping track of time and safety is easier when combined into a single
task, and we ask you to also check the age of your Smoke Detectors and
see how long they’ve been in your house. Smoke Detectors are most
efficient in the first six or so years of life, and many of them have
expiration dates to reflect when components are worn out and are no
longer considered reliable. Time of day is different depending on your
location in the world, but safety never takes time off, so take a moment
on March 14th to check those detectors and change their batteries!
Auld Lang Syne
December 31, 2009
The end of the year marks all types of festivities, from the gift
giving and religious holidays to the New Year’s celebrations. The end of
one year marks the beginning of another. Many people take time to
consider the events that have happened, and think about things that are
yet to be. One tradition is the New Year’s resolution. People either
select goals to accomplish, or bad habits to give up in the coming year.
Another tradition is the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Although those words
as written may not be all that familiar to many people, the first verse
is guaranteed to spark recognition. As adapted from a poem by Rabbie
Burns, the first verse is “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never
brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne?”
Auld lang syne translates roughly as “times gone by”. The song reminds
us of the importance of the good old days, and the not so good old days.
As we wrap up the year 2009 in fun and festivities, let’s take a look at
some of our times gone by from this year, and resolve to prevent
accidents in 2010.
In the business world, this is called being proactive. Your fire
department works daily at being proactive at all levels in the
community-whether it’s child safety seat installations, condominium fire
safety talks, or having our Fire Inspector check businesses for code
compliance. As the New Year approaches, let’s take a moment to resolve
to be proactive as individuals, for the sake of our families and us.
When you’re in a building, take a moment to find a second exit in the
event of a problem-include your workplace here. Check your smoke
detectors one more time; watch traffic a little more closely at
intersections. If you see someone doing something they shouldn’t,
whether it’s under-aged drinking or playing with lighters…make the call.
Anonymously or not, a quiet word to the right person can stop an
accident before it happens.
We tend to recall our old times when seeing others do things. This world
is not the one that we enjoyed when we were younger, however. Our having
avoided an accident is no indication that someone else will. So I ask
all of you to make a New Year’s resolution for fire and life safety, so
we can all sit back one day and talk of auld lang syne!
Stay Safe When You're In Deep
Winter 2009/10
It looks like the snow is here to stay! It seemed for the longest
time that our calendar was a month fast when we wouldn’t see heavy
snowfall and ice until the New Year. It looks like we’ll be shoveling a
lot more this year. It’s a good idea as we predict a fairly snow laden
winter to review a little personal and family safety when it comes to
removing that snow and ice from our front steps.
For those of you with snow blowers, here are a few essentials to
remember, things that haven’t changed a great deal since the first snow
blower was introduced in 1953. Number one, and most important: Remember
that this is a tool for snow removal, not a toy. It requires diligence
and alertness when operating the machine, even for short periods of
time. Always check around you when starting and operating your snow
blower for debris which could become a flying hazard and children whom
may be playing. The blades in the snow blower are not discriminatory
towards children and toys; they’ll cut up and throw anything they can.
Also remember to turn the blower off before cleaning out clogs of snow.
Follow your manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning and servicing
the blower. Don’t take the blower being off for granted! Releasing a
plugged set of blades may cause them to suddenly start turning again. If
your snow blower comes with a tool for cleaning out debris, use it
following the manufacturers’ recommendations!
Of course there’s always the good old fashioned standby, the shovel. For
the calorie conscious, a 15 minute spell is considered moderate physical
activity, akin to brisk walking or dancing. This is bad news for people
whom moderate physical activity or stress can be dangerous, for
example-those with heart conditions. The greatest loss of life after
large snowstorms is related to the physical activity and strain placed
upon the hearts of people doing the shoveling. Shoveling, already a
source of higher blood pressure and heart rates, can be made even more
problematic if the weather is particularly cold, or you haven’t dressed
for the cold properly.
So what to do? If you have a history or heart related problems, don’t
tackle the snow head on, get help. Ask your physician if you should be
shoveling the snow, and take his advice.
Be careful with the shoveling. Use a smaller shovel to lift less snow
(and therefore less weight) with each scoop, and lift properly to
protect your back from injury.
Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water before you begin, and avoid
nicotine and caffeine. These are stimulants which will increase your
heart rate and blood pressure and place extra stress on your heart.
Dress for the weather, using multiple layers to keep warm. You can
always take them off if you begin to overheat.
Think of shoveling as a workout, prepare by warming up appropriately-and
listen to your body! If something starts to hurt-stop shoveling
immediately!
And finally, be prepared for ice, and potential slipping. Keeping your
walkways clean means you and your loved ones can get to where you’re
going safely.
Enjoy the new year safely-one step at a time!
