|
Commonly Asked Questions
1. How can I become a career firefighter? See firefighter employment information on the Fire Department's web site or call the Gurnee Village Hall Human Resources Department at (847) 599-7500.2. Where can I take Emergency Medical Technician classes? Illinois Department of Public Health governs EMT classes that are offered at local community hospitals. Classes are offered regularly at these Lake County area hospitals if you meet these qualifications: Age 18 or older and have a High School diploma or GED.You may contact Provena St. Therese Hospital--Amy Ludford, EMS Coordinator (847) 360-2039, Victory Memorial Hospital - EMS Coordinator (847) 360-4333, or Highland Park Hospital--EMS System Coordinator (847) 480-3758. 3. Where do I direct letters of interest? The department does not accept letters of interest. We suggest you check the Village's employment web page periodically or call the Human Resource Department at (847) 599-7500 to check on current recruitment's.
1. How can I find out what types of programs the Fire Department offers? You may visit our web site at (http://www.gurnee.il.us/fire/) or call (847) 599-6600.2. Is counseling available if my child is setting fires? Yes, call our Fire Prevention Bureau Office at (847) 599-6650 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.3. How do I schedule a station tour or a presentation to my group? Call the fire department administration office at (847) 599-6600 to schedule a tour, block party or birthday party with our Public Education Coordinator. You may also request dates for some events online.
1. Will the Fire Department inspect my home for fire safety? Yes, you may contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at (847) 599-6650 to request an inspection Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You may also request a date of inspection online.2. What does a home safety inspection consist of? These are some of the major components checked during a home safety inspection:
3. Where should fire extinguishers be placed in the home? Having a fire extinguisher in the home is a good idea, but not mandated by the Gurnee Fire Department. If you have an extinguisher, it should be placed where it is easily accessible. The kitchen and garage are good sites for an extinguisher. However, do not place an extinguisher over the stove or buried in storage in the garage, but rather hang it on the wall between 4 inches and five feet from the ground.4. How often should a fire extinguisher be serviced? There are no regulations mandating the servicing of fire extinguishers placed in single family residences. In apartments and all commercial buildings, fire extinguishers are required to be serviced once per year.5. How can I get a residential fire extinguisher serviced? The Gurnee Fire Department can not recommend a vendor to service your fire extinguisher. We do suggest looking through the yellow pages of your local telephone directory for a list of licensed fire extinguisher service companies. Any service listed in the yellow pages is required by the State of Illinois to be licensed.6. Where should smoke detectors be placed in the home? It is Illinois State Law, that smoke detectors should be placed on every level of the home. Residential smoke detectors are early warning devices to wake a sleeping person or people. Smoke detectors should be placed in each bedroom (sleeping area) and in the hallway leading to the bedroom.7. Should I put a smoke detector in my garage? No! The exhaust fumes that are created by starting and stopping of your vehicle often falsely trigger smoke detectors.8. How often should I test my smoke detector?
Although smoke detectors are essential in every household, they're designed to detect, not control a fire. Home fire sprinklers complement the detector's work, providing a way to fight flames immediately. The U.S. Fire Administration's research of home fire sprinkler systems successfully focused on systems that would be low cost, fast acting and reliable. As a result, residential fire sprinklers have gained increased acceptance. 1. What is a home fire sprinkler system?A home fire sprinkler system consists of a network of piping and valves connected to your home's domestic water supply. The home fire sprinkler is fast acting and designed to respond immediately to intense rising heat. When activated by intense heat the home fire sprinkler system will respond with a direct spray of water onto the fire.
1. How do I get a copy of a fire report? If you are the property owner, you may call the fire department in advance at (847) 599-6600 or send correspondence by mail. Requests are mailed or ready for pick-up within seven (7) business days. Identification is required. Office hours are between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. There is no fee to the property owner for a copy of the fire report.2. How can I obtain a copy of a medical patient report? If you are the patient or parent/guardian of a minor you may call the fire department (847) 599-6600 in advance or send correspondence by mail. Requests are mailed or ready for pick-up within seven (7) business days. Identification is required. Office hours are between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. There is no fee to the patient or parent/guardian for a copy of this report.Medical reports are confidential and can only be provided to the patient with proper identification. Requests for legal matters require a current signed patient authorization release or a subpoena. A $20.00 processing fee is charged.
