the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District

PostageHarlem-Roscoe FirePO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

The Firehouse Scene - Page 12www.harlemroscoefi re.com

September 2010 Fire Chief Don Shoevlin Editor Sheryl Drost

Station Gossip Please take note our Fire Prevention Week Open House was changed back to the second Sunday in Fire Pevention week - the 10th. The department calendar however, has it incorrectly on the 3rd.Hey Mike Helland, I promise I won’t tell anyone about what your old teacher, I mean your mom’s friend said. Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters helped with Mud Volleyball again this year with watering of the courts and supplying water to the showers.

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4-Family Apartment FireSee pages 6 & 7

One more time Aaron, what happened?

Mosquitos anyone?

Hey, should we do this for the bike path?

From the Chief’s DeskBy Fire Chief Don Shoevlin

School is back in session, high school football has started and leaves have begun to fall. As the days of sunlight grow shorter, please be careful of our walkers and bike riders.

Last weekend we participated in the annual MDA Fill the Boot campaign. Thank you to everyone who helped and donated. We were able to raise over $5,000.00, which

we have sent to the regional Muscular Dystrophy Association.

This past month, I had the opportunity to attend the International Fire Chief’s Annual Conference. It was held in Chicago at the McCormick Center. There was representation from 21 countries at the conference. It was educational to network with various chiefs and hear about different tactics and strategies that are used. I am amazed and proud, as I talk to various Chief offi cers, on how our department and personnel think and act proactively. We have always had a history of this, and will continue to do so. The show was quite informative as well, in regards to the new technology and equipment that is being developed.

Our Annual Fire Prevention Open House will be on Sun. Oct. 10. This year it will be at Station #2 on Ralston Road from 11am – 2pm. The offi cers and fi refi ghters are busy planning this event. I know that it will be full of activities for kids as well as adults. You will have the opportunity to see equipment, smoke house demonstrations, and tour the station. We will also have a wellness area and the ever-popular Kid’s Firefi ghter Challenge.

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You can Live With.” We will be distributing smoke alarms at the open house for as long as supplies last. See page 10 in this newsletter for more on Fire Prevention Week.

Please check out our website www.harlemroscefi re.com to keep up with the progress of the department and individuals. As always, don’t hesitate to contact me or stop by if I can be of any assistance.

Gone, but not forgotten

Some people come into our lives, and quickly go.Some stay awhile and leave footprints in our hearts.And, we are never, ever the same.

Our deepest sympathies and prayers to FF Mark Schafman and his wife on the loss of their unborn child.Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to Capt. Jay Alms, Lt. Ryan Alms, and FF Megan Alms on the loss of Jay’s sister, Joyce Kittrell on September 5.

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State of Illinois House of Representatives 96th General AssemblyHouse Resolution No. 588

WHEREAS, September 11th is known throughout the country and recognized by the State of Illinois as National Firefi ghters Day to honor the estimated 1,140,900 fi refi ghters that serve across the United States; and

WHEREAS, It is largely unknown that for every fi refi ghter in the country there are roughly 3 volunteer fi refi ghters, and in the State of Illinois, which has an estimated 45,000 fi refi ghters, roughly 31,000 are volunteer fi refi ghters; and

WHEREAS, Just as all our fi refi ghters are courageous,volunteer fi refi ghters serve hundreds of communities in Illinois and face the same dangers with the same amount of bravery; and

WHEREAS, In the past 10 years, there has been an average of 1,684,200 fi res in the United States each year; an average of 3,597 Americans lose their lives each year in fi re-related tragedies and, of them, 107 are heroic fi refi ghters dying in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, These fi refi ghters do not lose their lives in vain but do so at the attempt to save lives, property, and the general well being of others; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer fi refi ghters undergo training, educate others, and perform their duties at their own expense and only for the benefi t of knowing that someone was helped in some way; and

WHEREAS, It is important to never forget the duties of our Illinois volunteer fi refi ghters; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the day of September 11th as Illinois Volunteer Firefi ghters’ Day and thank the men and women of volunteer fi re services who devote themselves to the protection of others at the risk of their own lives day after day by maintaining a constant state of readiness in the battle against fi res and other life threatening conditions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to David B. Foreman, State Fire Marshal, and John Swan, President of the Illinois Firefi ghters Association.

