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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Mokena Fire
4Protection District on its 100 years of service to the local
5community and its ongoing commitment to the safety of the
6citizens of Mokena and the surrounding communities; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Mokena Fire Department was organized in 1917
8with 30 volunteer members whose primary firefighting apparatus
9was a wooden hose cart pulled by the volunteers; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1932, representatives of the W. S. Darley
11Company demonstrated a truck mounted fire apparatus which
12revealed the dire need for both a reorganized fire department
13and modern firefighting equipment; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1933, a Model A Ford Chassis, which had
15previously been employed as a coal truck, was purchased, and
16was subsequently retrofitted at no cost to the community as the
17volunteer firefighters organized fundraisers and paid for
18upgrades out of their own pockets; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Plans for a fire protection district were formed
20in order to relieve the Department from constant fundraising
21activities and to keep the Department solvent; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Mokena Community Volunteer Fire Department
2was the only fire district application filed in Northern
3Illinois that was entirely debt-free; and
 
4    WHEREAS, On July 19, 1962 the creation of the District was
5passed almost unanimously through an election; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Today the Mokena Fire Protection District serves
7portions of Frankfort, Homer Glen, Mokena, and Orland Park, an
8area of over 12 miles with a population of approximately 17,500
9people; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Department employs 34 full-time firefighters
11and paramedics, two full-time administrative assistants, and
12one paid on-call firefighter, and maintains a fleet of modern
13firefighting and advanced life support vehicles; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The Mokena Fire Protection District was awarded
15Accredited Agency Status by the Center for Public Safety
16Excellence in August of 2001, August of 2007, and March of
172012, and is scheduled to be accredited once again in March of
182017; it was classified as a Class One Fire Department by the
19Insurance Services Office in April of 2014; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Mokena Firefighters of today embody and honor

 

 

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1the Department's tradition of dedication and commitment to the
2local community through their professionalism and courageous
3work; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6congratulate the Mokena Fire Protection District on its 100
7years of service and dedication; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to the Mokena Fire Protection District as a symbol of
10our esteem and respect.