If the patient's condition is unstable or life threatening, the patient must be transported to the closest appropriate hospital. 2. When an emergency vehicle is approaching that is displaying emergency lights and sirens, what should I do? By Illinois State law, you are required to pull to the right and stop. This allows fire apparatus adequate space to move safely and quickly while enroute to its response.3. I have noticed a "flood light" blinking at an intersection when fire trucks are approaching, what is it? This signal's that an emergency vehicle is approaching and has activated a traffic control system (Opticom) which systematically and safely changes the traffic signal to provide a "green" light for approaching emergency vehicles. The system is usually set so that the signal is received well in advance of the emergency vehicle's arrival, allowing the intersection to clear. It also helps improve the response time to emergencies when passing through intersections.4. Why do so many fire apparatus respond to simple incidents? Fire Department units are dispatched according to information received by 9-1-1 operators. The Gurnee Fire Department thinks over cautiously when responding to a citizen in need of help. In other words, the firefighters are prepared to deal with the worst that could happen. Discovering that we need more units once we arrive is often too late. We have learned from experience that it's better to have too much help than not enough.5. How come I see fire engines with full lights and sirens go through a red light at intersections and then, after they go through, they turn off their lights and slow down? As explained in the previous answer, sometimes several units are dispatched to the same incident. The first unit may have arrived on the scene, assessed the situation and informed the dispatcher that the situation was under control or that a single unit could handle the emergency. All other responding units get cancelled and put back into service, ready to take the next call.Most likely, when you see an emergency vehicle with full lights and siren slow down after going through an intersection and then turn the emergency lights off, they have been cancelled from the call they were responding to. 6. Why do so many firefighters respond to a structure fire? A structure fire requires a number of people to do all the assigned tasks. Firefighting teams are assigned certain responsibilities such as fire extinguishment, search and rescue, ventilation, salvage, safety, accountability, as well as rapid intervention teams to standy-by in the event firefighter(s) become trapped or injured.7. Why do I see firefighters cutting holes in the roof of a building on fire? This is called "venting the roof." There are two basic reasons for this practice. Dangerous gases and dark smoke accumulate in a burning building. Unlike the movie versions of fires, it is impossible for firefighters to see in such an environment. When a hole is made in the roof because the building is "vented," the smoke and gases escape because heat and smoke rise. It makes it much easier for the firefighters in the building to see. It also reduces the possibilities of back draft (explosion) and flashover. Another reason for venting the roof is to see how far the fire has progressed. One of the fastest avenues through which fires spread is the attic. Heat and smoke rise into the attic where the fire can move quickly. Firefighters may go ahead of the fire on a roof, cut holes to access the attic and stop fire from spreading through the attic.8. Why do fire engines respond to motor vehicle accidents? Two reasons: First, automobile accidents present other hazards such as potential fire, ruptured fuel tanks, and/or the presence of hazardous materials. Secondly, the fire engines are equipped with specialized tools that are used to assist in extrication/removing of trapped occupants in a vehicle. The ambulances are not equipped with these specialized tools.9. Why do fire engines respond to emergency medical calls? As mentioned in the prior statements, firefighters are trained paramedics. Our primary mission is to provide supplementary support to our local rescue squads. With additional fire stations and personnel on duty, the fire engine can often arrive prior to the rescue squad and begin life saving techniques such as CPR and/or use defibrillators.10. Do you rescue cats from trees? We are called to assist the public with many different situations. These include but are not restricted to assisting with flooding, helping the elderly or infirm back into bed, and investigating unusual situations (electrical/smoke/possible hazardous conditions). We typically do not rescue cats from trees. If you live in an unincorporated area of the Warren-Waukegan Fire District you should call Animal Control (847) 949-9925.Animal Control is not available in Incorporated Gurnee. We strongly suggest to try opening a can of tuna (this usually works), leaving the immediate area and waiting for the cat to get down on its own. 11. When responding to a call in the "middle of the night" do the firefighters have to sound the engine sirens even though traffic is probably light? Yes, state vehicle code mandates that while responding code three, an emergency response vehicle must have all emergency lights on and the siren sounding. A code three response is initiated when life, property or the environment is in immediate jeopardy (i.e. bleeding, breathing problems, fire, hazardous materials going down a storm drain).12. What is the work schedule for firefighters? There are firefighters on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Gurnee. We work 24-hour shifts from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next morning.13. Firefighters wear a lot of gear; is it fireproof and how much does it weigh? The clothes are called "turn-outs" or "bunker" gear as they originally were turned inside out and kept next to bunks to facilitate a quick change at night. The turn-outs are made of a material called Nomex. Nomex is resistive to cuts and abrasions and is fire retardant but not fireproof - so it will burn. We must be able to put our turn-outs on in less than a minute. And yes, it does get rather warm in the summer, as we must wear these clothes when we respond to structure fires, hazardous materials incidents, and traffic accidents. The gear we wear weighs about 40-45 pounds, with everything on.
1. Where can I get my blood pressure taken? You can get your blood pressure checked at any station by our on-duty personnel.2. Does the Fire Department offer CPR Classes? Yes, the fire department does offer CPR classes to local businesses, groups, and the public. You may contact our office for upcoming CPR classes or to inquire about registration at (847) 599-6600 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Special requests/needs may be directed to our CPR Coordinator.Two types of classes are offered:
Cost per individual includes a Micro Shield: per resident $25.00, per non-resident $40.00. Cost for local businesses or large groups is $175.00 per class for up ten (10) attendees, plus an optional $6.00 per student for a Micro Shield. Classes are held at the location specified by the business or group. You are registered for this class upon receipt of payment. No reserved seats will be made available. Payment is due prior to the date of the class and may be made during administration hours at Station #1, located at 4580 Old Grand Avenue, Gurnee, IL. 3. Does the Fire Department offer First Aid Classes? First Aid classes are not offered at this time.4. Are fireworks legal to use in the Village? In Illinois, all fireworks are illegal unless authorized by permits for supervised public displays. The term fireworks does not include sparklers, smoke devices, snake and glow worm pellets, trick noisemakers and most forms of toy pistols using plastic or paper caps.Use of any fireworks within the Village of Gurnee is prohibited, unless authorized by resolution of the Village Board.
| ||||||||
|
Revised 05/19/09 |
||||||||
