Profile: OFPD Engineer Matt Burke

Matt Burke, 43, never realized that he was a part of a family of firefighters when he was younger. But when he turned 18, something inside of him pushed him to want to make firefighting as he career choice.

Burke studied at Moraine Valley Community College when he became a paid-on-call firefighter.

“When I was hired, my mother was so proud and she started to tell me about all of the relatives and cousins in our family who were firefighters, too,” Burke recalled.

“I kind of knew that but it really didn’t hit me until I actually put on the uniform how important the decision was that I had made in my life.”

Burke said he doesn’t regret the choice at all.

“Being a firefighter looked like an exciting career. I wanted to help people. It was always inside me and I really enjoy the challenge,” Burke said.

Burke left the North Palos Fire District after two years and joined the Palos Fire District where he spent 10 years in uniform.  While working part-time at Palos, he started testing for full-time firefighter/paramedic positions.  After many tests, he was hired by Chicago Ridge Fire Department.  Less than two years later, he received a call from the Orland Fire Protection District that he was part of the next hiring list.  He then became a full-time employee with them.  During the first year, he also joined the Evergreen Fire Department as a part-time firefighter/paramedic.

“I did most of my major training and received some of my certifications and education at the Palos Fire District.  I completed the rest of my certifications at Orland Fire District,” Burke said, noting it is not easy to become a firefighter.

“It really is about training and education. I tested at all of the fire departments that I worked at and received a lot of hands-on training. It’s very competitive. We’re constantly training. I just came back from a training session today on dealing with cardiac issues.”

Firefighters are tested for mental aptitude, physical agility and psychological stamina.  And after completing this testing he was hired in May of 1994 by the Orland Fire Protection District.

Most firefighters are cross trained as paramedics. It’s common in the suburbs and it’s especially true here in the Orland Fire Protection District.  I trained to be a paramedic while at Palos Fire District and graduated in June of 1990.

As a firefighter, Burke says he faces many challenges in the day-to-day routine of fighting fires, responding to trauma calls and all kinds of emergencies.

Even when he is off-duty, Burke says, he is prepared for anything.

“Last May, my wife and I were coming home from a vacation on Southwest Airlines. We were about an hour in to the return trip when the flight attendants announced on the intercom on the plane asking for anyone with medical training,” Burke recalled.

“They asked if anyone was a doctor or had medical training to put their call light on. I put mine on and then got up from my seat and walked toward the part of the plane where the flight attendants were gathered around the passenger.”

Apparently, a woman who worked at the Aurora Fire Department had fainted. Her pulse was barely noticeable, Burke remembered.

“She was sweating profusely and she was white as a sheet. We didn’t know what happened,” Burke said. “She looked in trouble.”

Burke said his paramedic training immediately kicked in. The flight attendants got a doctor on the airplane headset and Burke described who he was and his training. He advised that the passenger needed an IV and the doctor agreed.

“We picked her up and laid her across three seats with her feet elevated to get her blood circulating through her body,” Burke said. “I then started the IV. You could barely feel her pulse. We were concerned. But she was revived and we sat with her and spoke with her for the remaining part of the trip.”

Burke said the plane landed at Midway Airport about two hours later and she was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where she was treated.

“I always wondered how she was,” Burke said. “She was very grateful that we could help her.”

Burke says that the additional training he received helped prepare him to respond to any emergency he encounters, either at work, at home or while traveling.

Nearly all of the Orland Fire Protection District firefighters are trained as paramedics, he said.

“I’m always ready to help to someone in need. You have to be as a firefighter,” Burke said.

Burke currently holds the rank of engineer. He is the driver for Truck Four, the Ladder. His wife is Heather and they have three children, Reilly Lynn, 13, Quinn, 10, and Morgan, 9.

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What will you do to protect your family from fire during Fire Prevention week this year?

What will you do to protect your family from fire during Fire Prevention week this year? 

By Raymond Kay

Acting Chief, Orland Fire Protection District

Bringing special public attention to protecting lives and property from the dangers of fire has been a national campaign since 1920 in the United States called Fire Prevention Week which this year begins October 9 through Oct. 15.

Fire prevention week originated in 1922 and is always scheduled for the week that includes October 9^th.  In 1871 on October 8^th the Great Chicago Fire was started.  The fire burned for some period of time but the most significant damage took place on October 9^th.   This conflagration killed more than 250 people, left approximately 100,000 people homeless, destroyed over 17,000 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.  This tragic fire became the driving force behind the Fire Prevention Week initiative.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fire prevention theme this year, Protect Your Family From Fire, speaks to three recent close calls.  On three different days over the course of the last three months families narrowly escaped from the dangers of fire.