Fill the Boot Photo by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghter Scott Jensen was among the fi refi ghters that collected during the department’s Fill the Boot drive for MDA

The Firehouse Scene - Page 2 The Firehouse Scene - Page 11 www.harlemroscoefi re.comwww.harlemroscoefi re.com

Birthdays

September3rd Ramona Baldoni-Lake5th Adam Eich12th Bart Munger13th Marty Green Mike Powell ‘50th’ Joe Koeninger23rd Debbie Rykowski ‘50th’25th Carmella Young30th Micah Anderson

October2nd Randy Lovelace5th Eric Wilkins7th Dick Schoonover Brandon Tietz15th Ryan Alms17th David Doyle Chuck Hansel21st Zack Prielipp22nd Ken Boris26th Tom Aaker29th Sue Bernardi31st Bob Stark

October Breakfast ListJay Alms, Adam Arnould, Megan Alms, John Barth,

Rob Gonia, Nick Mladenoff, & Dan Gunderson

Total Calls for 2010

1495

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

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Don ShoevlinEditor & Layout - Sheryl Drost

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

www.harlemroscoefi re.comE-mail submissions to: sdrost@harlemroscoefi re.com

Your Source for SAFETY InformationNFPA Public Education Division • 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169 www.nfpa.org/education

Carbon

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

FACTS•A person can be poisoned

by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.

• In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 61,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of seven calls per hour.

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CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.

Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.

Call your local fire department’s non-emergency number to find out what number to call if the CO alarm sounds.

Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.

If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel.

If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.

During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.

A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.

Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.

HOMEHEATINGEQUIPMENTHave fuel-burning heating equipment and chimneys inspected by a professional every year before cold weather sets in. When using a fireplace, open the flue for adequate ventilation. Never use your oven to heat your home.

MonoxideCarbonMonoxide

SafetySafety

Mike Powell “50th’ September 13th

Debbie Rykowski ‘50th’ September 23rd

The Firehouse Scene - Page 10 The Firehouse Scene - Page 3 www.harlemroscoefi re.comwww.harlemroscoefi re.com

SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES. 65% of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms at all or no smoke alarms that work. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out.

Safety Tips• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom,

outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound

• An ionization smoke alarm is generally more responsive to flaming fires and a photoelectricsmoke alarm is generally more responsive to smoldering fires. For the best protection, both types of alarms or a combination alarm (photoelectric and ionization) should be installed in homes.

• Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.• Smoke rises; install smoke alarms following manufacturer’s instructions high on a wall or on a

ceiling. Save manufacturer’s instructions for testing and maintenance.• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps,” warning the

battery is low, replace battery right away.• Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use ten year batteries and hard-wired alarms,

when they are ten years old or sooner if they do not respond properly when tested.• Be sure the smoke alarm has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.• Alarms that are hard-wired (and include battery backup) must be

installed by a qualified electrician.• If cooking fumes or steam sets off nuisance alarms, replace the

alarm with an alarm that has a “hush” button. A “hush” button will reduce the alarm’s sensitivity for a short period of time.

• An ionization alarm with a hush button or photoelectric alarm should be used if the alarm is within 20 feet of a cooking appliance.

• Smoke alarms that include a recordable voice announcement, in addition to the usual alarm sound, may be helpful in waking children through the use of a familiar voice.

• Smoke alarms are available for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These alarms use strobe lights. Vibration equipment can be added to these alarms.

• Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 confl agration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fi re began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this fi ery two-day stretch, it wasn’t the biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fi re in American history. The fi re, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

Historical accounts of the fi re say that the blaze began when several railroad workers clearing land for tracks unintentionally started a brush fi re. Before long, the fast-moving fl ames were whipping through the area ‘like a tornado,’ some survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed.

Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fi res never forgot what they’d been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism. But the fi res also changed the way that fi refi ghters and public offi cials thought about fi re safety. On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (today known as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fi re prevention. The commemoration grew incrementally offi cial over the years.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the fi rst National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire’sFire Prevention Week Open House

October 10, 201011am - 2pm ‘new time’Fire Station #2825 Ralston Rd.Machesney ParkActivities: Kid’s Firefi ghter Challenge, Kid’s Smoke House, and refreshments.70 donated smoke detectors will also be given away in celebration of the department’s 70th Anniversary.

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Accidents Photos by Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

08/12/10 Hwy 251 north of Elevator Rd. 08/28/10 Hwy 173 & Belvidere Rd.

08/07/10 Burr Oak Rd. 08/07/10 Hononegah Rd. & Rock Rose Dr. 08/22/10 Elevator Rd.

08/11/10 Hwy 173 & Perryville Rd. 08/09/10 Hononegah Rd. & Rock Rose Dr.

08/12/10 Hwy 173 & Orlando St. 08/18/10 I-90 off-ramp at Rockton Rd.

08/23/10 Hwy 251 frontage Rd. 08/23/10 McCurry Rd.

Garage FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Harlem-Roscoe and North Park Firefi ghters worked together on Aug. 23 to extinguish a garage on fi re on Hwy 251, at the residence that splits the two fi re districts. It seems fi re from a burn area spread to the garage, climbing the outside wall and entered the attic of the garage. The fi re was knocked down quickly and most of the contents of the garage were saved.

