HR1203 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1203 LRB100 22858 MST 42245 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Bloomington Fire Department on the 150th anniversary of their official founding; and

WHEREAS, In 1850, the City of Bloomington recognized the need for a "fire warden", someone who would inspect each building that used a fire inside; in December of 1855, the city's first engine, a hand pump, arrived; the city's first steam engine was purchased in 1867, and, at that point, it became necessary to have someone on duty at all times to keep it ready in case of a fire; and

WHEREAS, On June 19, 1868, the city passed an ordinance officially forming the Bloomington Fire Department; and

WHEREAS, Three years later in 1871, the Bloomington Fire Department was one of the departments that responded to the call to help fight the Great Chicago Fire; and

WHEREAS, M.X. (Marion) Chase is one of the most significant individuals in the history of the Bloomington Fire Department; he served the city of Bloomington for 32 years - 21 of those as chief; he nurtured the department from its early days, taking it from buckets and ladders, to organizing its volunteers and on to a fully-manned, fully-paid department in 1888; and

WHEREAS, On December 11, 1911, the department purchased its first motorized apparatus; the department was fully motorized by 1916; and

WHEREAS, Today, members of the Bloomington Fire Department use the latest methods and modern equipment and training to fight fires; the department presently has five stations and 119 full-time paid firefighter positions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Bloomington Fire Department on the 150th anniversary of their official founding, and we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Bloomington Fire Department as a symbol of our respect and esteem.