Sunday, July 19, 2009

Training Shortfall?

  • Heavy smoke poured from the subway tunnels near Clark and Division when a rubbish fire broke out around noon Saturday. At least five ambulances were sent to the scene as a precaution, but no injuries have been reported.
We seem to recall some training involving the subways and elevated CTA tracks and some other training that involved a Metra yard, but we don't recall it being offered to street officers any time recently.

Anyone with a basic understanding of chimneys or the physics of fire know that tunnels and tubes such as the CTA is constructed of can be deathtraps in an instant, and not because of flames. It was fortunate this rubbish fire occurred on a weekend morning rather than a rush hour evening. If the Olympics end up here and as long as Chicago remains a possible target of terror, Officers and their CFD counterparts need more than a passing familiarity with mass transit in and around the city. We don't know what the CFD training is like, but the CPD seems behind the curve.

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25 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Training?? Oh wait, Im sure that a streaming video is out there somewhere or is being made starting Monday...

7/19/2009 12:25:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The CPD training was a Streaming Video as I recall. Made several years ago for Mass Transit Officers.

Perhaps it should be shown on all the media stations as a public service!

7/19/2009 12:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear scc:
Tune in for a streaming video to show us everything we need to know. Those videos are great teaching tools that a lot of us take for granted. Just think where we would be without them. cpd in the forefront of technology. And please don't get in the boat.

7/19/2009 01:22:00 AM  
Blogger Det. Shaved Longcock said...

What one must be careful about is that this fire might have been set by terrorists. As the city responds to what they believe is a simple rubbish fire in the tubes... secondary devises such as bombs or chemicals may be released along with smoke from the rubbish fire.

But nobody in this city gives a fuck or even thinks about shit like this. But when over 100 firefighters are in the tubes for a rubbish fire like tonight, one bomb going off can sure kill a lot of first responders.

7/19/2009 03:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

But nobody in this city gives a fuck or even thinks about shit like this. But when over 100 firefighters are in the tubes for a rubbish fire like tonight, one bomb going off can sure kill a lot of first responders.

7/19/2009 03:09:00 AM


Detective, with this post, you have officially 'jumped the shark'.

7/19/2009 07:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

TRAINING:Do not go in hole if smoke or fire is present.

7/19/2009 07:55:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From Jim McMahon's blog:

http://www.jimmcmahonchicago.blogspot.com/

"A controversial Islamic group is hosting a conference at the Oak Lawn Hilton Sunday, bringing with it a message of the evils of capitalism.

It' s called Hizb ut-Tahrir America, a faction of the international Hizb ut-Tahrir group, which advocates for implementing Islamic doctrine across the globe by organizing into a unified caliphate, a form of rule based on the Islamic religion.

Although the group dismisses democracy - the theme of Sunday's conference is the "Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam" - they hope to elect one Muslim worldwide ruler, or caliph, and hold that person accountable."

That was only a test. Nothing to see here, move along.

7/19/2009 08:13:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shaved is correct. I am CPD but have also been trained as a nationally certified firefighter-no hosepulling jokes as there is only one hose I like to pull-but remember that all you need to cause a HUGE death toll is to burn a can on freon in the subway. Burning freon produces phosgene gas which was used very effectively in WWI and in the 1990s in Iraq. It is heavier than air and sits low to the ground so if the smoke from the fire doesn't get you the gas will. Be safe out there.

7/19/2009 10:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least the department didn't pull the plug on TARA.

7/19/2009 10:46:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Was on the scene. The subway ventilation sure did it's job. Fire did not have to assemble their tunnel equipment. Situation was under control quickly, because of the job police, fire and cta did.

7/19/2009 12:30:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Training?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! Officer does something wrong, just fall back on he should of known from his academy training 12 years ago...... That works. The Department expects all of you guys to update yourselves on the newest Dept. procedures, policies and actual laws. City ordinances go out all the time and we are never told. We are all left out here to hang! Mayor and Supt. do not care. Just watch an Officer who risks his life everyday for this Department loose everything! Saves the City money u know! Hire (lol) a new Officer for less money. Maybe he'll get fired before his 5 year increase and it can start all over again.....

7/19/2009 02:48:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't worry guys, we(cfd) are not getting any training that you are not getting. Besides most of the people that respond to downtown incidents are duckers. That is why the sit at downtown stations. How often are there fires down there.

