The Chicago firefighting community is mourning the loss of one of their own, Michael Altman, a dedicated fourth-generation member of the Chicago Fire Department. Altman is survived by his young son and a wife who is expecting their second child.
Funeral arrangements have been set to honor the life and service of Michael Altman. The visitation is scheduled for March 26, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. The funeral will follow the next day, March 27, at 10 a.m., at the same location.
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Tragically, Altman passed away on Tuesday due to injuries he sustained while heroically fighting a fire on the North Side of Chicago the previous day. His fellow firefighters paid tribute by solemnly escorting his body from Cook County Hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday.
The incident that led to Altman’s untimely death occurred at a building in the 1700-block of West North Shore Avenue in Rogers Park. The 32-year-old EMT fell into the basement after the first floor of the building collapsed beneath him around 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
Altman, a 32-year-old CFD EMT, fell from a Rogers Park building’s first floor, which collapsed, and into the basement around 11:30 a.m. Monday. It happened in the 1700-block of West North Shore Avenue.
Altman, assigned to truck No. 47 in the Edgewater neighborhood, was on the job for nearly two years. He leaves behind his young son and his wife, who is pregnant with their second child.
Altman was a fourth-generation firefighter with CFD. His grandfather was, at one time, the commissioner of the fire department.
Late Tuesday, purple and black bunting was being installed at CFD headquarters to show honor, respect, and mourning of a public servant. Flowers and a pair of boots were also placed on the ground.
Altman is described as always putting others first. His two-year mark with CFD would have been in May.
CFD said seven people who live in the building that caught fire were displaced, but they were all able to get out. No one else was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but fire crews believe the fire originated somewhere in the back of the building.
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