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For Immediate Release: September 20, 2005
Media Contact: Jayson DeGeeter, 847.729.1963

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY

WARRENVILLE, IL — On Saturday, September 10, fire trucks rolled into the neighborhood, a crowd gathered, and a house was reduced to ashes. The scene was not one of tragedy, though. The burning and demolition of the house located at 30W230 Calumet Avenue in Warrenville — the future site of the Autumn Tree Care Experts (ATCE) West Suburban Office — provided a rare educational opportunity for the Warrenville Fire Department's newest recruits and a fertile future for the community's trees.

Warrenville's Fire Department doesn't get this opportunity often. The Department is usually able to conduct only two to three educational burns per year. In order for a building to be suitable for training purposes, it must meet the approval of the EPA Department of Air Quality, the EPA Department of Asbestos, and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. In addition, the building must be located at a safe distance from other structures.

Fortunately, the building at 30W230 Calumet Avenue met all of the necessary requirements and was able to provide an invaluable experience to Warrenville's newest firefighters.

When the Fire Department cannot conduct educational burns, new recruits receive their training via textbooks, classes, and the use of controlled burns in hypothetical situations. Although this method of training is effective, firefighting is an applied art that cannot be fully comprehended without experiencing a live house fire and the dangers associated with it.

During the educational burn at 30W230 Calumet Avenue, Lieutenant Eric Ermer was able to lead 12 young firefighters in exercises that focused on search and rescue, fire suppression, and ventilation techniques. In all, the Department conducted five coordinated attacks on fires strategically set in the building before the Department burned the house to the ground.

The process didn't take long: the Fire Department arrived at the property by 8:00 a.m. and the building was obliterated by 11:00 a.m.
With the building removed, the path is now clear for Autumn Tree Care Experts to develop the site. ATCE intends to build an 11,000 square foot facility on the property. This West Suburban Office — the company's third Chicagoland location — will help ATCE's arborists and technicians to better serve the needs of trees located in the west suburbs of Chicago and the Fox Valley.

Autumn Tree Care Experts — a full-service, ISA certified arboricultural firm — has nurtured trees throughout Chicagoland since 1979. The company's services include insect pest and disease management, urban stress reduction, tree maintenance, and consulting. Autumn Tree Care Experts is proud to serve as the Exclusive Tree Health Care Sponsor of the Chicago Botanic Garden and is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture, the Tree Care Industry Association, the American Society of Consulting Arborists, and the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association.

It is anticipated that the Autumn Tree Care Experts West Suburban Office will be completed by the summer of 2006.