Full Text of HR0483 94th General Assembly
HR0483 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0483 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Blue Island Fire Department is celebrating its | 3 |
| 125th anniversary; and
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| WHEREAS, On September 4,1879, 17 men gathered with the | 5 |
| purpose of organizing Blue Island's first municipal fire | 6 |
| department; until this time, there were several loosely | 7 |
| organized fire companies in the young community; the community | 8 |
| of Blue Island was founded in 1834 and was an important | 9 |
| stopping point for travelers using the famous Vincennes Trail; | 10 |
| as the village grew, the need for fire protection became | 11 |
| apparent; and
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| WHEREAS, Equipping the newly formed fire department was now | 13 |
| the next order of business; it was 15 years before a | 14 |
| horse-drawn apparatus was purchased; prior to that, the | 15 |
| equipment was pulled by a large force of volunteers; this new | 16 |
| fire apparatus was soon proven to be woefully inadequate, as a | 17 |
| great fire destroyed three square blocks of homes and | 18 |
| businesses; the great Blue Island fire of May 17, 1896, | 19 |
| threatened the entire village; assistance from Morgan Park and | 20 |
| West Pullman saved the day; and
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| WHEREAS, Steam powered engines served the fire department | 22 |
| at the turn of the century; in 1916, the first motorized | 23 |
| apparatus was purchased, but the department still held on to | 24 |
| the horse-drawn apparatus for several more years; in 1922, the | 25 |
| fire department hired its first full-time firefighters; | 26 |
| modeled after the Chicago fire department, a two platoon system | 27 |
| went into effect; the dark blue uniform shirt for firefighters | 28 |
| was also borrowed from Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, The fire department continued to serve the growing | 30 |
| community; newer and more modern equipment was purchased to | 31 |
| keep up with the changing face of the fire service; in 1934, |
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HR0483 |
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LRB094 12482 HSS 46964 r |
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| the Blue Island fire department assisted Chicago with the | 2 |
| stockyards fire; in 1960, a tragedy was avoided as the Lyric | 3 |
| Theater was destroyed by fire; although the theater was filled | 4 |
| with children enjoying a special Valentines Day show, the | 5 |
| department's Chief calmly told them there would be a fire | 6 |
| drill, and everyone was safely evacuated; and
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| WHEREAS, As the department approached its centennial, | 8 |
| plans were made for a celebration; the second motorized fire | 9 |
| engine ever purchased by the City of Blue Island was restored | 10 |
| to working condition by the firefighters; Old Bess, as the 1924 | 11 |
| Seagraves is known, has recently been the darling of the State | 12 |
| Fair Twilight parade; and
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| WHEREAS, As the department moved into the 1980s and 1990s, | 14 |
| changes included state of the art equipment, the first | 15 |
| full-time female firefighter, more diverse, specialized | 16 |
| services, and a new emphasis on public education; therefore, be | 17 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 19 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 20 |
| we congratulate the Blue Island Fire Department on the occasion | 21 |
| of its 125th anniversary; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 23 |
| presented to the Blue Island Fire Department as an expression | 24 |
| of our respect and esteem.
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