In July, seven residents, adults and children alike were startled from their sleep well after midnight by several good Samaritans who saw that the attached garage was well involved in fire.  The strangers along with several Orland Park Police officers woke the residents and helped them to safety.  The fire in this case was only minutes away from spreading into the children’s bedroom when they escaped.

On a beautiful August Saturday, just after 12 pm, a fire erupts in the garage of a four unit townhouse.  The resident is awake and moving about in a seemingly normal day.  The fire moves so quickly that he escapes with only the clothes on his back.  Two of the four attached units are damaged by the fire.  Most importantly, nobody was injured from the smoke and flames.

It is Patriot Day, September 11, the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks upon our country.  In between a number of memorial services, 8:30 in the morning fire strikes in the basement of another townhouse, the family is still asleep.  An adult smells smoke, realizes that the house is on fire, calls 911 for help and wakes other adults and the children guiding them out of the burning structure.  Luckily, there are no injuries.  In this case, there are no working smoke detectors.

Three groups of people were fortunate this summer; they all experienced a close call narrowly avoiding injury or death from smoke and fire.  The incidents shared here all took place at different times of day.  Some residents were fast asleep and others wide awake.  The fires started in different parts of the home. 

Luckily the only common thread among these fires is that nobody was injured.  All of these fires could have had very different, tragic outcomes.

Fire can strike at any time.  You have the opportunity to prevent fires, quickly detect smoke or fire and the ability plan your escape.  Use resources like the Orland Fire Protection District website (www.orlandfire.org) or the NFPA website (www.nfpa.org) to learn more about:

-      A Family Fire Safety Checklist – where adults and kids can play a role in your home’s fire safety

-      Smoke Detectors – Change your batteries twice per year

-      Practice your escape plane – Exercise your plan with the whole family twice each year

Happily, the fires from this summer did not result in any injuries.  Visit the websites provided, download your free information and please take the advice of the NFPA - Protect Your Family From Fire.

END

Orland Fire Protection District Budget opened to public for first time

Orland Fire Protection District Budget process opened to public for first time

OFPD – For the first time in its 42 year official history, the Orland Fire Protection District opened its budget  deliberations to the public and began a line-by-line review of district spending.

OFPD President Jim Hickey and Acting Fire Chief Raymond Kay led the first of three public hearings with board members who attended the meeting Blair Rhode, Chris Evoy and Glenn Michalek.

Hickey said the new process is designed so that interested taxpayers can understand what has been a very complicated budget process in the past.

“We have divided the budget into three parts. Essential spending, spending that is important and spending that is considered beneficial but not always essential to the operation of the Fire District,” Hickey said.

“We have placed district services and spending in each category so that we can ensure that we preserve and protect the high quality of service that the taxpayers are paying for, and to find ways to trim the budget to make it more in line with the challenges of today’s economy and with the spending reflected by other public fire agencies. Our spending is way up there and there is a false notion that spending and quality service are linked.”

Hickey said the OFPD has some of the best trained firefighters in the country, but he said that the past budgets have reflected an attitude that went “way beyond” reason and resulted in excessive spending that in reality didn’t always make a difference in terms of fire quality.

“On Tuesday (Oct. 4) we went through the first part of the budget reviewing eight areas of service, examining the spending needs line-by-line. It was a fascinating process to review what we are doing and how we can do it better and also more efficiently and cost-effectively,” Hickey said.

Hickey said department heads are being asked to bring their budget needs to the board for review, categorizing them in three areas of need from the most important to those that can be more carefully managed.

“The taxpayers are demanding that we look at spending at the fire district,” said Rhode. “The taxes for the fire district are the highest after spending for the local school districts. As a government agency, we have a responsibility to the public not just to give them the best fire protection services but to do so in the most cost-effective manner with an eye towards protecting the hard-earned dollars that they put in to our government.”

Hickey said that the district will hold two more budget meetings on Tuesday Oct. 11 and Tuesday Oct. 18, both beginning at 5 pm. The district’s regularly scheduled board meeting is Tuesday Oct. 25, also at 5 pm.

Since the new board was sworn in, the district has saved more than $1 million, mainly through personnel changes and cutbacks in costs from reducing media consulting costs by $12,000 to reducing some non-essential services.

Evoy said that he is hopeful that the District’s new Springfield Lobbyist will help identify funding sources that will be used to help cover costs that now come from taxpayer pockets. The District’s lobbyist in Springfield is Cheryl Axley who was hired in June. Axley joins consultant Cindy Katsenes who is working for the district pro bono and is looking at ways to better manage the district's personnel budget and assignments.