H-R Firefi ghter Reety Radke and RVC intern Jesse Martin attack the fi re from inside the garage.

Firefi ghters Mike Helland and Eric Schweitzer head to the roof with chain saw to ventilate the fi re in the attic.

H-R Fire Chief Don Shoevlin and NP Fire Chief Steve Pearson worked the fi re together and are in a discussion as fi refi ghters Paul Stanphill and John Donovan re-load the hose line back onto the attack truck.

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Firefi ghter Danielle Baumgartner extinguishes the burn pile that caused the fi re.

Firefi ghter John Bunger overhauls a burned area on the garage, checking for hot spots.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Lt. Mike Huffman, North Park Firefi ghters Steve Booth and Nate Bonilla and Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter John Bunger work on overhauling the burned areas of a garage as Asst. Chief Ken O’Dell looks on.

Firefi ghters were sent to rehab after fi ghting the fi re where Paramedics checked their vitals and gave them liquids to re-hydrate.

The Firehouse Scene - Page 4 The Firehouse Scene -Page 9 www.harlemroscoefi re.comwww.harlemroscoefi re.com

Dale said the fi re station had only two bays and the tanker sat outside. They had a water tank in the attic of the station that they used to fi ll the fi re trucks: it was fed by a well. So, many times they would come back to the station to fi ll the trucks.

I asked Dale about his most memorable fi res. He said he remembers fi ghting the Flying Dutchman Stable fi re where several horses died. Cobby had instructed them to work on half of it at a time, but he said it was so hot that you couldn’t get close to it. They were out there all night and in the morning you could see the bumps of debris that sadly, were the horses.

He remembers a lot of barn fi res, and one that still sticks in his head, is one where a horse had caught fi re and it had to be put down. He said it was common to have to dodge horses and cows running loose at barn fi res too.

He remembers a house on Ventura Blvd where he and Cobby got knocked down when gas built up in the basement and exploded. He remembers the fi re that Cobby stopped everyone to look for his teeth and the call where a guy that was spray painting and the sprayer blew up, killing him.

I asked Dale what role he played in the department’s Coon & Ham Dinner and he said he was the one that contacted all the ladies to bring pies and he poured coffee. Emogene said she made pies and helped cut them.

They also told about how much fun the Firemen (Dance) Balls were. Emogene said she was a dancer and so she just loved to dance.

When I asked Dale if he liked to dance, he said after a couple of drinks, anyone can dance. Emogene did agree that cleaning up was also a fun time. Emogene said back then alcohol was common, she said that you didn’t know what you know today. Dale remembers selling tickets all down Ventura Blvd with Rex Harper having a few beers along the way.

He remembers the time when one of the fi re trucks was in an accident with two other vehicles on Hononegah Rd. and Frances drive. One of the vehicles involved in the accident was Firefi ghter Harold Jones. He was responding to the fi re from Rockton in his own car with his wife driving while he was changing into his clothes in the back seat. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The couple in the other car was also injured. Dale said the fi refi ghters held a benefi t to help both families.

Emogene’s also told us that her father was Hartzell Flag, and he had helped Cobby Rogers in making the fi rst fi re truck out of an old Packard car. The top half of the car was cut completely off and the truck built.

I asked them how they thought the fi re department had changed since 1949. Dale said it’s bigger, it’s better, and as Emogene put it, “It’s a Big Deal!”

Dale

1952 - L-r unknown, Chief Cobby Rogers, Dale Selsor, unknown

Overloaded Extension Cord Causes FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghters were rousted out of bed for a house fi re on Dearborn Ave. in the early morning of August 11. It seems an extension cord plugged into a window air conditioner on the fi rst fl oor, and into an outlet in the basement, had overheated, starting a chair on fi re. A container of plastic kid’s blocks was also melted where the cord wrapped through it.

The fi re had been extinguished when fi re units arrived, but the home was charged with smoke. A positive pressure fan was used to rid the home of smoke. One resident was checked out by paramedics on the scene, but was not transported.

Please Use Proper Extension Cords

Manufacturers instructions on window air conditioners actually say not to use an extension cord.

If you must use an extension cord, it should be short, and designed for use with an appliance with a heavy conductor in it. Most household extension cords are made for economy, not for such performance.

Anytime you run electricity through a cord, there is loss of voltage. The loss of voltage depends on the length of the cord, the size of the conductor in the wire, and the amount of current used by the appliance. This loss of voltage is refl ected as heat within the wire.