H1N1 - Why is H1N1 called H1N1?
November 2009
H1N1 Information
Influenza A has gone by a variety of types and names over the years,
the most current so-called “swine” flu being the H1N1 virus...but where
does the term H1N1 come from?
Each of the letters stands for an antigen (protein) on the virus itself,
which hooks into cells in your body. The H stands for hemagglutinin (of
which there are 16 basic shapes) and the N for neuraminidase (which has
9). The virus is identified by these hemagglutinin and neuraminidase
combinations. A variant of the 2009 H1N1 itself was first identified
around 1918.
For more information about H1N1 and Influenza, please visit
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm. The schools within the boundaries
of the Norwood Park Fire Protection District can be accessed from our
Links section for up-to-date local information regarding schools and the
virus.
The Bulletin Article
What I Wish
People Knew About EMS, Firefighters, Dispatchers and Law Enforcement
Department News
January 8, 2010
Engine 103 Receives a New Assignment!
It’s
no surprise to anyone that Fire Engines have longevity. When a Fire
Department makes a purchase of a Pumper or other apparatus, the costs
after outfitting with equipment and utilities can be as much as a single
family house! For that reason, Fire Engines are scrupulously maintained,
repaired, and taken care of. The miles it drives are low on an annual
basis, but the stress of those short term miles and the conditions it
runs in will eventually take their toll on even the best equipment.
The Norwood Park Fire Protection District recently retired and sold
Engine 103, a Pierce Lance (make and model) Pumper it purchased in the
Spring of 1992. The Engine, equipped with a 750 gallon water tank and a
40 gallon foam tank, originally seated 6 firefighters when purchased but
was retrofitted for four when space was needed for EMS equipment (when
our front line engine was converted to an ALS, or Advanced Life Support,
response vehicle a few years ago). It served our Fire District for over
17 years, responding to multiple fires and EMS calls as well as, more
sadly, a funeral caisson when Firefighter Christopher Goldsworthy passed
away in 2006. Engine 103 served us proudly…and is now beginning a new
life with the Garden Valley Fire Department of Idaho.
You see, the cost of new Fire Equipment is prohibitive to some Fire
Departments, as a result they look for used equipment which is
affordable, well maintained, and costs less to operate annually. Norwood
Park was able to sell Engine 103 to Garden Valley, whom had it shipped
via flatbed truck to their location in December. Norwood Park continues
to be served by Engines 101 and 102, as well as Truck 104 and three
ambulances.
| |
|
Engine
103 at a residential structure (house)
fire near Overhill and
Foster ave. in Norridge. |
Firefighter Steve Henmueller gives elementary
school students a
look at Engine 103's
tools during Fire Prevention Week. |
| |
|
Engine 103 at a multi-alarm structure fire
at Jerry's Auto
Repair. |
Engine 103 served as a funeral caisson for
Firefighter
Christopher Goldsworthy in 2006. |
| |
|
Engine 103 being loaded onto a flatbed for
transport to Idaho.
Because of the size and
clearance of the Engine, a heavy towing
company had to be called in to load it
onto the flatbed. |
Engine 103 loaded and on it's way for
Fire Service for the
Garden Valley
Fire Department in Idaho! |
October 20, 2009
Breast Cancer Fundraiser
The Norwood Park Fireman's Association Local 4210 did a fund raiser
for breast cancer awareness. During the open house and throughout the
month the firemen sold over 700 t-shirts and raised over $7000 for
breast cancer awareness. Click on the image for a larger view.
October 20, 2009 Commissioner Menconi Retires
Fire
Commissioner Marvin Menconi Retires in 2009 after 27 years of dedicated
service. Pictured - Deputy Fire Chief John Kovalcik, Commissioner Marvin
Menconi, and Fire Chief Kevin Stenson. Click on image for larger
view.
July 7, 2008
Commissioner Tom Green Retires
Congratulations, Commissioner Tom Green, on your retirement. Your 25
years you served as a Volunteer and Commissioner has made our Department
a better place. Your dedication and friendship will truly be missed.
June 12, 2008
Lighting Grant Recipient
The Norwood Park Fire Department is proud to announce we have been
awarded a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Lighting
Upgrade Grant Program. The lighting upgrade will enable our
department to improve the lighting quality for the firefighters and
visitors while decreasing operating and maintenance expenses. The
lighting upgrades will save energy, help create a cleaner community, and
serve as an energy efficient model for our neighborhood. Lime
Energy of Elk Grove Village, Illinois has been awarded the contract to
perform the upgrade. For more information on how you can
help minimize pollution in our community please call us.
Employment Opportunities
None at this time.
For Kids

Click here to read the entire GI Joe Comic
Book
Fire Safety Comics Online
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