Hickey said that he is hopeful the district could qualify for grants as much as $500,000 to off-set spending for next year’s budget.

“Our goal is to return money to the taxpayers who continue to do their part by supporting this district,” Hickey said. “We need to do our part.”

Kay said that the previous budget process included the submittal of a request by those who administer the budget, followed by administrative reduction. 

“In the past, the budget preparers did not realize what their budget contained until they saw it again in January when it was distributed,” Kay said.

“This year, after reviewing the sum of all proposals, budget preparers were asked to revisit their budgets with the task of reducing their requests.  As a result of this activity, 1 million dollars were collectively reduced across all budget submittals.”

Each of the budget preparers now have an idea of which components are more critical or not and make adjustments accordingly.  Kay added the preparers are involved in decision-making.

“Each of these people have more of a sense of engagement in their particular areas,” Kay said. “They also understand that this may not be the final action on their budget because they are looking at only a segment of the whole and do not have the opportunity to see the big picture.  I expect that the Board of Trustees will further address these requests to determine a final budget.”

The Orland district area was served by a volunteer fire force that began sometime in 1894, but the District was officially founded in 1973.

end

It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire! Orland Fire Protection District Encourages Residents to Keep their Homes Safe During Fire Prevention Week, October 9-15, 2011

For more information, contact:
Nancy Mulvihill/Public Educator
708-873-2742
n.mulvihill@orlandfire.org

It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!  

Orland Fire Protection District Encourages Residents to Keep their Homes Safe

During Fire Prevention Week, October 9-15, 2011

October 8, 2011 -- What’s the best way to protect your family from fire? Be ahead of the game, of course. With more than 360,000 home fires reported in the United States in 2009, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), your best defense is a good offense. That’s why the Orland Fire Protection District is teaming up with NFPA during the October 9-15, 2011, to let our community know: “It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!” This year’s campaign focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires -- cooking, heating and electrical equipment, as well as candles and smoking materials. Additionally, it urges people to protect their homes and families with life-saving technology and planning.

“In 2009, 2,565 people died in home fires. Nearly all of these deaths could have been prevented by taking a few simple precautions like having working smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan, keeping things that can burn away from the stove and always turning off space heaters before going to bed,” says Acting Chief Raymond Kay of the Orland Fire Protection District. “Fire is a dangerous opponent, but by anticipating the hazards, you are much less likely to be one of the nearly 13,000 people injured in home fires each year.”

The Orland Fire Protection District offers the following tips for protecting your home and family from fire:

• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Replace or repair damaged or loose electrical cords.
• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Use deep, wide ashtrays on a sturdy table.
• Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.

“While preventing home fires in the Orland Fire District is always our number one priority, it is not always possible,” Acting Chief Kay continued. Orland Park and Orland Hills residents need to provide the best protection to keep their homes and families safe in the event of a fire. This can be achieved by developing an escape plan which you practice regularly and equipping homes with life-saving technologies like smoke alarms and home fire sprinklers.”

The following tips will help keep your family safe if there is a fire in your home:

• Install smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home (including the basement).
• Interconnect all smoke alarms in the home so when one sounds, they all sound.
• Test smoke alarms at least monthly and replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they do not respond when tested.
• Make sure everyone in your home knows how to respond if the smoke alarm sounds.
• Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible ways out.  Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors.
• If you are building or remodeling your home, consider installing home fire sprinklers.

The Orland Fire Protection District will be hosting an Open House on October 8th during Fire Prevention Week to promote “It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!” Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the power of prevention and available technologies to protect their own families from fire.  Also, during our open house we will be celebrating Sparky’s 60^th Birthday, all kids that bring in a blanket or dog food to be donated to an animal shelter will get their picture taken with Sparky. (Pictures will be emailed to the family).  Stop by for “Touch a Truck” and see all the Fire District’s Equipment including the Dive Squad.  We will also be doing auto extrication and a live fire/sprinkler demonstration.

Also this year we will be hosting our Annual Coloring Contest Awards Ceremony at 12:30 p.m. All finalists will be on display for everyone to see.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in the Orland Fire Protection District, please contact Nancy Mulvihill at 708-873-2742 or visit our website at: www.orlandfire..org  for more information about the Open House or any other event going on in the community. To learn more about “It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!” visit NFPA’s Web site at www.firepreventionweek.org. 