An AC uses a relatively large amount of power, and could be easily damaged by the low voltage available to it at the end of the extension cord.

http://www.nfpa.org/newsReleaseDetails.asp?categoryid=488&itemId=43193

Electrical Line Causes HavocPhotos by Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

Arcing wires in a closet ceiling electrical box brought fi refi ghters to a local hot spot on September 7. Power was shut off to JIMEZs, closing the business until repairs could be made. There was no smoke or fi re, and no one was injured.

Firefi ghter Bryson Knox and Lt. Ron Klaman help pull hose line as fi refi ghters entered the business.

Firefi ghters Daniell Baumgartner, Lt. Ron Klaman, Neil Roe, and Mark Soppe re-load the fi re hose onto the fi re truck.

Brush FirePhoto by Marcia Soppe

The Firehouse Scene -Page 8 The Firehouse Scene - Page 5www.harlemroscoefi re.comwww.harlemroscoefi re.com

Times RekindledBy Sheryl Drost

Former Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Dale Sensor is now 90 years young and lives with his wife Emogene in the Ledges in Roscoe. He said Chief Cobby Rogers got him to join the fi re department in 1949. He said he never really retired from the department, but after he moved his family to the Ledges in 1966, he just kind of quit running. Dale worked at Barber Coleman, Roper Whitney, and then 33 years in the drafting department at Woodward Governor. He worked a lot of nights so he was able to run the day calls.

When he was on the department, they lived on River St., across from what is now the Firehouse Pub’s parking lot, in one of the houses Cobby owned. An interesting footnote is that he once lived in the old Manor House on Main St. and rent was just $7 dollars a week per person. He said one morning he came home from work and found that his wife and had moved them to a place behind the Methodist Church, and he had to go fi nd her!

He said there were no radios when he got on the fi re department, that fi refi ghters were notifi ed of a fi re by phone or they heard the fi re siren. Everyone had keys to the fi re station, and the fi rst one to get there, got to set off the fi re siren. Since they lived so close to the fi re station, he enjoyed setting off the siren many times.

He remembers the fi rst call he went on. Ray Rogers (brother to Cobby) told him to get on the hose line and to just follow him. Dale says that’s just what he did; he stayed right behind him on the hose line. That’s how you learned in those days – hands on. They did have a guy come in and do a quick First Aid deal and that was it, there was no training.

He said when he slept; he kept his clothes laid out, ready to go, in case there was a fi re. A habit he still practices to this day! He commented, you just never know what will happen in the middle of the night, but he is going to be able to get dressed quickly for it. Emogene said back then you had a heater that heated the whole house. And as soon as the fi rst cold night came around in the fall, the clothes would be strewn all around the heater.

The department had three trucks in the 50’s; a Ford tanker, a pumper, and the grass rig. The tanker is the truck he drove the most, in fact he named it Betsy. He thinks it only held around 400-500 gallons of water.

He remembers how cold it was riding on the back of the trucks. He remembers the time he and another fi refi ghter were on the back of the truck and as it took off, Firefi ghter Dave Gifford came running up trying to catch them. He said they both grabbed a hand and pulled him on board, not missing a beat.

His favorite thing, and what he remembers being the most enjoyable, was riding on the grass rig, spraying grass fi res – he said, “Now that was fun!” He remembers the time they had nine grass fi res in one day. They would no more than get a truck fi lled up, and be called back out on another one.

There was the time they were out on a garbage fi re and Cobby sent him back to the station to get the big fi re truck. He had never driven it before, and it had no lights and no brakes. He hit the side of the door on his way out and he said that was the only time he ever drove that truck. He said it bothered him that people wouldn’t give fi re trucks the right of way and would follow too closely.

Dale’s son Dennis poses in his dad’s fi re gear in front of Dale’s favorite truck, the tanker he named Betsy!

Firefi ghter Mike Sherbon and Lt. Chris Scott fi nish putting out a pile of debris that was burning in the ditch along Hwy. 251 on Sept. 6.

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

Friday the 13th - The Rain Cometh . . .Photos by HRFD Photographers Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

Not sure how much rain the fi re district received on August 13, 2010, after a storm blew through the fi re district, but the storm sure kept fi refi ghters busy. Lightning strikes sent fi refi ghters to four homes.

Two homes on Quinlann in Machesney Park were struck by lightning; fi refi ghters found no fi re.A lightning strikes caused a fi re in a 4-apartment complex on Morning Cloak in Roscoe. Firefi ghters aggressively attacked what turned out to be a fi re in the attic and roof; saving the apartments. It was raining so hard on the way to the fi re that the Chief said he could only see the fl ashing red lights of the fi re truck in front of him. Since the department’s rescue squad was over at Monroe Fire School for the day, Rockton Fire assisted on the scene with their rescue truck.Firefi ghters also responded mutual aid to Rockton Fire for a lightning strike to a home on Angelica Lane; fi refi ghters found no fi re.

