HR0065 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0065 LRB100 08302 MST 18901 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Mokena Fire Protection District on its 100 years of service to the local community and its ongoing commitment to the safety of the citizens of Mokena and the surrounding communities; and

WHEREAS, The Mokena Fire Department was organized in 1917 with 30 volunteer members whose primary firefighting apparatus was a wooden hose cart pulled by the volunteers; and

WHEREAS, In 1932, representatives of the W. S. Darley Company demonstrated a truck mounted fire apparatus which revealed the dire need for both a reorganized fire department and modern firefighting equipment; and

WHEREAS, In 1933, a Model A Ford Chassis, which had previously been employed as a coal truck, was purchased, and was subsequently retrofitted at no cost to the community as the volunteer firefighters organized fundraisers and paid for upgrades out of their own pockets; and

WHEREAS, Plans for a fire protection district were formed in order to relieve the Department from constant fundraising activities and to keep the Department solvent; and

WHEREAS, The Mokena Community Volunteer Fire Department was the only fire district application filed in Northern Illinois that was entirely debt-free; and

WHEREAS, On July 19, 1962 the creation of the District was passed almost unanimously through an election; and

WHEREAS, Today the Mokena Fire Protection District serves portions of Frankfort, Homer Glen, Mokena, and Orland Park, an area of over 12 miles with a population of approximately 17,500 people; and

WHEREAS, The Department employs 34 full-time firefighters and paramedics, two full-time administrative assistants, and one paid on-call firefighter, and maintains a fleet of modern firefighting and advanced life support vehicles; and

WHEREAS, The Mokena Fire Protection District was awarded Accredited Agency Status by the Center for Public Safety Excellence in August of 2001, August of 2007, and March of 2012, and is scheduled to be accredited once again in March of 2017; it was classified as a Class One Fire Department by the Insurance Services Office in April of 2014; and

WHEREAS, The Mokena Firefighters of today embody and honor the Department's tradition of dedication and commitment to the local community through their professionalism and courageous work; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Mokena Fire Protection District on its 100 years of service and dedication; and be it further

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