Chicago Severe Weather Response

grumpy grizzly

grumpy grizzly

Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
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Due to the upcoming severe weather conditions Chicago has added a third engine company on all initial responses. With the report of a bona fide fire the rest of the alarm response will be filled out.
 
"grumpy grizzly" with the upcoming cold and wind chill factors around 50 below zero, a few of us have been discussing how difficult this will make the job of fighting fires in the "Windy City". Other cities as well like Detroit etc.

Not only for firefighters but for others who must be outside working such as police officers, EMTs/Medics, and the Utility Workers.

Here in the northeast they tell us our share of it is coming tomorrow night. It may not be 50 below wind chill factors here, but maybe 10-20 below.

I hope those who need a warm place to go will be able to do that. And neighbors and relatives will check on the elderly.

Its nights like this that those who have now retired from those jobs can really appreciate a warm home and a warm bed.

I know a lot of retired firefighters who LOVED the job. But if there's one thing about it that they DIDN'T LOVE, that's being out there flowing water on nights like this. 

I'm glad Chicago FD is adding these extra companies on the response.

And Thank You "Grump" for keeping us updated.

By the way, winter isn't over yet.
"Grump", when you lived in Boston, I'm sure you remember the Blizzard of 1978, with 3-4 feet of snow and winds of 70 mph. It just kept snowing and snowing for THREE DAYS Straight.

February 5th will mark the 51st Anniversary for that storm.
 
Great Blizzard of 1978, from 2/6 until 2/24 Boston responded to a daily average of 150 incidents with a high of 205 on 2/8 and 196 on 2/6. Multiples and "45-XXXX, same as a FDNY 10-75 were 12 45-XXXX, 9 seconds, 4 thirds, and 1 fourth and fifth. Travel was banned in the city until the 14th. I remember watching on TV the ANG and USAF unloading cargo aircraft with snow removal equipment. But the liquor store on the corner stayed open and had a large quantity of merchandise!
 
Not to worry, Rev.  Willy just doesn't know how old he really is (not quite as old as me ;) ).
 
Sorry guys, minor adjustment needed. I've been telling everybody it was 51 years ago. I guess maybe that's good news - I'm really YOUNGER than I thought I was.

Anyway, it sure was a Big One.
 
Point of reference, it was colder in Chicago yesterday than the top of Mt Everest, parts of Antartica and Siberia!
 
scamall dubh said:
Cold winters are usually what pushes guys into retirement.
Click to expand...

Maybe some here remember a singing group called the Carpenters.

One of the famous songs they made was a hit called: "Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down"

Well for firefighters they changed the title and the words a bit.

The song for them became known as: "Frigid Cold Nights and We Don't Want To Be Around". 
 
The absolute beauty of this weather is, in the morning, to stand very relaxed in one's pajamas at the window with a cup of coffee (or tea, or hot chocolate) and watch "The Working Class" scurry by on their way to another day of drudgery.  Repeat at the afternoon homeward bound rush as often as necessary.  What joy! (And if only Mickey D's would deliver lunch, life would be perfect!!)
 
All the years I was in EMS and we had standby's at fires I would position myself next to the exhaust pipe of a rig that was throttled up. Wasn't the healthiest but is was warmer than not.
 
Is there a temperature that they use to define "severe weather" and put these new procedures in place?

It amazes me to watch how other parts of North America deal with things when winter arrives.
 
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