THE CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT


The Chicago Fire Department is the largest fire department in the Midwest region of the United States. The City of Chicago covers 228 square miles and has a population of just under 3 million.

The primary responsibility of the CFD includes the obvious responsibilities of preservation of life and property from fire, but it is also responsible for the response and mitigation of hazardous materials and the delivery of Emergency Medical Service. The Chicago Fire Department operates the largest totally Advanced Life Support ambulance system in the world. The fire department also responds to many other non-fire emergency responses.

The Chicago Fire Department has the following resources available: 98 Engine Companies, 59 Truck Companies, 4 Squad companies, 24 Battalion Chiefs, 6 Deputy District Chiefs, 59 Ambulance Companies, 1 Fireboat, 5 Command Vans, and a number of other specialized pieces of Equipment.



Bureau of Fire Suppression and Rescue

Generally referred to as just, "Suppression," this is the firefighting force of the department. Suppression is broken down into six districts that are each commanded by a District Chief and a Deputy District Chief. District Chiefs work normal business hours, except when one is assigned to the "Duty." When a District Chief is assigned the "Duty" he is on 24-hour call for citywide extra alarm fires and other emergencies. Deputy District Chiefs work the same type of shift as other members of subordinate rank in the department. They work a 24-hour shift and then are off for 48 hours.

Districts
Each District in the Chicago Fire Department is comprised of four Battalions. Each Battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief. Each Battalion is made up of a number of Engine companies and Truck Companies. Some Battalions have Squad Companies and other miscellaneous units, such as: chemical units, smoke ejectors, command vans, etc...

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Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Chicago is the home of the "World's Busiest Airport." O'Hare is located in the far Northwest portion of the city. Since many people reading this on the World Wide Web may, in fact, come through Chicago in their travels we thought that we would include some information on the extraordinary and interesting array of specialized fire equipment that resides at the three Crash stations at the airport. Presently, the CFD is not the only fire department at O'Hare. The United States Air Force also maintains a large contingent of fire equipment there. These well trained Air Force Crash teams work very closely with the units of the 12th Battalion at O'Hare.

The fire equipment at O'Hare is top-of-the-line and state-of-the-art. This airport is one of the few airports where commercial pilots feel very confident about coming to when they have an on-board emergency.

The following is a list of fire equipment that is stationed at O'Hare: Battalion Chief 12
Engine 9 - 1992 Federal/Emergency One 2000/750/300 with a 50-foot Squrt
Engine 10 - identical to Engine 9
Tower Ladder 63 - 1988 Federal/Emergency One 95-foot ladder
Squad 7 - 1988 Spartan/Super Vac
Command Van 2-7-8
Ambulance 16
Ambulance 26
Ambulance 59
Aircraft Stairway 6-3-5
Crash units: 6-5-1, 6-5-3, 6-5-4, 6-5-5, 6-5-6, 6-5-7, 6-5-8, 6-5-10, 6-5-11

Most of the Crash rigs are Oshkosh T-3000's with 3185 gallons of water and 420 gallons of foam. It would take 9555 gallons of water or three full tanks of water to "eat up" or use up the 420 gallons of foam that is carried on-board these rigs. Units 6-5-1, 6-5-10 and 6-5-11 are reserve rigs.

The newest Crash Rig is 6-5-3, which is an Oshkosh T-3000 and is equipped with a "Snozzle." A Snozzle is a device that looks like an arm and has the ability to puncture the thin aluminum skin of an aircraft and inject foam or water to the inside of the plane. This Snozzle is also supposed to be able to be equipped with a television camera that is capable of seeing inside of the aircraft.

The United States Air Force has the following equipment assigned to the airport:
Chief 2
Red 3 - Quality P-2 Crash Rig w/ 2000 gal of water and 205 gal of foam
Red 4 - identical to Red 3
Red 5 - Ford F350 Rapid Intervention Vehicle. Carries foam products.
Red 6 - Chevy C30 Rescue Vehicle
Red 8 - Oshkosh P-4 Crash Rig w/ 1500 gal of water and 105 gal of foam
Red 9 - Oshkosh P-19 Crash Rig w/ 1000 gal of water and 130 gal of foam
Red 11 - Engine company
Take all of the firefighting equipment at O'Hare and you have an impressive armada.
Emergency communications at O'Hare is handled by the multi-million dollar "Command Center" which is a new state-of-the-art communications and crisis management center that has set a standard for all other airports, which now model their communications centers after O'Hare.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport serves 66 million passengers every year and has a total of six runways that sit on 7,800 acres -- the acreage is less than half the size of Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport at 17,520 acres and only one quarter the size of Denver International Airport at 34,000 acres.


