Trees Are Tough

From the CFD crash we posted about yesterday:

They were responding to a call, lights and sirens, when struck by a pick-up truck.

We would have thought the bumper would have held up better than that, but we suppose it did what it was supposed to do. 

CFD Injured

But not at a fire - in a crash:

• Four people, including two Chicago Fire Department firefighters, were taken to the hospital after a crash on the city's West Side on Tuesday afternoon.

  It happened near Augusta and Long in the Austin neighborhood.

  According to Chicago police, a fire engine collided with a white pickup, sending the fire truck over a curb, into a stoplight and then into a tree.

  Fire officials say all four people were taken to the hospital in good condition.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

CFD Fundraiser

Helping out the Fire side of things:

 Best of luck!

(comments closed here - informational post only) 

New Fire Equipment

This article is from two days ago and seems to have little coverage from the local media types:

• The Chicago Fire Department has placed one of the largest emergency apparatus orders in North America, selecting E-ONE and Wheeled Coach to supply 120 new vehicles in a deal valued at more than $100 million.

  The order, placed through Fire Service, Inc., includes 42 E-ONE pumpers, 38 E-ONE aerial ladder trucks and 40 Wheeled Coach ambulances.

  The investment is intended to support firefighter safety, fleet modernisation and reliable emergency response across the city.

We've written before about CFD equipment being so old that the feds threatened to pull accreditation for the entire Department.

And tonight, if you do a google search for "chicago fire department buys new trucks" there aren't any local media outlets covering the story. $100 million is a big deal for one-hundred-twenty pieces of equipment.

Is this because they don't want to embarrass a democrat blue city $hithole that isn't (and hasn't) providing the fire department with appropriate equipment to protect citizens?

Or is it because when you look up E-ONE and Wheeled Coach, they're both based in Florida because Porkulous has driven vehicle assembly lines out of Illinois, so we're sending tax dollars to factory friendly red states?

In any event, congrats to the CFD for finally getting some new vehicles. 

Don't scratch the paint - you might not see another one for thirty years.

Charges Dropped Why?

While we're more approving than disapproving of O'Neill-Burke's efforts to turn the States Attorney Office around from defending criminals to actually prosecuting crimes, we're going to want an explanation for this one:

• Charges have been dropped against two suspects in the death of Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt.

  The men were accused of starting the fire that killed Pelt in the West Pullman neighborhood in April 2023. They were about to go on trial when their cases were dismissed. Charges against a third man were dropped in 2024.

  The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said the case is still open and their commitment to seeking justice for Pelt remains unwavering.

The way you maintain public approval and trust is by being open about what you're doing, why your doing it, and how you're correcting the mistakes made by Crimesha.

Saying the case is "still open" and you're "seeking justice" is a soundbite meant to placate the short-attention-span people. Firefighters (and cops) have long memories. Tell them what's going on.

Firefighters Injured

Imagine a warm overnight and then going to fight a fire decked out in bunker gear.

No thanks:

• An extra-alarm fire in the Back of the Yards neighborhood tore through a building, leaving four people including two firefighters hurt and more than a dozen people displaced Thursday morning.

  The fire, which started near the 4500 block of South Laflin Street and was extinguished by 6:45 a.m., erupted about 5 a.m., according to a fire department spokesperson.

  The department’s response was elevated to an extra-alarm, bringing more than 100 firefighters to the scene and at least five ambulances, according to the spokesperson.

  Two occupants of the building were taken in good and fair condition to hospitals, while two firefighters suffering minor injuries were also taken to hospitals, the spokesperson said.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Any CFD Readers?

Tragedy in Englewood:

• Two children and two adults are dead, and two other children are injured after a house fire in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood early Wednesday morning, Chicago police said.

  The Chicago Fire Department battled the 2-11 alarm fire in the 6000 block of South Paulina Street, which was extinguished just before 3 a.m. CFD said six people were rescued from the fire and initially taken to local hospitals in serious condition.   

  Chicago police later said that a man and a woman suffered severe burns and were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Four kids, including three boys, ages 14, 15, and 16, and an 8-year-old girl, were taken to Comer Children's Hospital. 

  Police confirmed that the two adults, the 8-year-old girl, and the 15-year-old boy later died. 

The fire is being investigated as an arson, which would mean all four deaths are homicides. Keep an eye on how they are classified them moving forward.

But our question is this - did the equipment issues (disabled tower ladders, engine and truck shortages) have anything to do with the ability to respond and extinguish the blaze?

This high of a casualty count in a fire is rare these days, so it's a legit question that should be asked. 

CFD Services

For the Firefighter who passed away at training:

 RIP Sir.

CFD Training Death

Not much information except that it occurred during training:

• A Chicago Fire Department member died during a training exercise on the city's North Side, CFD said Thursday.

  "The Chicago Fire Department mourns the loss of a 30-year member who died today during a training exercise," a statement read. "A procession to the Medical Examiner's Office is pending."

  The training was taking place in in the 6600-block of North Kedzie Avenue, CFD said.

