Signs Will Warn Responders of Dangerous Chicago Buildings

June 26--Firefighters, police and paramedics arriving at dangerous vacant buildings would be warned by emergency dispatchers and bright reflective signs under new city efforts to avoid another disaster like the December 2010 roof collapse that claimed the lives of two firefighters.

Earlier this year, the city began compiling a list of dangerous buildings for 911 dispatchers, who will warn first responders en route to those sites. And the City Council Zoning Committee on Monday endorsed a measure to put 2-by-2 reflective signs, each with a large red X, on those buildings.

Firefighters Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum were killed Dec. 22, 2010, when a roof collapsed. Seventeen other firefighters were injured. They were searching an abandoned laundry during a fire in the 1700 block of East 75th Street.

"Had our guys been able to see that there was a structural instability in the building, our tactics would have been much different," said Richard Ford II, the city's deputy fire commissioner for fire prevention. Had such warning procedures been in place, it's unlikely anyone would have died, he added.

If the new warning signs are approved by the full council Wednesday, as expected, the city should be able to get a jump on getting the buildings identified and signs posted. It has received a $675,000 grant for the effort, which was sponsored by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50th.

Under the measure, no one, not even the owners, would be allowed to enter buildings deemed dangerous without the permission of the fire commissioner. The reason for that provision is to make sure firefighters are aware when someone might be in the building to make repairs, said Vicki Kraft, a city attorney.

hdardick@tribune.com

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