Remembering Ray Hoff

Ray Hoff, a third-generation member of the Chicago (IL) Fire Department (CFD), a member of the Topinabee (MI) Volunteer Fire Department, nationally recognized teacher on firefighter training, and FDIC instructor, passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. During the past 103 years, three generations of the Hoff family have actively served on the CFD.
 
          Grandfather: Joseph Hoff served on the CFD from 1908 until his death in 1936 and was a captain with Truck 50.
 
          Father: Thomas Hoff was a battalion chief and Assistant drillmaster at the Chicago Fire Academy when he died in the line of duty on February 14, 1962 (structural collapse during an apartment building fire)
 
          Brother: Current Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff
 
          Numerous cousins, brother-in-law, and nephew in the fire service
 
Ray Hoff, Chicago Fire Department (1965-1997):
 
   Firefighter (1965-1973): Rescue Squad 8, Engine 45 and Truck 15
 
   Lieutenant (1973-1980): Fire Prevention Bureau, 1st Division Relief, Truck 21
 
   Captain (1980-1993): Truck 10, On March 16, 1993, Hoff was the first-in truck company officer to respond to the Paxton Hotel Fire and was responsible for the placement of ladders and in aiding rescue operations. The absence of smoke alarms and fire detection equipment in the hotel allowed the fire to advance rapidly before firefighters arrived on scene. Chicago firefighters faced swiftly deteriorating conditions during search and rescue operations and successfully rescued dozens of residents from the fire, but twenty residents died in the blaze. For the remainder of his life, Ray Hoff drew upon his firsthand experiences at the fire to develop detailed classroom lectures that shared valuable lessons learned from the fatal fire by analyzing the building structure, the fire spread, and the firefighting and search and rescue tactics.
 
   Battalion Chief (1993-1997): 4th Battalion 
 
Served on the Topinabee (MI) Fire Department after his retirement from CFD and was chief of the department at the time of his death.
 
Field Staff Instructor, Illinois Fire Service Institute (1992-2011) 
 
          One of the original members of the State Firefighter Certification Committee commissioned by the Illinois State Fire Marshal to develop the Illinois State Fire Service Certification program (late 1970’s)
 
          Courses taught include: 
  • Certified Firefighter II Recruit Academy;
  • Saving Our Own;
  • Tactics and Strategy;
  • First-In Officer;
  • RIT Under Fire;
  • Truck Company Operations;
  • Fireground Officer School

Ray translated his lifetime of experience on the fireground to practical common sense instruction for all firefighters . In his own words, he said: 

“I have used my experiences as a training tool to make impact in our classes of officer and firefighter training. The size-up process is a process which you take a look at the structure, the fire condition, smoke conditions, the type of the construction of the building, the type of fire behavior in that construction, and you pick a plan and go to work. And you commit personnel and equipment to closeness and interior operations based on that knowledge. 
 
What we stress is that, in your size-up, that you read the building, read the smoke, read the fire. That you “B.A.G.” it: which is an acronym for figuring out where the fire’s Been, where it’s At, and where it’s Going. Then you set your strategy and tactics in place. Then you start that whole evaluation process over again. And you train the company officers and firefighters to be more aware of their surroundings, and when they discover things as they open up walls and ceilings, to feed that new information back into the system, so that reevaluations and judgments can be updated.”
Ray Hoff made every firefighter he trained better for the knowledge he shared, the passion he had for being a firefighter, and for the compassion and humility he had as a human being. We will all miss him.

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