Rain covered roads also may have contributed to four accidents. And EMS responded to fi ve medical calls during the storm.

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

Friday the 13th - The Rain Cometh . . .Photos by HRFD Photographers Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

Not sure how much rain the fi re district received on August 13, 2010, after a storm blew through the fi re district, but the storm sure kept fi refi ghters busy. Lightning strikes sent fi refi ghters to four homes.

Two homes on Quinlann in Machesney Park were struck by lightning; fi refi ghters found no fi re.A lightning strikes caused a fi re in a 4-apartment complex on Morning Cloak in Roscoe. Firefi ghters aggressively attacked what turned out to be a fi re in the attic and roof; saving the apartments. It was raining so hard on the way to the fi re that the Chief said he could only see the fl ashing red lights of the fi re truck in front of him. Since the department’s rescue squad was over at Monroe Fire School for the day, Rockton Fire assisted on the scene with their rescue truck.Firefi ghters also responded mutual aid to Rockton Fire for a lightning strike to a home on Angelica Lane; fi refi ghters found no fi re.

Rain covered roads also may have contributed to four accidents. And EMS responded to fi ve medical calls during the storm.

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Overloaded Extension Cord Causes FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghters were rousted out of bed for a house fi re on Dearborn Ave. in the early morning of August 11. It seems an extension cord plugged into a window air conditioner on the fi rst fl oor, and into an outlet in the basement, had overheated, starting a chair on fi re. A container of plastic kid’s blocks was also melted where the cord wrapped through it.

The fi re had been extinguished when fi re units arrived, but the home was charged with smoke. A positive pressure fan was used to rid the home of smoke. One resident was checked out by paramedics on the scene, but was not transported.

Please Use Proper Extension Cords

Manufacturers instructions on window air conditioners actually say not to use an extension cord.

If you must use an extension cord, it should be short, and designed for use with an appliance with a heavy conductor in it. Most household extension cord are made for economy, not for such performance.

Anytime you run electricity through a cord, there is loss of voltage. The loss of voltage depends on the length of the cord, the size of the conductor in the wire, and the amount of current used by the appliance. This loss of voltage is refl ected as heat within the wire.

An AC uses a relatively large amount of power, and could be easily damaged by the low voltage available to it at the end of the extension cord.

http://www.nfpa.org/newsReleaseDetails.asp?categoryid=488&itemId=43193

Exhaust Fan Causes HavocPhotos by Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

Arcing wires in a ceiling fan brought fi refi ghters to a local hot spot on September 7. Power was shut off to JIMEZs, closing the business until repairs could be made. There was no smoke or fi re, and no one was injured.

Firefi ghter Bryson Knox and Lt. Ron Klaman help pull hose line as fi refi ghters entered the business.

Firefi ghters Daniell Baumgartner, Lt. Ron Klaman, Neil Roe, and Mark Soppe re-load the fi re hose onto the fi re truck.

Brush FirePhoto by Marcia Soppe

The Firehouse Scene -Page 8 The Firehouse Scene - Page 5www.harlemroscoefi re.comwww.harlemroscoefi re.com

Times RekindledBy Sheryl Drost

Former Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter Dale Sensor is now 90 years young and lives with his wife Emogene in the Ledges in Roscoe. He said Chief Cobby Rogers got him to join the fi re department in 1949. He said he never really retired from the department, but after he moved his family to the Ledges in 1966, he just kind of quit running. Dale worked at Barber Coleman, Roper Whitney, and then 33 years in the drafting department at Woodward Governor. He worked a lot of nights so he was able to run the day calls.

When he was on the department, they lived on River St., across from what is now the Firehouse Pub’s parking lot, in one of the houses Cobby owned. An interesting footnote is that he once lived in the old Manor House on Main St. and rent was just $7 dollars a week per person. He said one morning he came home from work and found that his wife and had moved them to a place behind the Methodist Church, and he had to go fi nd her!

He said there were no radios when he got on the fi re department, that fi refi ghters were notifi ed of a fi re by phone or they heard the fi re siren. Everyone had keys to the fi re station, and the fi rst one to get there, got to set off the fi re siren. Since they lived so close to the fi re station, he enjoyed setting off the siren many times.

He remembers the fi rst call he went on. Ray Rogers (brother to Cobby) told him to get on the hose line and to just follow him. Dale says that’s just what he did; he stayed right behind him on the hose line. That’s how you learned in those days – hands on. They did have a guy come in and do a quick First Aid deal and that was it, there was no training.

He said when he slept; he kept his clothes laid out, ready to go, in case there was a fi re. A habit he still practices to this day! He commented, you just never know what will happen in the middle of the night, but he is going to be able to get dressed quickly for it. Emogene said back then you had a heater that heated the whole house. And as soon as the fi rst cold night came around in the fall, the clothes would be strewn all around the heater.

