Sheffield Township VFD Fire Chief Shawn Alkire is pleased to announce that the volunteer fire department is installing new devices from HAAS Safety Cloud on the department’s apparatus to improve firefighter and motorist safety, according to a township news release.

Purdue University used grant funding to provide three HAAS Safety Cloud transponders for Sheffield Township Volunteer Fire Department trucks, and the department paid $1,400 for three more, meaning all six of the department’s trucks will be equipped with the devices.

The HAAS Safety Cloud transponders track the location of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles and alert nearby drivers whenever the trucks have their lights or sirens activated. The system can send warnings to the Waze traffic app, or directly to the infotainment screens in vehicles that participate in the program, meaning drivers will get advanced warnings if they are approaching an area where Sheffield Township firefighters are working.

The company says its technology can lead to a 90% reduction in collisions with emergency vehicles over just the use of lights and sirens.

The transponders will also enable the department to track the location of its vehicles and any traffic backups in the area, which can help first responders remain more aware of traffic issues as they respond to calls.

“This technology will be well worth it if it can help keep even one member of our department from getting hit, or help keep someone from causing a crash,” said Chief Alkire. “This is really an insurance policy to help us keep our firefighters and motorists safe. I’d like to thank Purdue University for their generosity, and for supporting our efforts.”

To learn more about the devices via a video from HAAS Safety Cloud, click here.

Two cars plowed into a fire station in Des Plaines early Tuesday evening after a crash, and one ended up inside the building, cbsnews.com reported.

A Des Plaines fire official said two cars collided on Oakton Street around 5:05 p.m. and left the roadway – hitting the front entrance of Des Plaines Fire Department Station 62, at 1313 East Oakton Street, the report said.

One person was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while another was treated and released, according to the report.

The fire station as occupied at the time. Crews there called in the accident and also went out to investigate themselves, the report said. The fire station sustained only minor damage, as a concrete plant box ended up bearing the brunt of the crash, according to the report.

Toyne—Black Hawk (SD) Fire Department 100-foot rear-mount steel aerial platform quint. Spartan Gladiator MFD 6×4 cab and chassis; Cummins X15 565-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; 25-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 2002 Class A foam system; Akron Stream Master monitor; Harrison 6-kW generator. Dealer: Dale Derner, Toyne Inc., Breda, IA.

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The Winnebago County Coroner has identified Marta Esquivias, 56, as the woman killed after her car crashed into a fire truck at the intersection of North Church and Whitman Street in Rockford Monday, mystateline.com reported.

On Tuesday, the coroner said Esquivias’ car collided with the fire truck and was taken to a local hospital, where she died from blunt trauma to the chest, the report said. She was pronounced dead at 11:46 a.m.

Her 60-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital. His condition was not released.

The Rockford Police Department is investigating, the report said.

Glenn E. Rice
The Kansas City Star
(TNS)

A Kansas City firefighter who pleaded guilty to three counts of involuntary manslaughter in a 2021 crash in Westport that killed three people wants his job back.

Dominic S. Biscari, who was driving the truck that struck a car with two people inside, killing them and a pedestrian, was placed on probation for three years after his plea in February.

• Kansas City (MO) Firefighter Guilty of Manslaughter in Fatal Fire Truck Crash

The fire department said at the time that Biscari, 22, had been placed on unpaid leave and that it was seeking termination.

On Tuesday, the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 42, which represents Kansas City firefighters, EMTs and other medical personnel, filed a grievance on behalf of Biscari.

Union officials alleged that the city violated various provisions in its collective bargaining agreement as well as KCFD rules, policies and practices. They said the city did not conduct a disciplinary investigation before it sought to have Biscari terminated.

Kevin Regan, an attorney who represented Biscari in his criminal case, said his client should be reinstated and allowed to return to his job as a firefighter.

“Dominic worked hard to become a community servant and to serve our community as a firefighter,” Regan told The Star. “He earned the right to serve our community. The city is now wrongfully trying to take that right away from him.

“Every night Dominic has been asked to answer the bell for folks in need. He answered the bell. And the city has failed to answer the bell for Dominic and his fellow firefighters and they know it.”

Biscari was driving a Kansas City Fire Department truck on Dec. 15, 2021, when it struck a Honda CRV at the intersection of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard. The force of the crash propelled the vehicles northwest, causing them to hit a pedestrian before slamming into a building.

Jackson County prosecutors said the truck driven by Biscari was going 51 mph in a 35 mph zone and had a red light at the time of the crash.

Michael Elwood and Jennifer San Nicolas, who were in the Honda, and Tami Knight, the pedestrian, were killed. San Nicolas and Elwood worked at the restaurant Ragazza and Knight was a Kansas City Public Schools employee.

Tim Dollar, who represented Elwood’s family, declined to comment.

In their grievance, the union said that on the day of the plea hearing, KCFD released a statement to the news media that it was seeking to terminate Biscari. They said Biscari did not receive a formal letter from fire officials that he had been suspended and faced termination.

Several days after the Feb. 21 hearing, Local 42 president Dan Heizman received an email from Jean Young, an assistant to the fire chief. The email informed the union that Biscari had been suspended without pay as a result of being charged with three felony counts of involuntary manslaughter,