On July 23, 2019 at 7:33p.m. the Elk Grove Village Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at ARO Enterprises, a landscape and snow removal company located at 1401 Tonne. Upon arrival, crews had nothing showing (no visible smoke or fire), but noticed a slight odor of plastic burning. No employees were on site at the time of the alarm.

After rapid entry into the building via the Knox Box (a small, wall-mounted safe that holds building keys for emergency services to retrieve in emergency situations), crews encountered moderate smoke conditions and were able to hear the sound of an activated sprinkler head. Following that sound, the fire was located, but was mostly already under control due to three (3) sprinkler heads that had activated. The remaining hot spots were extinguished with a simple pressurized water extinguisher, significantly limiting the typical water damage that occurs when use of a fire hose is necessary.

The building at 1401 Tonne was originally constructed without fire sprinklers.  Prior to ARO Enterprises taking occupancy in 2003, the Village required the installation of the sprinkler system due to the indoor storage of vehicles and related flammable materials. Without the presence of this early detection system, the building and all of its contents would have been a total loss. Instead, damages were held to a  minimum and ARO Enterprises suffered no disruption to its main business operations.

The Elk Grove Village Fire Department is proud to share the story of this “Sprinkler Save” to bring attention to the benefits of automatic fire sprinkler systems and their contribution to the preservation of life and property. This fire is still under investigation; however, no foul play is suspected.

Jason Staidl

Fire Marshal