Chicago firefighters raise alarm over equipment issues

CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago firefighters are raising concerns that equipment issues may be needlessly putting lives in danger.

Earlier this summer, an early morning fire on the city’s West Side claimed four lives, including a 5-year-old boy. It would later be learned, an arsonist lit the front and back of the building on fire. Arson investigators would later say he used a liquid accelerant so the fire spread fast.

Thankfully, six others, four adults and two children, would be rescued by firefighters. 

But according to the Chicago Fire Department Union President Patrick Cleary, better rigs would’ve helped.

He likens fighting fires in the city these days to fighting with one hand tied behind your back. The regularly assigned tower ladder was a spare and had an issue when firefighters arrived at the scene.

“They had to shut it off, wait a couple of seconds, turn it back on, and get the tower ladder to work,” he said.

Cleary says a better way to rescue people instead of a ladder truck is by way of a snorkel truck. It is similar to a tower ladder with a basket, but not as far-reaching, ideal for tighter spaces. 

But the assigned snorkel for that area was out of service. In fact, Cleary says three out of the four snorkel trucks for the entire city are out of service. 

“When you drag people to the window, you put them in the snorkel basket. Same thing with the tower ladder. They have a basket, so now you’re not carrying them down to the ground. You’re lowering them in a basket to the ground,” Cleary said. “When that happens, our people have to work harder. Because you’re not lowering people in the basket, you’re lowering them on the ground. You’re driving them to the window, handing that body to another guy on the ladder who is carrying that person down.”

And there are plenty of other rigs, he says, that are sidelined as well. It is all part of a bigger problem. He points to what is on display at the city’s fleet maintenance repair facility at 68th and Wentworth. 

Cleary says many if not most of the rigs there have been there for months. Ambulances too.  The number of sidelined trucks is the worst Cleary has seen in the two-plus decades he’s been on CFD. 

The bottom line, he says, is that CFD personnel and the public at large are being put in unnecessary danger. 

When asked about his thoughts on this, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says public safety is a priority, but it is also tied to available revenue.

“I am aware that the City of Chicago has many antiquated systems that we are working to modernize. Again, this is very much attached to how we generate revenue in the city to ensure public safety, which is my top priority,” Johnson said at a news conference on July 22. “We are going to continue to work to update our equipment. But again, it has to be attached to a commitment from all of us to have revenue, which will allow us to do that.”

WGN News also reached out to Fire Commissioner Annette Nance Holt for a comment, and through a spokesman, she said repairs are the responsibility of fleet maintenance. She did not address the union president’s charge that outdated, out-of-service equipment is putting people in peril. 

In a statement to WGN News, spokesperson for CFD Larry Langford disputed that there was an issue with the tower ladder not working right away and said, “Firefighters and Paramedics worked heroically to rescue trapped occupants, performed life-saving measures, and transported the injured to various hospitals.”

Before he was an alderman, Nick Sposato was a Chicago firefighter and says two things to happen: repairs need to be sped up and new trucks need to be purchased. Until then public safety will never be what it should be. And as politically unpopular as it may be, he said it may be time for a tax hike to generate more city revenue.

 “Not pay more taxes and try and get through with what we have right now?  To me I would rather pay more taxes,” he said. “But I’m an elected official and that’s the last thing the people want to hear me saying. But public safety is the upmost important to me. We got to upgrade our rigs.”

Other high-ranking officers on CFD agree with Cleary’s assessment that the rig situation is as bad as they have seen on the job as well.

All of this is happening as the city and Local 2 continue to be at a standoff on contract negotiations without a pay raise. They have been working under the old contract for four years now.

Johnson has ruled out a new property tax hike but other tax hikes are still on the table that could go toward buying some new much needed rigs.