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!

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.

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