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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, On Monday, December 6, 2004, the Chicago Fire 
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Department dispatched more than one-third of its firefighting 
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force to the LaSalle National Bank, a 45-story high-rise 
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building located at 135 South LaSalle Street, to fight a 
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fierce, large-scale fire which had broken out on the building's 
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29th floor; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The fire burned for five and a half hours, and 
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despite the intensity of the blaze, no fatalities occurred; 39 
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people, including 24 firefighters, were hospitalized with 
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injuries that were not life threatening; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Fire Commissioner Cortez 
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Trotter, the Chicago Fire Department's recently revised 
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"High-Rise Incident Command Policy" places a premium on search 
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and evacuation in high-rise fires; 50 to 75 firefighters are 
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assigned to rapid ascent teams whose job in a high-rise fire is 
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to locate and evacuate building occupants; these teams 
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conducted three sweeps of the LaSalle National Bank building 
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looking for trapped persons before firefighters expanded their 
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firefighting efforts to include both of the building's 
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stairwells and turned their attention exclusively to fighting 
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the fire; and

 
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    WHEREAS, A critical feature of the Chicago Fire 
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Department's newly-revised "High-Rise Incident Command Policy" 
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is its emphasis on improved communications between building 
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occupants, 911 dispatchers, and firefighters, and on better 
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coordination between fire department personnel and building 
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management; when put to the test, the Chicago Fire Department's 
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innovative new plan for fighting high-rise fires averted what 
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could have been a deadly disaster on December 6, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Several firefighters who responded to the call 
 


 






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were treated for injuries, including Assistant Deputy Fire 
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Commissioner Thomas Donnellan, Battalion Chief James Carroll, 
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Captain John Collins, Firefighter James Gorman, Captain James 
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Clarke, Captain Arthur Lewis, Lieutenant Robert Walters, 
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Lieutenant Ronald Michi, Firefighter Frank Perez, Firefighter 
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Martinez Chapman, Firefighter Patrick McCauley, Firefighter 
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Anthony Consola, Firefighter William Hopkins, Firefighter 
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Anthony Tobar, Firefighter/EMT Michael McLaughlin, Firefighter 
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Larry Paller, Firefighter Tim Bailey, Firefighter Mark Jadwin, 
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Firefighter Steve Magana, Firefighter Gerald Barry, 
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Firefighter William Vaci, Candidate Firefighter James Gorman, 
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Candidate Firefighter Anthony Serritella, and Candidate 
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Firefighter Victor Lecodet; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter and the members 
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of the Chicago Fire Department that worked to rescue the 
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workers in the LaSalle National Bank building are to be 
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commended for their efforts; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we thank Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter and the many 
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firefighters who responded to the call on December 6, 2004, for 
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their efforts in saving lives and fighting the LaSalle National 
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Bank building fire; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the Chicago Fire Department as an expression of 
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our respect and esteem.