The department had three trucks in the 50’s; a Ford tanker, a pumper, and the grass rig. The tanker is the truck he drove the most, in fact he named it Betsy. He thinks it only held around 400-500 gallons of water.

He remembers how cold it was riding on the back of the trucks. He remembers the time he and another fi refi ghter were on the back of the truck and as it took off, Firefi ghter Dave Gifford came running up trying to catch them. He said they both grabbed a hand and pulled him on board, not missing a beat.

His favorite thing, and what he remembers being the most enjoyable, was riding on the grass rig, spraying grass fi res – he said, “Now that was fun!” He remembers the time they had nine grass fi res in one day. They would no more than get a truck fi lled up, and be called back out on another one.

There was the time they were out on a garbage fi re and Cobby sent him back to the station to get the big fi re truck. He had never driven it before, and it had no lights and no brakes. He hit the side of the door on his way out and he said that was the only time he ever drove that truck. He said it bothered him that people wouldn’t give fi re trucks the right of way and would follow too closely.

Dale’s son Dennis poses in his dad’s fi re gear in front of Dale’s favorite truck, the tanker he named Betsy!

Firefi ghter Mike Sherbon and Lt. Chris Scott fi nish putting out a pile of debris that was burning in the ditch along Hwy. 251 on Sept. 6.

Garage FirePhotos by Sheryl Drost

Harlem-Roscoe and North Park Firefi ghters worked together on Aug. 23 to extinguish a garage on fi re on Hwy 251, at the residence that splits the two fi re districts. It seems fi re from a burn area spread to the garage, climbing the outside wall and entering the attic of the garage. The fi re was knocked down quickly and most of the contents of the garage were saved.

H-R Firefi ghter Reety Radke and RVC intern Jesse Martin attack the fi re from inside the garage.

Firefi ghters Mike Helland and Eric Schweitzer head to the roof with chain saw to ventilate the fi re in the attic.

H-R Fire Chief Don Shoevlin and NP Fire Chief Steve Pearson worked the fi re together and are in a discussion as fi refi ghters Paul Stanphill and John Donovan re-load the hose line back onto the attack truck.

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Firefi ghter Danielle Baumgartner extinguishes the burn pile that caused the fi re.

Firefi ghter John Bunger overhauls a burned area on the garage, checking for hot spots.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Lt. Mike Huffman, North Park Firefi ghters Steve Booth and Nate Bonilla and Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghter John Bunger work on overhauling the burned areas of a garage as Asst. Chief Ken O’Dell looks on.

Firefi ghters were sent to rehab after fi ghting the fi re where Paramedics checked their vitals and gave them liquids to re-hydrate.

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Dale said the fi re station had only two bays and the tanker sat outside. They had a water tank in the attic of the station that they used to fi ll the fi re trucks: it was fed by a well. So, many times they would come back to the station to fi ll the trucks.

I asked Dale about his most memorable fi res. He said he remembers fi ghting the Flying Dutchman Stable fi re where several horses died. Cobby had instructed them to work on half of it at a time, but he said it was so hot that you couldn’t get close to it. They were out there all night and in the morning you could see the bumps of debris that sadly, were the horses.

He remembers a lot of barn fi res, and one that still sticks in his head, is one where a horse had caught fi re and it had to be put down. He said it was common to have to dodge horses and cows running loose at barn fi res too.

He remembers a house on Ventura Blvd where he and Cobby got knocked down when gas built up in the basement and exploded. He remembers the fi re that Cobby stopped everyone to look for his teeth and the call where a guy that was spray painting and the sprayer blew up, killing him.

I asked Dale what role he played in the department’s Coon & Ham Dinner and he said he was the one that contacted all the ladies to bring pies and he poured coffee. Emogene said she made pies and helped cut them.

They also told about how much fun the Firemen (Dance) Balls were. Emogene said she was a dancer and so she just loved to dance.

When I asked Dale if he liked to dance, he said after a couple of drinks, anyone can dance. Emogene did agree that cleaning up was also a fun time. Emogene said back then alcohol was common, she said that you didn’t know what you know today. Dale remembers selling tickets all down Ventura Blvd with Rex Harper having a few beers along the way.

He remembers the time when one of the fi re trucks was in an accident with two other vehicles on Hononegah Rd. and Frances drive. One of the vehicles involved in the accident was Firefi ghter Harold Jones. He was responding to the fi re from Rockton in his own car with his wife driving while he was changing into his clothes in the back seat. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The couple in the other car was also injured. Dale said the fi refi ghters held a benefi t to help both families.

Emogene’s also told us that her father was Hartzell Flag, and he had helped Cobby Rogers in making the fi rst fi re truck out of an old Packard car. The top half of the car was cut completely off and the truck built.

