Within that time, he polished his skills and added to them, responding to major events within the fire protection district such as the Apartment Building explosion in Harwood Heights (which he was interviewed about in a nationally distributed Fire Service training series called Working Fire), the Maurice Lenell Cookie Factory fire, and several others.Ĭommander Stan GrygielAs an Inspector he was responsible for organizing the department records on building fire occupancies and annual inspections as well as responding as a trained fire investigator with the state of Illinois. “Specifically, I liked the idea of being a paramedic and being cross trained.” He was sworn in as a full time member of the Fire Protection District in May of 1983, and trained as a Fire Inspector for the district, a position he worked in almost exclusively for almost two decades. “I thought about firefighting in a sense of more than just fighting fires,” he told a newspaper once. We now wish him well in retirement after over 35 years as a career firefighter, Inspector, Investigator, and Officer.Ĭommander Stan GrygielCommander Grygiel began his career in Norwood Park in 1979, being offered a job as a Paramedic, which was at the time a civilian and relatively new field in the fire service. Like most children, he loved visiting and talking with the firefighters there, which led eventually to a lifelong career at the Norwood Park Fire Protection District. When Commander Stan Grygiel was 6 years old, he lived a few houses away from a firehouse in Chicago. Keep the Wreath Red this season, stay safe and enjoy all the way into the New Year! Always follow the manufacturer�s recommendations for use and look for the Underwriter�s Laboratory stamp (UL) on new or replacement items. Although new technologies make electrical hazards less likely, don�t assume you�re safe. Candle with care in and around the house, particularly during power outages. What can you do to help us? Check those smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors if you didn�t when daylight saving occurred. We want everyone to enjoy the holidays without tragedy. The wreath bulbs (as well as many holiday lights) are LED now, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors help give us advance notice of impending emergencies, and people in general are more aware of the dangers of candles burning in the house and watering live trees. We live in very different times today, of course. His idea was adopted by the Illinois Fire Chief�s Association in 1980 and has since become a principle educational tool for the fire service. If the community suffered a fire a bulb would be changed from red to white, but most importantly it was a prompt to people to be fire safe with holiday decorations, responsible with their celebrations, and attentive to their holiday cooking and baking. A large wreath, adorned with red bulbs would be placed in front of firehouses. Paul Boecker, who would eventually rise to the position of Chief in the neighbouring fire department of Lisle-Woodridge before retiring, thought of a simple way to remind people to be safe during the holiday season. The Keep the Wreath Red program was the brainchild of a 23 year old part-time Lieutenant in nearby Naperville back in 1954. During the holiday seasons, pedestrians and driver�s alike start to notice large holiday wreaths outside of their fire departments, with signs and banners requesting everyone to work together to Keep the Wreath Red! Of course, it helps to know what this tradition is, and how everyone can work together and help us to accomplish this goal.
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