HR0945 LRB094 19591 HSS 55786 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Canton Fire Department celebrated its 100th
3 anniversary with an open house on Saturday and Sunday, February
4 4 and 5, 2006; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Canton's first volunteer fire department was
6 formed in 1846 with around 50 men; firefighting tactics
7 consisted of using huge poles with hooks attached to pull down
8 the walls of burning buildings to prevent the spread of fire; a
9 bucket brigade also was used when it was thought to be
10 effective in dousing a fire; and
 
11     WHEREAS, After a major fire in 1868, the city council
12 passed an ordinance to establish a fire department; in October
13 of that year, the department purchased a fire engine and hose
14 reel; the city council later voted to erect a building to house
15 fire equipment and provide for a jail and council rooms;
16 construction was completed in 1869; and
 
17     WHEREAS, When fire apparatus was first acquired, it was
18 hand-drawn; later it was powered by horses; the volunteer fire
19 department did not own horses, but contracted with individuals
20 to furnish horses to pull the equipment; and
 
21     WHEREAS, In 1906, Canton officials decided full-time,
22 professional fire protection was needed and on February 19,
23 1906, the first paid fire department was organized; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Today, firefighters work in a 3-platoon system,
25 with 24 hours on and 48 hours off, averaging a 56-hour work
26 week; the department has staffed five persons per shift since
27 1974; and
 
28     WHEREAS, The department is technologically up-to-date and
29 uses thermal imaging devices that detect objects of varying

 

 

HR0945 - 2 - LRB094 19591 HSS 55786 r

1 temperatures, helping firefighters find victims through heavy
2 smoke and enabling them to note hot spots while fighting a
3 fire; the department's pumper trucks are computerized and
4 personal protective equipment is modernized; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In the late 1970s, firefighters began to provide
6 emergency medical services and today, EMS accounts for
7 two-thirds of alarms received in a year; therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10 we congratulate the Canton Fire Department on the occasion of
11 its 100th anniversary; and be it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to the Canton Fire Department as an expression of our
14 esteem.