Following the tragic line-of-duty deaths of two Chicago firefighters in two days, national and local fire safety organizations are offering their condolences to the families, Chicago Fire Department, and a mourning city. The first firefighter death of Jermaine Pelt occurred in a West Pullman home on April 4. One day later, firefighter/EMT Lieutenant Jan Tchoryk died responding to a fire in an unsprinklered residential high-rise at 1212 North Lake Shore Drive.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), National Fire Sprinkler Association, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, fire safety advocacy group Common Voices, and the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) state that modern fires are much more dangerous for both residents and responding firefighters because no matter the building materials, today’s furnishings burn hotter and faster than ever before. The quick growth of modern fires makes it difficult for residents to escape and less safe for first responders on the scene.
The fire safety organizations stress the importance of communities adopting the latest national model codes to ensure the greatest fire protection available, which leads to a better-protected public and reductions in firefighter injuries and deaths.
“The structure fires where firefighters Pelt and Tchoryk lost their lives are a sad reminder of why today’s model codes include fire sprinkler protection for everything from new construction homes to high-rises,” said NFSA President Shane Ray. “There are hundreds of high-rise and multi-family apartment buildings that should be retrofit with fire sprinklers to protect residents and firefighters. Because sprinklers contain the fire, people have time to escape and the working conditions for firefighters are less dangerous.”
In Chicago, buildings such as 1212 North Lake Shore Drive and more than 600 other residential high-rises do not have fire sprinkler protection; they were built in 1975 before fire sprinklers were required by the city.
Following a fatal civilian fire at the unsprinklered Harper Square Cooperative high-rise on January 25, NIFSAB has been running a public awareness campaign for high-rise fire sprinklers in Chicago, informing the public of the high risk of living in a high-rise without fire sprinklers.
“The families of the fallen firefighters now face a long and difficult journey,” said Ron Siarnicki, NFFF executive director. “After the funerals, family members must figure out how to live without their loved ones. It is a sad time for those families and for the Chicago Fire Department, especially since they are dealing with the loss of two of their firefighters.”
The listed fire safety organizations hope to engage with a new mayoral administration and council members to prioritize measures and funding to advance fire and life safety for future generations of Chicagoans.
# # #