Welcome to the Highwood Fire Department!  Our department is proud of its long heritage and includes a long line of distinguished Firefighters going back to the days before Fort Sheridan existed.

Located at our station at 428 Green Bay Road, the Highwood Fire Department provides fire responses, paramedic service, fire prevention education, and inspectional service to the City of Highwood and its residents.  For general information our number is (847) 432-7622.

In an emergency, call us at 9-1-1

Your call to 9-1-1 will be answered by the Lake Forest Communications Center.  If you have a fire or medical emergency, let the dispatcher know as quickly as possible. You will then be transferred to the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center – R.E.D. Center.  R.E.D. Center will dispatch the fire department while you are still on the phone with them.  9-1-1 is the fastest way to get help.  The entire process takes only a few seconds.

 Help Us Find You!

Highwood City Ordinance requires street numbers to be a minimum of 4 inches high, 1 inch wide, and easily visible from the street.  Easily visible means of a color starkly contrasting with the background house color and unobstructed by shrubbery, vehicles, etc.  Your house number is important to your safety.  Check to be sure yours can be easily seen from the street.

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS):

The Highwood Fire Department is a member of MABAS Division 3.  Organized and growing since 1968, MABAS is a formal consortium of fire departments that have agreed to provide assistance to each other in the event of a major fire or disaster.  This assistance is provided at no cost to the stricken department.  We respond to our neighbors as requested and have used their assistance many times in the past.  Don’t be surprised to see a Highwood Fire Department vehicle at a fire in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Northbrook, or any of our neighbors. 

Typically, Highland  Park and Lake Forest send equipment to Highwood on a first alarm.

MABAS was responsible for the September, 2005 response to the Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.  Over 900 Firefighters and 60 engines and trucks, with dozens of support vehicles, traveled from Illinois to New Orleans and its surrounding parishes.  Working in 2-week segments, three separate contingents provided fire suppression, rescue, and other public safety support for 6 weeks.  The entire effort was coordinated through MABAS departments from all over Illinois.

The Highwood Fire Department had two representatives in Louisiana; Battalion Chief Dave Mohry and Chief Tom Lovejoy.

Smoke Detectors:

Smoke detectors are required on all levels of every residence by Illinois law.  In addition, the law requires a detector within 15 feet of any sleeping area.  Smoke detectors have repeatedly demonstrated their effectiveness in saving lives.  Make sure your alarm is near enough to where you sleep to wake you in case of fire.  You only have 2-5 minutes to escape after a fire starts.  Smoke detectors give you an early warning system.

Sadly, it is estimated that more than half of the smoke detectors in the nation have dead or no batteries.  Replace your detector’s battery twice a year.  Remember “Change your Clock – Change Your Battery”.  This slogan reminds you to replace your smoke detector batteries when you change to or from Daylight Savings Time – twice a year!

If your home is equipped with a full fire alarm system, be sure to have it checked by a qualified alarm technician at least yearly.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

State law also, as of January 1, 2007, requires carbon monoxide detectors in every home that uses fossil fuels (natural gas, propane, coal, etc.) or that houses a vehicle in an attached garage.  The rules are the same as for smoke detectors; within 15 feet of sleeping areas.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can prevent oxygen from entering your bloodstream.  It is a natural by-product of combustion.  At high concentrations, it can be lethal in seconds, but even in low doses it causes illness, dizziness, and long-term neurological effects.

Watch What You Heat:

Kitchen fires are a leading cause of structure fires, injury, and death.  An unattended pan of oil, for example, can burst into flames without warning and quickly spread to cabinets and other nearby combustibles.  To prevent kitchen fires, observe the following safety tips:

1.         Never leave anything cooking on a stovetop unattended, even for a few moments.

2.         Keep flammable materials away from cooking surfaces.

3.         Control the heat source.  Don’t use high flame or heat settings unless absolutely necessary.

4.         For your personal protection, do not wear loose-fitting garments while cooking.  They can catch fire if you drag your sleeve over a burner.

Candle With Care:

Another frequent cause of home fire is candles.  Even when contained in glass holders, candles flames can spread to nearby textiles or other decorative combustibles.  They have also been known to cause the holders to break due to heat.  Always keep combustible products, including your clothing well away from candle flame.  Again, never leave a candle unattended.  Be sure they are completely extinguished before you leave the room.

We welcome your comments and questions.  For additional safety information or general questions about the Highwood Fire Department, call us at (847) 432-7622.

Be safe!

The address of one's residence/business needs to be clearly visible from the street, especially for public safety personnel in the event of an emergency.  Numbers/letters shall contrast with their backgrounds and be at least 4 inches in height and have a minimum width of .5 inches.  Please take a moment to ensure that the address of your residence/business is easily identifiable from the street.

This may be a new term to you, but you are probably already familiar with the concept and the devices used to provide it.  Traffic preemption, developed by the 3M Company, provides green lights at stoplights for oncoming emergency vehicles.  While the device, known by the 3M name of OptiCom, is designed to give emergency vehicles the right-of-way at a controlled intersection, it can also be confusing to drivers who are unaware of its meaning.

The OptiCom consists of three components; the emitter, the receiver, and the notifier.  The emitter is mounted on the emergency vehicle and sends either a visible light or an invisible infrared signal.  That signal is recognized by the receiver mounted on the traffic light standard.  When the receiver acknowledges the emitter’s signal it lights a bright white notifier light on or near the traffic light and begins to interrupt the normal signal light sequence.  Within a few seconds, the traffic light will turn green for the approaching vehicle.

The white notifier signal usually flashes its light, but this may not always be the case.   You could see a steady white light in some locations.  Either way, it is important for your safety and that of the responding vehicle, that you recognize the meaning of the notifier light; an emergency vehicle is nearby.

A notifier light followed by a green signal light facing you does not mean you can proceed!  It means the police car, ambulance, or fire truck has taken control of the intersection.  You should hold your position until the emergency vehicle has passed.  Do not proceed until you are certain the intersection is clear of emergency traffic.  There are often several emergency vehicles responding together.  A common accident involves the second fire truck striking a vehicle whose driver yielded to the first truck and then moved into the path of another.

Most major intersections along the North Shore and in the Chicago area are equipped with OptiComs.  In Highwood they are at Sheridan Road and Washington, and Sheridan Road and Old Elm.

By the way, in case you were wondering, emitter units are authorized only for emergency vehicles.  Possession of an emitter in any other vehicle is unlawful.

Please be alert, be careful, and be safe!

Remember: Always pull over to the right and stop for lights and sirens!