Crash Truck 39 responds to truck accident with fire on the tollway.
 
By Gold Shift, B/C Alan Grzeslo
March 4, 2016
 

On Thursday March 3, 2016, at 1:30 in the afternoon, Crash Truck 39 was requested by the Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Protection District to respond to the Tri-State (94) for a semi-truck vs car accident and resulting fire. As a result of the accident, the semi-truck flipped on its right side, tearing the trailer and spilling its load across several lanes of the highway and rupturing the saddle fuel (diesel) tank resulting in a fire to the tractor trailer and the car.

Deerfield fire units made an initial attack on the fire yet due to a lack of fire hydrants on the highway and a long turn- around time for engines to refill their water tank and then return to the highway, Battalion 20 requested Crash Truck 39, knowing that it carried 1000 gallons of water and 120 gallons of foam concentrate.

Upon the arrival of Crash Truck 39, fire was controlled using it's bumper turret that flows 300 gallons of foam mixture per minute. After approximately 90 seconds the majority of the fire in the semi truck and car had been extinguished. A second application of foam was applied to prevent any flare up of the diesel fuel and any other combustibles in the vehicles.
Deerfield firefighters extinguished several small fires in hidden areas of the semi-truck and the car.

This is another example of the unique fire equipment that the Prospect Heights Fire District has in its inventory and its willingness to respond to neighboring communities when requested.