OFPD responds to house fire

The Orland Fire Protection District  responded to a reported structure fire in the 11300 block of Poplar Creek Lane at about 5:15 Friday (August 12) afternoon.  Initial companies found heavy smoke conditions from the rear of the roof.  The fire was found on the external part of the wooden shingle roof.  The fire was extinguished quickly as a result of our rapid response to the incident.  The potential existed to burn the entire wooden shingle roof.

Crews checked for fire extension inside of the home and in the attic space.  The fire never penetrated the plywood decking of the roof structure, keeping the fire out of the living areas of the home.

There were no injuries during the incident.  Crews responded quickly and had the fire under control in a matter of a few minutes.  Embers from an open fire in the back yard is likely the cause of the fire.

Crews checked for potential hidden fire in the attic by creating a small inspection hole in the ceiling of the second floor bathroom.  Care was taken to protect the personal belongings of the homeowner as fire extension was being evaluated.

(Photos courtesy of the OFPD and may be reproduced with attribution by news media.)

Orland Fire Protection District recognizes fast action by citizens and police officials

Orland Fire Protection District recognizes fast action by citizens and police officials

Actions helped save lives

The Orland Fire Protection District recognized five civilians and three members of the Orland Police Department for their quick actions that in each case helped to save lives and minimize the risk of danger.

OFPD Acting Chief Raymond Kay presented Certificates of Merit and Recognition to the eight recipients at District's regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday July 26.

Seven of the recipients played key roles in helping respond to a fire that started in the attached garage of a home at Clearview and Terry Drive in Orland Park in the early morning hours following Fourth of July celebrations.

Kay presented certificates to Mohammad Rahman and to his two nephews, Nijem and Hatim Abderrhahman.

"Mohammed, Nijem and Hatim were driving by around 1 am returning from work when they saw the fire in the garage and immediately called 911 and pounded on the door to awaken the family," Kay said.

The family of seven, including four children, were fast asleep in the home. Kay said investigators could not determine an official cause for the fire.

Katherine Garrity was also recognized with a certificate for also calling 911 to report the fire.

And three members of the Orland Park Police who responded to the emergency with the Orland Fire Protection District firefighters were also honored. They are Officers Joseph  O'Brien, Christopher  Losurdo and Thelbert Heatherly.

In another incident, motorist Christine Binelli came upon an accident involving a motorcyclist on the ramp at I-80 and LaGrange Road, the day before on July 4th. The victim was in traumatic arrest and she immediately pulled over to provide CPR. Her efforts helped sustain the victim until he was transported by Orland and Mokena Fire District employees to the hospital.

"The message here is that the actions of individuals to stop and help can make a difference in emergencies like these and we want to thank them and encourage citizens to stop and help," Chief Raymond Kay said.

"It is so important for citizens to become involved and more importantly to be educated about basic lifesaving techniques and that was demonstrated in each of these cases."

Kay noted that the fast response and action from firefighters were critical in the outcomes.

"The firemen are there to do this job to save lives, respond to fires and emergencies. We're proud of the work we do and that the public expects from us. But we certainly appreciate the support that we get from a public educated about lifesaving techniques," Kay said.

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Fire District responds to home fire started by lightning strike during Sunday's thunderstorms

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAY HANANIA

rayhanania@comcast.net

Sunday JULY 24, 2011

Lightning strikes Orland Park home and causes fire

Orland Park -- A home on the block of 8400 and Country Club Lane in Orland Park was hit by lightning during this morning's thunderstorms causing damage to the homes attic, officials of the Orland Fire Protection District said.

The fire was reported at the home at just after 10 am Sunday by a passerby who did not identify himself and no one was injured, Fire District officials said.

"The first arriving units found a fire in the attic.  A coordinated fire attack strategy enabled companies to gain access to the house, extinguish the fire and protect the homeowner’s belongings in a simultaneous action," said Acting Fire Chief Raymond L. Kay.

"Multiple fire companies responded to the incident making the coordinated attack possible.  Quick actions and coordinated efforts can be attributed to the level of training and experience of these responders."

Kay said that an investigation at the scene concluded the fire was started by a lightning strike minutes before.

"Fire companies worked to protect the homeowner’s belongings by moving items away from the fire area and by covering other articles with protective tarps.  After the fire was extinguished, crews worked to remove attic insulation from the house, which was disturbed in the course of fighting the fire," Kay said.

Kay said in addition to putting out fires and saving lives, the firefighters make saving the personal property of homeowners a priority. He said there were no injuries during this incident.

The fire department worked with the homeowners and the board up company to secure the hole in the roof caused by the lightening strike, in order to prevent further damage by rain.

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