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Chicago Fire Department Response Procedures

The following is the description of alarms and primary equipment dispatched:
Still Alarm = 2 engines, 2 trucks, one battlion chief

Working Still Alarm (A confirmed working structure fire) = add one squad company (If in district.) and one command van

Still and Box Alarm (Total Response) = 4 engines, 2 trucks, one tower ladder, three battalion chiefs, one Deputy District Chief, one squad company, one command van and one ambulance

2-11 Alarm (additional response) = 4 engines, 2 trucks, one tower ladder, two battalion chiefs, one District Chief

3-11 Alarm (additional response) = 4 engines and Deputy Fire Commissioners

4-11 Alarm (additional response) = 4 engines

5-11 Alarm (additional response) = 4 engines

Special Alarm = any additional equipment that is requested for by the Incident Commander. Usually five engine companies.



Hazardous Materials Response Procedures

The mission of the CFD, in a Hazardous Materials incident, is to isolate, contain and stabalize hazardous materials until such time as the proper officials require the owner of the product to properly dispose of the material.

Hazardous materials are defined as: any explosive, flammable, oxidizer, poison, etiologic agent, radioactive, corrosive or other substance or material, in a quantity or form that may pose an unreasonable risk to health, safety and the environment.

Response
Level 1 = Is the minimum initial response to any suspected or potential Hazardous Materials incident. This level is primarily for investigative activities and/or to mitigate incidents involving small quantities or low potential materials. A Level 1 HazMat response consists of: one battalion chief, one engine, one truck, one ambulance and a HIT task force of: one squad and the Hazardous Materials Squad 5-1-1.

Level 2 = Is a confirmed incident involving a moderate or high potential and/or a large quantity of material; or an incident requiring protective clothing above Level D (Structural firefighting clothes); or an incident requiring the need to initiate an evacuation. A Level 2 HazMat response consists of the following units: one Deputy District Chief, one HIT Task Force Team engine, one HIT Task Force Team truck, one Safety Officer, one EMS Field Officer, one Air Mask Support Vehicle and one command van.

Level 3 = Level 3 HazMat incidents are rarely called. This would be an extensive incident which may require additional manpower, more supplies than are normally carried by the HIT Task Force, and an expanded evacuation area.



Emergency Medical Service Response Procedures

Pin-In Response = one engine, one truck, one battalion chief, one squad and one ambulance

EMS Plan I = 5 ambulances, one EMS Field Officer, one EMS Dpty. Asst. Paramedic, one engine, one truck, one battalion chief

EMS Plan II (additional response) = 5 ambulances, one EMS Field Officer, one EMS Triage van, one Deputy District Chief, one command van

EMS Plan III (additional response) = 5 ambulances, one District Chief, and the Deputy Fire Commissioner of EMS.


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Chicago Fire Department Organization

District 1 - Central and near West and South Sides
Battalion 1: E1,13,37,42,98, AT1,3, Sqd1, A11,41,42
Battalion 2: E8,16,19,29, T4,11, A4,35
Battalion 3: E4,14,22,30, T19, TL10, A43,53, 5-1-1
Battalion 4: E5,18,23,26,103, T2,7, TL5, A28,45, CV1

District 2 - Near North and Northwest Sides
Battalion 5: E55,56,78,112, T44, TL21, A6,48, CV2
Battalion 6: E35,43,44,57, T28,36, A3,44
Battalion 7: E7,76,91,106, T13,35,58, Sqd2, A7,52
Battalion 8: E68,86,94,125, T53,57, A20

District 3 - Far North and Northwest Sides
Battalion 9: E59,70,71,102, T25,47, A13
Battalion 10: E69,83,89,110,124, T22,38,56, A31,32,40,46
Battalion 11: E11,79,108,119, T9,55, TL23, A2,39,47
Battalion 12: Previously described

District 4 - West and Southwest Side
Battalion 13: E95,96,107,113,117, T26,29, TL14, A10,15,23,33
Battalion 14: E38,77,99,109, T32,48, A34
Battalion 15: E28,39,49,65, T8,33,52, A19, CV3
Battalion 16 (Includes Midway Airport) = E32,34,127, T54,60, A12,21,54,
Crash 6-5-2, 6-5-9, 6-5-12

District 5 - South and far Southwest Side
Battalion 17: E45,60,61,63, T15,16, TL37, A36,38
Battalion 18: E47,54,84,122, T20,30,51, A14,24, CV4
Battalion 19: E50,88,116,123, T18, TL39, Sqd5, A1,8,49
Battalion 20: E15,64,101,129, T31,41,50,59, A18,27,30

District 6 - Far South Side
Battalion 21: E73,92,120,121, T24,40,45, A17,29
Battalion 22: E62,75,82,93,115, T27,42, A5,37
Battalion 23: E46,72,100,126, T17,49, TL34, A9,22,50
Battalion 24: E74,80,81,97,104, T61,62, A25,51


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Courtesy of ENN Managing Editor - Steve Macko 11/11/95