River Grove Fire Department

Mission Statement

The River Grove Fire Department’s mission is to faithfully and professionally serve our community through:” Education, Prevention, Social Interaction and Emergency Response.”

The River Grove Fire Department is lead by Chief Larry LaRiviere.  The Fire Department is looking to serve the Community in many ways by offering new programs and continuing the current programs.

The Fire Department has a current roster of approximately 65 people, and provides Fire and Emergency Medical Services at an Advanced Life Support level. The Department also has numerous firefighters that are trained in Specialty Areas of the Fire Service such as:

Hazardous Materials
Confined Space Rescue
Trench and below grade rescue
High Angle Rescue
Fire/Arson Investigation
Juvenile Fire setter Intervention

The Fire Department is currently staffed with 6 members daily, an ALS (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance with 2 State Licensed Paramedics, and our fully staffed ALS engine with 4 Firefighters that will be on duty 24 Hrs a day, 365 Days a year.

ATTENTION RESIDENTS:

Mayor Marilynn May and Fire Chief Larry LaRiviere want to remind all of our River Grove residents that the village’s smoke detector program is still available.  This ongoing program provides residential homeownerswith free smoke detector installation and battery replacement by simply calling 708-453-1429.

ALWAYS REMEMBER

·       You are responsible for the routine maintenance of your smoke detectors. Readthe users instructions included with your detector.

·       Never ignore an activated detector. Always investigate why your detector is sounding. If in doubt call 911 immediately.

·       Never disable any smoke detector by removing the battery.

·       Heed the low battery warning. Your detector will “chirp” or “beep” when the battery is low.

·       Replace batteries every 6 months (spring and fall time changes are a good reminder).

·       Never paint a smoke detector.

·       Always call your fire department whenever you have a question concerning the operation of your smoke detector.

·       Never forget that smoke detectors are the most valuable fire prevention tools you will ever have. Keep it working correctly.

Outdoor Warning Sirens

River Grove has an outdoor warning siren system.  Alert warnings are signaled with a 3-5 minute STEADY blast.  This warning means that severe weather is within a 10 mile perimeter and all persons should seek shelter.  Attack warnings are signaled with a 3-5 minute WAVERING blast.  This warning means that an actual attack has been perpetrated against the United States.  In either case, events should be monitored thru mass media reports.  There is no signal for “All Clear”.  Siren testing is conducted the first Tuesday of every month at 10:00 a.m.

 Thunderstorm Safety Tips
   Seek indoor shelter if possible.  If you can hear thunder, you are probably in range of a lightning strike.  Close all windows and doors.  Draw curtains or blinds to reduce exposure to flying glass due to high winds.  Avoid using electrical appliances until storm passes.  Turn off air conditioner.  A lightning strike could damage the compressor.  Stay alert.  Know where your children or loved ones are.  If outside, take any available shelter away from trees.  Stay low and make yourself as small of a target as possible.

     A variety of safety information is available through the Fire Department or on our website at Emergency Info.  Please contact 453-1429 with any questions or concerns.

Is Your Number Up?

By far, the most common cause for delay in emergency response is the lack of proper address markings.  This is a serious problem that can be easily corrected.  Here are some suggestions to help your fire department to serve you better.

• If your home is visible from the street, place large numerals on the house in a location that is easily recognized.  Use block numerals as opposed to script which is often difficult to read.
• If your home is set back, place your address numerals on a sign close to the street.  Be sure it can be easily read from any direction.
• If you place an emergency call from a neighbor’s house, give the address where the emergency is, not the address you are calling from.
• If possible, have someone meet us at the door or end of the driveway to guide us to the emergency.

Anything you can do to help emergency responders identify your home more quickly can save valuable time in an emergency.

The River Grove Fire Department offers numerous Public Education Programs to the Residents of the Village of River Grove.

    Child Fire Safety Classes
    Public Fire Inspections
    Blood Pressure Checks
    Home Fire Safety Checks
    Smoke Detector Checks
    EMS and Fire Safety Evaluations &
    Pre Plans for People with Special Needs

    2 Fire Engines
    Command Vehicle
    2 Ambulances
    2 Support Vehicles (Chief’s car)

If you have any questions on any of our programs please contact the Fire Department for additional information.

www.nfpa.org
 and  
www.sparky.org