Cicero Firefighter hospitalized in serious condition while battling home fire

A Cicero firefighter was hospitalized suffering from what is being described as a serious case of smoke inhalation while fighting a fire at a two-story home in the Town of Cicero Saturday afternoon.

The home fire at 2112 61^st Court was called in at 3:45 PM and caused serious damage to the property. It was quickly extinguished and no members of the family living in the home were injured.

But Cicero officials said that Firefighter Ted Polashek, 44, was seriously injured when he inhaled heated smoke. He was taken to MacNeal Hospital and later transferred to Lutheran General Hospital Saturday night where he was being intubated.

Cicero Firefighter Ted Polashek. Photo courtesy of the Cicero Fire Department and Polashek Facebook Page

“Every day, firefighters risk their lives to protect families in the Town of Cicero and around the country and our prayers are with Ted Polashek and his family for a full recovery,” Town President Larry Dominick said Sunday.

Cicero Fire Chief Dominick Buscemi said Polashek has been a fire fighter for more than two decades and the Department is hopeful that he will come through his injuries.

“There is always a risk but that risk that we face never stops our firefighters from taking on the fires and saving lives,” Buscemi said.

“He is a great firefighter and we know he is strong.”

Polashek, a 20-plus year veteran firefighter, was working on ventilating the roof during the home fire when he was overcome by the smoke and super-heated gases.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.