Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Hastings insurance legislation
    Hastings announces legislation to ensure fair homeowners insurance rates for Illinois families Business
  • Mahnoor Ahmad campaign photo
    Mahnoor Ahmad runs for DuPage County Board seat Democrat
  • Sunday, October 26, the Village of Orland Park formally rededicated its Village Hall in honor of the late former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens
    Village of Orland Park Rededicates Village Hall in Honor of Late Former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens Government
  • Fire at townhome at 13900 block of Berkhansted Court in Orland Park, just before midnight on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025
    Firefighter treated for dehydration battling townhouse fire in Orland Park – no residents injured Fire
  • Firefighters with the Orland Fire Protection District who responded to a fire in an apartment at 15200 block of Al Camino Terrace on Saturday morning said the next day that they did find a kitten that needed respiratory aid that they saved.
    FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday Features
  • two-story apartment building on the 15200 block of El Camino Terrace in Orland Park
    Orland Park apartment fire Saturday morning, no injuries Fire
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings calls for bipartisan action to protect Illinois families from SNAP benefit shutdown Baby Boomers
  • Illinios Industrial Energy Consumers, information ad
    Get information on the Illinois Energy Omnibus Bill in Springfield Business
  • State Senator Mike Porfirio secured over $20 million to support infrastructure improvements and construction in the 11th Senate District.
    Senator Porfirio applauds more than $20 million in infrastructure repairs coming to the 11th District News
  • Dad and daughter reunited Lebving Law firm photo
    Little Girl Recovered and Reunited with Dad After Long Separation Dads' Rights
  • 11-03-25 OFPD Coffee living alone
    Orland Fire hosts meeting on helping Seniors who live alone Nov. 5 Baby Boomers
  • State Senator Michael Hastings introduces law to revive long dormant and degraded Tinley Park Mental Health Center into a Sports Park for the community. Photo courtesy of the State Senate President Don Harmon
    Hastings secures $250,000 grant for Easterseals Academy’s Tinley Park campus Health
  • Chicago ranks as 161st worst city for crime in new national survey Chicago
  • Kat Abughazaleh 9th DIstrict Congress 2026 candidate democrat
    Kat Abughazaleh raises over $520,000 in Q2 of 2025 with more than $630,000 cash on hand for 2026 Democratic primary election elections
  • Silent Threat: The True Dangers of Lithium-Ion Batteries — How to Stay Safe and Respond to a Battery Fire Fire
OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield, award recipient Lt. Daniel Ritchie, and presenter Illinois Task Force 1 Team Leader and OFPD Battalion Chief John Purtill

Orland Firefighter volunteers honored for helping victims of Hurricane Helene

Posted on January 29, 2025January 29, 2025 By News Editor 1 Comment on Orland Firefighter volunteers honored for helping victims of Hurricane Helene
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Orland Firefighter volunteers honored for helping victims of Hurricane Helene

OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield presented awards and citations to Firefighters who volunteered to help residents in North Carolina during the devastation of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Schofield presents awards to Firefighters and Orland Park Police who saved the life of a fire colleague who experienced cardiac arrest during a routine training session last September

Orland Park, IL – Orland Firefighters who volunteered to help the victims of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina in September 2024 received the MABAS Humanitarian Award presented Tuesday by the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) Command and Board of Trustees.

OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield also presented citations to seven Firefighters/paramedics for saving the life of a Firefighter colleague who experienced cardiac arrest during a routine training session last year.

Schofield and board members also expressed their gratitude to members of the Orland Park Police who also intervened in saving the life of Firefighter James Karp who suffered a heart attack on Sept. 14, 2024.

“The Orland Fire Protection District is not only an EMS and Fire Department, we are an all-hazard agency. That means we are trained in hazmat, technical rescue, and water rescue. But the Firefighters who do that have to put in hundreds of hours of training in order to get on one of our teams and they have many certifications,” Schofield said.

OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield, award recipient Lt. Daniel Ritchie, and presenter Illinois Task Force 1 Team Leader and OFPD Battalion Chief John Purtill
OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield, award recipient Lt. Daniel Ritchie, and presenter Illinois Task Force 1 Team Leader and OFPD Battalion Chief John Purtill. Photo. courtesy of the OFPD

 

“We started our dive team here in Orland in 1980, and our TRT team and our Hazmat team in 1986. We were charter members of CART and charter members of Southwest Hazmat, which now is MABAS19 Hazmat. In order to be part of these teams, you had to be one of the best of the best here in Orland. Not anybody can get on a team. But we are the Best of the Best.”

Schofield said that a team of volunteers from the OFPD was led by Lt. Daniel Ritchie to help in the Hurricane Helene rescues in North Carolina, earning the MABAS Humanitarian Award.

Ritchie detailed the difficulties his team faced when they arrived in the heavily flooded and damaged Hurricane devasted areas. They faced heavy flooding, damaged and dangerous power lines, downed trees, blocked roads, and victims who were clinging in the cold to tree branches and rooftops.

After the rescues, Ritchie described how the team, which consisted of 12 other volunteers from other fire departments in the Chicagoland region also helped distribute food, water, and supplies to the displaced families.

In a second presentation, Schofield, Illinois Task Force 1 Team Leader and Battalion Chief John Purtill, and the Board presented citations to seven firefighters for their fast action in saving the life of Firefighter James Karp who collapsed with cardiac arrest during a routine Fire District training exercise, saving his life.