I asked them how they thought the fi re department had changed since 1949. Dale said it’s bigger, it’s better, and as Emogene put it, “It’s a Big Deal!”

Dale

1952 - L-r unknown, Chief Cobby Rogers, Dale Selsor, unknown

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SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES. 65% of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms at all or no smoke alarms that work. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out.

Safety Tips• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom,

outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound

• An ionization smoke alarm is generally more responsive to flaming fires and a photoelectricsmoke alarm is generally more responsive to smoldering fires. For the best protection, both types of alarms or a combination alarm (photoelectric and ionization) should be installed in homes.

• Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.• Smoke rises; install smoke alarms following manufacturer’s instructions high on a wall or on a

ceiling. Save manufacturer’s instructions for testing and maintenance.• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps,” warning the

battery is low, replace battery right away.• Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use ten year batteries and hard-wired alarms,

when they are ten years old or sooner if they do not respond properly when tested.• Be sure the smoke alarm has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.• Alarms that are hard-wired (and include battery backup) must be

installed by a qualified electrician.• If cooking fumes or steam sets off nuisance alarms, replace the

alarm with an alarm that has a “hush” button. A “hush” button will reduce the alarm’s sensitivity for a short period of time.

• An ionization alarm with a hush button or photoelectric alarm should be used if the alarm is within 20 feet of a cooking appliance.

• Smoke alarms that include a recordable voice announcement, in addition to the usual alarm sound, may be helpful in waking children through the use of a familiar voice.

• Smoke alarms are available for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These alarms use strobe lights. Vibration equipment can be added to these alarms.

• Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 confl agration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fi re began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this fi ery two-day stretch, it wasn’t the biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fi re in American history. The fi re, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

Historical accounts of the fi re say that the blaze began when several railroad workers clearing land for tracks unintentionally started a brush fi re. Before long, the fast-moving fl ames were whipping through the area ‘like a tornado,’ some survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed.

Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fi res never forgot what they’d been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism. But the fi res also changed the way that fi refi ghters and public offi cials thought about fi re safety. On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (today known as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fi re prevention. The commemoration grew incrementally offi cial over the years.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the fi rst National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

Harlem-Roscoe Fire’sFire Prevention Week Open House

October 10, 201011am - 2pm ‘new time’Fire Station #2825 Ralston Rd.Machesney ParkActivities: Kid’s Firefi ghter Challenge, Kid’s Smoke House, and refreshments.70 donated smoke detectors will also be given away in celebration of the department’s 70th Anniversary.

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Accidents Photos by Sheryl Drost & Marcia Soppe

08/12/10 Hwy 251 north of Elevator Rd. 08/28/10 Hwy 173 & Belvidere Rd.

08/07/10 Burr Oak Rd. 08/07/10 Hononegah Rd. & Rock Rose Dr. 08/22/10 Elevator Rd.

08/11/10 Hwy 173 & Perryville Rd. 08/09/10 Hononegah Rd. & Rock Rose Dr.

08/12/10 Hwy 173 & Orlando St. 08/18/10 I-90 off-ramp at Rockton Rd.

08/23/10 Hwy 251 frontage Rd. 08/23/10 McCurry Rd.

From the Chief’s DeskBy Fire Chief Don Shoevlin

School is back in session, high school football has started and leaves have begun to fall. As the days of sunlight grow shorter, please be careful of our walkers and bike riders.

Last weekend we participated in the annual MDA Fill the Boot campaign. Thank you to everyone who helped and donated. We were able to raise over $5000.00, which

we have sent to the regional Muscular Dystrophy Association.

This past month, I had the opportunity to attend the International Fire Chief’s Annual Conference. It was held in Chicago at the McCormick Center. There was representation from 21 countries at the conference. It was educational to network with various chiefs and hear about different tactics and strategies that are used. I am amazed and proud, as I talk to various Chief offi cers, on how our department and personnel think and act proactively. We have always had a history of this, and will continue to do so. The show was quite informative as well, in regards to the new technology and equipment that is being developed.

Our Annual Fire Prevention Open House will be on Sun. Oct. 10. This year it will be at Station #2 on Ralston Road from 11am – 2pm. The offi cers and fi refi ghters are busy planning this event. I know that it will be full of activities for kids as well as adults. You will have the opportunity to see equipment, smoke house demonstrations, and tour the station. We will also have a wellness area and the ever-popular Kid’s Firefi ghter Challenge.

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You can Live With.” We will be distributing smoke alarms at the open house for as long as supplies last. See page 11 in this newsletter for more on Fire Prevention Week.

Please check out our website www.harlemroscefi re.com to keep up with the progress of the department and individuals. As always don’t hesitate to contact me or stop by if I can be of any assistance.