  The CFD member was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where the member died, Chicago fire officials said.

It's been a rough spring for Chicago First Responders this year.

Deepest condolences to the family and the CFD. 

Fundraiser - Save the Date

This coming Sunday:

 

Even if you can't attend, it wouldn't hurt to buy a ticket.

Poor Reasoning

This criminal is sadly misinformed:

• We’ve learned more about the alleged motives of the man accused of causing widespread damage in a string of axe attacks on property at Chicago firehouses over the past two months, and we now know just how much damage officials think he caused: $130,000.

  Chicago cops arrested Jacob Bogdan, 26, around 2:45 p.m. Saturday when they saw him standing in the 200 block of West Cermak Road, directly across the street from the Chinatown firehouse where the crime spree began with an early morning axe attack on February 5.

  Now charged with 21 counts of felony criminal damage, Bogdan was ordered detained Sunday afternoon by Judge James Murphy III after prosecutors said Bogdan “carries an axe for protection from firefighters” and had threatened to kill his father, according to court records.

(sarcasm and silliness warning ahead) 

You don't need "protection" from fire fighters - you just have to avoid them. And in our long experience responding to jobs alongside fire fighters, we discovered the easiest way to accomplish this avoidance:

• avoid fires
• avoid fire stations
• avoid accidents
• avoid certain bars

However, if you like fire fighters, the best way to find them is:

• respond to fires
• hang around fire stations
• respond to accidents
• go to certain bars

Most citizens should be pissed this idiot cost taxpayers $130,000 in car repairs for the affected fire fighters.

CFD Alert

From an e-mailer - if you click to enlarge it, the entire picture starts to pixelate, which we can't fix:

How many firehouses have actual gated lots? 

Fences high enough to discourage someone climbing it?

Like we suggested before, swing by, keep an eye out, maybe get some target practice in. 

CFD Cars Attacked

Check on fire houses if you can:

• Friday morning marked the second time someone targeted a South Side firehouse this week.

  A union rep told ABC7 that a man wielding an ax damaged seven personal vehicles in the Englewood neighborhood. About 12 vehicles were torn up earlier this week at a separate firehouse.

  Vehicle after vehicle parked in front of the fire station at East 59th and South State streets could be seen with ax markings slashed into their doors and windows early Friday.

We remember being invited to a few dinners when we checked in with CFD. We also walked in a couple decent sized poker and dice games certain evenings (wagering toothpicks only). 

Plus, you might get to shoot some asshole wielding an axe. 

Nice Fire Department Conehead

Courtesy of the Contrarian, this isn't dangerous at all:

• Here is something with which all Chicago residents should be racked by anxiety. Yesterday, as CFD battled a fire at 74th and Yates in South Shore, the Battalion Chief declared an extra alarm and requested a tower ladder.
  
  
  Woefully, the closest tower ladder available across the entire city was located at Grace and Damen. This ladder traveled 156 blocks — some TWENTY MILES — to respond to the extra alarm.
  
  
  This is an utter outrage.
  
  
  Of the ten tower ladders in Chicago, 5, 10, 16, 24, 39, and 54, all are out of service. At the moment, only four tower ladders are in service, TLs 14, 21, 23, and 63, all of which are stationed on the North and West Sides of the city. This leaves the whole of the South Side of Chicago —which unfortunately experiences a higher number of fires — without sufficient equipment to fight large-scale fires.
  
  
  This shortage of equipment is inexcusable and undeniably imperils residents whose taxes pay for fire protection. This equipment shortage also creates dangerous conditions for CFD called on to fight fires.
  
  
  So, now that you know, @ChicagosMayor, are you going to do something about this?

Here's exactly what Conehead is going to do about it:

• declare this is the result of systemic racist within the CFD; 
• spend another $400 million on ILLEGAL ALIENS; 
• have a nervous breakdown

Is any enterprising "reporter"  going to pick up on this story? Maybe figure out the average age of a whole shitload of CFD apparatus? Find out when the last time was that CFD was able to buy a new engine / truck / tower? See if the rumor we had over a year ago about CFD losing it's Federal accreditation due to poorly maintained out-of-date equipment is any closer to happening?

RIP Firefighter Altman

Private funeral was yesterday:

• Friends and loved ones of fallen Chicago firefighter Michael Altman said their final goodbyes during a funeral Tuesday morning in southwest suburban Oak Lawn.

  The private funeral service was held at the Blake-Lamb funeral home at 4727 W. 103rd St. after planned services on Friday were canceled when Altman’s wife went into labor Thursday.

  Despite steady rain, first responders and community members lined the street outside the funeral home as Altman’s casket, draped in a Chicago flag, was carried to a procession bound for his final resting place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip.

  Altman, a firefighter and EMT, died March 17 from injuries he suffered the day before while fighting a fire in a Rogers Park apartment. The blaze was in a four-story building in the 1700 block of West North Shore Avenue. Altman fell after the floor collapsed, fire officials said.

The weather matched the mood of the day.