7/19/2009 02:51:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was on scene...several bosses huddled on corner of Clark and Division. My partner and I pulled a Captain we know aside and gave him the heads up about a possible test by "terrorists" to monitor emergency response or the possibility of a diversion or secondary situation. He was very receptive and discussed it with the other brass on the scene. Could be simple B.S. accidental grease fire...but what if it was'nt.

Unit 153

7/19/2009 03:19:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought it sounded familiar, we had a fire on the tube (subway) in London some years ago. Hope this link works.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/18/newsid_2519000/2519675.stm
Regards Paw

7/19/2009 04:40:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Was on the scene. The subway ventilation sure did it's job. Fire did not have to assemble their tunnel equipment. Situation was under control quickly, because of the job police, fire and cta did.

7/19/2009 12:30:00 PM

SIGNED RON LUBERMAN

7/19/2009 06:37:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Come on SCC, you forgot the streaming video on the CTA. And if memory serves, the 'classes' in the Metra yards were for supervisors only.
Metra did come out to at least some stations 015 being one of them,(sans train of course)a couple years ago and put on a presentation for a couple hours; those who attended had to sign up and as I remember, there wasn't that much interest...

7/19/2009 07:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

and when the lights go off down there, remember to have an extra flashlight, cause falling off the platform surely will leave a mark and a few knowledge lumps you'll never forget.

7/19/2009 07:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey SCC, your fear montering aint doen chacago any gud. Der aint no tairer tret to chacago. Get dat tru your tick hed.

If I didnt no better id tink youz tryen to sabtooge da lympics.

Da mare.

7/19/2009 07:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was on scene...several bosses huddled on corner of Clark and Division. My partner and I pulled a Captain we know aside and gave him the heads up about a possible test by "terrorists" to monitor emergency response or the possibility of a diversion or secondary situation. He was very receptive and discussed it with the other brass on the scene. Could be simple B.S. accidental grease fire...but what if it was'nt.

Unit 153

Isn't that the reason why we pay Jodi the big bucks???? Isn't he supposed to be the anti-terrorist king???

7/19/2009 08:11:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I havent had any refresher training in over 20 years.

7/19/2009 08:56:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear scc:
Tune in for a streaming video to show us everything we need to know. Those videos are great teaching tools that a lot of us take for granted. Just think where we would be without them. cpd in the forefront of technology. And please don't get in the boat.

7/19/2009 01:22:00 AM
------------
Oh, you mean the video every watch commander talks over during roll call, with the sound on 'mute', of course.

7/19/2009 09:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shaved is correct. I am CPD but have also been trained as a nationally certified firefighter-no hosepulling jokes as there is only one hose I like to pull-but remember that all you need to cause a HUGE death toll is to .... which was used very effectively in WWI and in the 1990s in Iraq. It is heavier than air and sits low to the ground so if the smoke from the fire doesn't get you the gas will. Be safe out there.

7/19/2009 10:19:00 AM
-----------------
Well, I suppose any good terrorist already knows this, but is there some reason you wanted all the disgruntled teenagers out there to know this?
THINK before you post on this very pulic blog.

7/19/2009 09:11:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Training? You mean like REAL training? We don't get that, that costs the City MONEY.. We get that other kind of training, you know, those Streaming videos that nobody really watches, but somehow mysteriously your name gets signed on the Streaming Video Training List, that you viewed tons of them.. What? Ain't that the way it's supposed to be in Chicago? We can't take any time out of a real work day for real training? That would show we're even less able to cover the streets with Manpower. So What bosses, just buy a Fudgesicle, and waddle your way thru the Watch.....

7/20/2009 01:22:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Mexican narcotrafficantes bringing tankers of meth will start bringing Freon across the border...

7/21/2009 07:53:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is real shit to be worried about...and a lot more.

I started in a small town in the boonies where you'd get six burglary calls and a maybe a robbery...each year.

But we had beaucoup anhydrous ammonia tanks and other lethal chemicals stored or passing through on and off the Interstate and at least some hazmat and explosives training in the academy in the Quad Cities. Amazing how they found time there to cover this.

I'd much rather be in crossfire with the Kings than have one of those fertilizer tanks go up ... at least with crossfire you can shoot back. (Crash course: the federal building in Oklahoma City was leveled with a fertilizer bomb.) For all the other mandated training here you'd think they'd do more hazmat/explosives/fire/special situation stuff.

Oh, wait, that would require someone running the show who actually gives a rat's ass.

7/24/2009 12:22:00 AM  

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