FAQ's

Why does a Fire Engine arrive with/before an ambulance when I call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency?

All of our fire suppression vehicles have Advanced Life Support (ALS) capabilities which means the Firefighters who arrive on the Fire Engine can begin providing treatment immediately. Many of the ALS interventions we perform require several Firefighters to work together simultaneously and we rely on the additional Firefighters from the Fire Engine in order to provide that necessary assistance.

The NFD responds to an average of twenty calls for service per day which means we must rely on our neighboring Fire Departments for assistance. The NFD has mutual and automatic aid agreements with our neighboring departments which ensures that help arrives when a residents calls 9-1-1. If you see an Ambulance from another Fire Department it is because our ambulances are already committed to separate emergency incidents.

To an extent, yes. We primarily transport patients to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago. In some instances, based on the condition of the patient, we can transport to Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview and Skokie Hospital in Skokie. All of our transport decisions are made based on the needs of the patient, hospital capability, and proximity to the hospital. Decisions regarding hospital transport are made on a case-by-case basis and are always made in accordance with the patient's best interest.

When you call 9-1-1 in the Village of Niles the call is initially routed to the Glenview Police Department, who dispatches for several area Police Departments including the Niles Police Department. If the call is for a fire or medical emergency it is then routed to RED Center who dispatches for many area Fire Departments, including the NFD. This entire transfer process takes place in approximately four seconds.

In addition to emergency calls for service, NFD Firefighters maintain a rigorous training schedule with either a class or drill every day. Training topics may include forcible entry, ventilation, hose deployment, Hazardous Materials, special rescue, etc. In addition, the NFD participates in the "Be Alarmed" Smoke Alarm Installation Program where we install Smoke Alarms in the home. We conduct Pre-Incident Surveys where we go into businesses and residential buildings to ensure we are prepared in the event of a fire or emergency. In addition, staff from the ALGH EMS System provides monthly continuing education seminars in order for us to maintain our paramedic licenses. And lastly, we work on driver training and Engine and Truck Operations so that we are always prepared when an emergency occurs.

Each NFD shift is 24 hours long which means for those 24 hours firefighters must eat their meals at the Firehouse. In order to ensure we are able to respond to a call for service at any moment we must drive to and from the grocery store in the Fire Truck. That way if there is an emergency while we are grocery shopping we can simply drop what we are doing and immediately respond to the call for service just as we would from the Firehouse. There is a common misconception that Fire Department meals are provided by the Village which is not the case, each firefighter contributes a fixed dollar amount towards groceries each day.

Out of the 52 Firefighters who make up the NFD, we have a minimum of 13 Firefighters on duty at all time. Those 13 firefighters staff two Fire Engines, one Fire Truck, and two ambulances, all of which have Advanced Life Support (ALS) capabilities, 24 hours per day. We also have a District Chief, Deputy Chief, and Chief, as well as an administrative support staff who work traditional business hours at our Headquarters.

Yes, the NFD is an Insurance Service Office (ISO) Class 3. The Insurance Service Office provides information to insurance companies which can be used to help determine premium rates for both residential and commercial property. That information is gathered from topics such as training, department capabilities, water supply, community risk reduction, and emergency communications. The ISO Class can range between 1 and 10 with a Class 1 being the most desirable.