Gone, but not forgotten

Some people come into our lives, and quickly go.Some stay awhile and leave footprints in our hearts.And, we are never, ever the same.

Our deepest sympathies and prayers to FF Mark Schafman and his wife on the loss of their unborn child.Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to Capt. Jay Alms, Lt. Ryan Alms, and FF Megan Alms on the loss of Jay’s sister, Joyce Kittrell on September 5.

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State of Illinois House of Representatives 96th General AssemblyHouse Resolution No. 588

WHEREAS, September 11th is known throughout the country and recognized by the State of Illinois as National Firefi ghters Day to honor the estimated 1,140,900 fi refi ghters that serve across the United States; and

WHEREAS, It is largely unknown that for every fi refi ghter in the country there are roughly 3 volunteer fi refi ghters, and in the State of Illinois, which has an estimated 45,000 fi refi ghters, roughly 31,000 are volunteer fi refi ghters; and

WHEREAS, Just as all our fi refi ghters are courageous,volunteer fi refi ghters serve hundreds of communities in Illinois and face the same dangers with the same amount of bravery; and

WHEREAS, In the past 10 years, there has been an average of 1,684,200 fi res in the United States each year; an average of 3,597 Americans lose their lives each year in fi re-related tragedies and, of them, 107 are heroic fi refi ghters dying in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, These fi refi ghters do not lose their lives in vain but do so at the attempt to save lives, property, and the general well being of others; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer fi refi ghters undergo training, educate others, and perform their duties at their own expense and only for the benefi t of knowing that someone was helped in some way; and

WHEREAS, It is important to never forget the duties of our Illinois volunteer fi refi ghters; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the day of September 11th as Illinois Volunteer Firefi ghters’ Day and thank the men and women of volunteer fi re services who devote themselves to the protection of others at the risk of their own lives day after day by maintaining a constant state of readiness in the battle against fi res and other life threatening conditions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to David B. Foreman, State Fire Marshal, and John Swan, President of the Illinois Firefi ghters Association.

Fill the Boot Photo by Sheryl Drost

Firefi ghter Scott Jensen was among the fi refi ghters that collected during the departments Fill the Boot drive for MDA

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Birthdays

September3rd Ramona Baldoni-Lake5th Adam Eich12th Bart Munger13th Marty Green Mike Powell ‘50th’ Joe Koeninger23rd Debbie Rykowski ‘50th’25th Carmella Young30th Micah Anderson

October2nd Randy Lovelace5th Eric Wilkins7th Dick Schoonover Brandon Tietz15th Ryan Alms17th David Doyle Chuck Hansel21st Zack Prielipp22nd Ken Boris26th Tom Aaker29th Sue Bernardi31st Bob Stark

October Breakfast ListJay Alms, Adam Arnould, Megan Alms, John Barth,

Rob Gonia, Nick Mladenoff, & Dan Gunderson

Total Calls for 2010

1495

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

Editor-in-Chief - Chief Don ShoevlinEditor & Layout - Sheryl Drost

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

www.harlemroscoefi re.comE-mail submissions to: sdrost@harlemroscoefi re.com

Your Source for SAFETY InformationNFPA Public Education Division • 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169 www.nfpa.org/education

Carbon

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

FACTS•A person can be poisoned

by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.

• In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 61,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of seven calls per hour.

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CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.

Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.

Call your local fire department’s non-emergency number to find out what number to call if the CO alarm sounds.

Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.

If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel.

If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.

During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.

A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.

Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.

HOMEHEATINGEQUIPMENTHave fuel-burning heating equipment and chimneys inspected by a professional every year before cold weather sets in. When using a fireplace, open the flue for adequate ventilation. Never use your oven to heat your home.

MonoxideCarbonMonoxide

SafetySafety

Mike Powell “50th’ September 13th

Debbie Rykowski ‘50th’ September 23rd

the firehouse sceneIs a monthly publication of the

Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District

PostageHarlem-Roscoe FirePO Box 450Roscoe, IL 61073

The Firehouse Scene - Page 12www.harlemroscoefi re.com

September 2010 Fire Chief Don Shoevlin Editor Sheryl Drost

Station Gossip Please take note our Fire Prevention Week Open House was changed back to the second Sunday in Fire Pevention week - the 10th. The department calendar however, has it incorrectly on the 3rd.Hey Mike Helland, I promise I won’t tell anyone about what your old teacher, I mean your mom’s friend said. Harlem-Roscoe Firefi ghters helped with Mud Volleyball again this year with watering of the courts and supplying water to the showers.

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4-Family Apartment FireSee pages 6 & 7

One more time Aaron, what happened?

Mosquitos anyone?

Hey, should we do this for the bike path?