Funeral Cancelled

This sounds like some bizarre movie script, except it's tragically real and heartrending:

• The funeral for Michael Altman, a Chicago firefighter killed in a Rogers Park blaze earlier this month, was canceled after his wife went into labor Thursday.

  The funeral, scheduled for Friday, will be rescheduled for a later date, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Visitation was still scheduled to take place Thursday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave.

  Altman was among the firefighters who responded to a fire behind a four-story building in the 1700 block of West North Shore Avenue that started around 11:20 a.m. March 16, Deputy District Fire Chief Kelly Burns told reporters at the scene. Burns said he fell through a floor that collapsed.

Hopefully, everything goes / is going smoothly for Mom and her newest child is surrounded by an outpouring of love and support in the absence of Dad.

God Bless the Altman family. 

Arsonist Charged

And (surprise!) he was on electronic monitoring:

• A Rogers Park man has been charged with murder and aggravated arson in connection with a fire that killed Chicago Fire Department Firefighter and EMT Michael Altman, prosecutors announced. He is the fourth person charged this year with killing or attempting to kill someone in Chicago while on felony pretrial release.

  Sheaves Slate, 27, is expected to appear for a detention hearing at the Cook County courthouse at 26th and California on Saturday afternoon, where additional details about the allegations against him are expected to be released.

Apologies for bringing this up, but this really should be used as a giant f#$%ing club to beat any and every politician who voted for the SAFE-T Act. 

These creatures shouldn't be walking the streets among the decent and law-abiding citizens, sowing mayhem and murder wherever they go. They need to be in cages or - if on bond - be forced to live with the politicians who voted for this crap bill....and the fat tub of shit that signed it.

Funeral Arrangements

Full Honors:

• A funeral has been scheduled for next week for third generation Chicago firefighter Michael Altman, who died after being injured fighting a Rogers Park blaze on Monday.

  Visitation will be held 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 26 at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave., the Chicago Fire Department announced Wednesday. Funeral services will be held there at 10 a.m. March 27.

  Altman, who served on Truck 47 in Edgewater, responded to a fire at a four-flat in Rogers Park late Monday morning. When the floor collapsed, he fell into the flames, fire officials said.

Rest in Peace.

Arson?

Word came in from some former co-workers that there was a person of interest named in the investigation of the death of the CFD Firefighter Michael Altman. He has since been picked up on an unrelated warrant:

• Chicago police on Wednesday arrested a man sought in connection to a Rogers Park blaze that resulted in the death of a firefighter earlier this week.

  An internal bulletin issued Tuesday said detectives were “seeking to locate and interview” the man in relation to firefighter Michael Altman’s death earlier that day. The man was arrested on a warrant Wednesday at Thorek Memorial Hospital, according to police records obtained by the Sun-Times.

  The Sun-Times isn’t identifying the man because he hasn’t been arrested or charged in relation to the fire.

  He has been arrested at least three times since July 2025, according to Cook County court records. In October, he was placed under court supervision for a year after pleading guilty to retail theft. 

Three arrests since July 2025 and "court supervision." 

One of our commentators knows EXACTLY what that means:

• Can one of our brothers in the Detectives Division CONFIRM that the arsonist who set the fire was on Cook County Judges Electronic Monitoring !!??!!?? This is the direction we are going. By transferring Electronic Monitoring from the Sheriff to the Judge these vile criminals will run the streets with no metrics in place, public safety emergency as far as I’m concerned.

Yep, another person wandering around on Electronic Monitoring with zero consequences aside from a notification mailed to his last known address that he missed court.

Did he light this fire? 

Firefighter Injured (UPDATE - Has Passed)

Fighting a fire while the blaze burns the floor you're standing on:

• A Chicago firefighter was seriously hurt Monday when he fell through the floor of a burning Rogers Park apartment building.

  The fire started around 11:20 a.m. at the back of the four-story multiunit building at 1757 W. North Shore Ave., Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Kelly Burns told reporters at the scene Monday afternoon.

  Firefighters responded to the fire in less than 10 minutes, he said. “We thought we were making good progress. And then we had a collapse on the first floor,” Burns said.

  The firefighter who fell was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital. Burns did not share his current condition.

Worse than fighting a fire that's weakening the floor you're standing on, is the fire is traveling around inside the walls and hidden dead spaces, meaning you are standing in what could turn into a chimney in an instant.

No thanks.

Prayers and best wishes to the injured Firefighter. 

UPDATE: Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, the Firefighter has passed:

• A firefighter who was seriously hurt battling a fire in Rogers Mark Monday morning has died.

  The firefighter was taken to Stroger Hospital with serious injuries and was pronounced dead Tuesday, according to authorties.[sic]

  A procession from Stroger Hospital to the Cook County medical examiner’s office on the Near West Side is taking place as of 12:45 p.m., according to a Monroe District police lieutenant.

We have received notification of a fundraising website - an alternative to those that charge fees. We haven't tried it and know nothing about it, so proceed cautiously.

• link here

The site says he leaves behind a child and an expectant wife. They're going to need a lot of help shortly.