The individuals honored were Lt. Carl Jones, Lt. Kevin Frawley, Engineer Jonathan Kendra, Firefighter Brian Knights, Firefighter Jacob McCleary, Firefighter Michael Pacella, and Battalion Chief Nicholas Tufts.

The Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) presented award citations to eight Firefighters at its meeting Tuesday who volunteered to help in the Hurricane Helene relief, and who also saved the life of a colleague last September 2024. The presentations were made the OFPD Board meeting Tuesday Jan. 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the OFPD
The Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) presented award citations to Firefighters at its meeting Tuesday who volunteered to help in the Hurricane Helene relief, and who also saved the life of a colleague last September 2024. The presentations were made at the OFPD Board meeting Tuesday Jan. 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the OFPD

Schofield praised the team for responding with the same professionalism and experience as if the victim were a citizen from outside the Fire District, noting that the OFPD has one of the nation’s best reputations with the highest Cardiac Arrest Save Rate in the Midwest. More than 71 percent of Cardiac Arrest victims survive in the OFPD compared to a national save rate of only 10 to 15 percent.

The ceremony ended when members of the Orland Park Police, who also assisted in the cardiac emergency response for Karp, presented the Karp Family with a $2,500 donation to help with medical expenses and recovery efforts.

Police Sgt. Mike Freeman accompanied by Sgt. Pat Gallagher and Lt. Kerry Kelly-Valan explained that they raise funds to assist first responder families in need from police officers who have suffered major illnesses, injuries, and health challenges, and firefighters like Lt. Karp.

OFPD Board Chairman John Brudnak praised all of the firefighters and officers for “always placing the interests of those in need ahead of their own safety. They do so much to help our residents and it is good to see them honored here today. Congratulations on behalf of the Board of Trustees to all of the Firefighters and police officers for their hard work in saving lives.”

You can view the video of the ceremony by visiting www.OrlandFire.org or by clicking THIS LINK, or by using the video widget below:


— Press release

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
News Editor
News Editor
News Editor at Suburban Chicagoland
Managing Editor and News Editor for stories published in SuburbanChicagoland
News Editor
Latest posts by News Editor (see all)
  • Orland Park apartment fire Saturday morning, no injuries - October 25, 2025
  • Get information on the Illinois Energy Omnibus Bill in Springfield - October 24, 2025
  • Court vacates order of protection, reuniting dad and daughter - September 18, 2025
NPV: 53
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Crime, Events, Fire, Flooding, News, NewsWire, Orland Fire Protection District, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:Awards, Battalion Chief John Purtill, Board President John Brudnak, cardiac arrest, Chief Mike Schofield, highest cardiac Save Rate, Hurricane Helene, James Karp, lifesaving, Lt. Daniel Ritchie, North Carolina, OFPD, Orland Fire Protection District, Orland FIrefighter volunteers, volunteers

Post navigation

Previous Post: Opinion: Edgar County “Watchdogs” continue to exaggerate and mislead facts for political pals
Next Post: Illinois veterans spend 78.6 % of income on rehab costs, study shows

Related Posts

  • Young people, courtesy of Wikipedia
    Challenges facing youth seeking jobs to be explored News
  • Cicero homes covered in snow during the February 2021 snow storm. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cicero
    Fire hydrants had to be dug out by firefighters while fighting apartment blaze breaking news
  • Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    Friends of Park opposes private use of park for Obama library Chicago
  • Clean sweep in SD 103 News
  • Author Victoria Witkewitz
    Local Author Showcase at Oak Lawn Public Library June 12 Books & Films
  • U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
    Sanders, colleagues push for WTO Waiver on barriers blocking Vaccine production around the world coronavirus

More Related Articles

Petty Officer 3rd Class Mike Kremske, a native of Joliet, Illinois. Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward Joliet native serves on advanced U.S. Navy Warship in Pacific General Topics
Microphone in Radio Studio, Leving Law Firm Unmarried dad being pushed out of son’s life wins residential custody and more Arthur Kallow
Marie Newman, candidate for the 3rd District Marie Newman and Interfaith Coalition condemn Art Jones’ 3rd District congressional candidacy elections
FedEx coming to Bridgeview News
Chicago boat show launches Jan. 10-14 Chicago
Congressman Dan Lipinski, challenger Marie Newman, faced-off in the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary election in Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Lipinski won by a slim margin with 50.9 percent of the vote. War heats up between Lipinski and challenger Newman Chicago

Comment (1) on “Orland Firefighter volunteers honored for helping victims of Hurricane Helene”

  1. Pingback: Orland Firefighter volunteers honored for helping victims of Hurricane Helene | Dailywise

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch
    October 17, 2025
  • Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio Show small
    The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again
    October 11, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Hastings insurance legislation
    Hastings announces legislation to ensure fair homeowners insurance rates for Illinois families
    October 29, 2025
  • Mahnoor Ahmad campaign photo
    Mahnoor Ahmad runs for DuPage County Board seat
    October 29, 2025
  • Sunday, October 26, the Village of Orland Park formally rededicated its Village Hall in honor of the late former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens
    Village of Orland Park Rededicates Village Hall in Honor of Late Former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens
    October 29, 2025
  • Fire at townhome at 13900 block of Berkhansted Court in Orland Park, just before midnight on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025
    Firefighter treated for dehydration battling townhouse fire in Orland Park – no residents injured
    October 28, 2025
  • Firefighters with the Orland Fire Protection District who responded to a fire in an apartment at 15200 block of Al Camino Terrace on Saturday morning said the next day that they did find a kitten that needed respiratory aid that they saved.
    FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday
    October 26, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme