Warrenville Fire Protection District

After a particularly difficult fire at the McDonald home on Batavia Road the community realized it needed its own fire protection system. In 1936 many local businessmen and the local priest formed the Warrenville Fire Protection Company #1, a non-taxing organization which quickly changed to the Warrenville Fire Protection Co.

The post depression era saw dwindling donations so the membership petitioned to become a taxing body. In 1939 a referendum was passed and the Warrenville Fire Protection District came into being. The First Trustees (governing body) were H.B. Evans, Frank Behr and Vincent Petit (1st Fire Chief).

The original firefighters were Vincent Petit, John Petit (Father and son owners of Petit’s Grocery Store), Frank Behr (Co-owner of Behr Brothers Chevrolet), George Heller (Local home builder), Elmer Terry, Charles Paver (Rural postal carrier and 2nd Fire Chief), James Dorio (Owner of Dorio Hudson Terraplane auto dealer), Clarence Meyer, Herbert Kleinwachter (town blacksmith), Harold Bollweg (plumber and later co-owner of J. H. Bollweg and Sons Plumbing), A.J. Fairbanks (switchman for Chicago, Aurora and Elgin RR), G.F. Halenza, Louis Mayer (town barber), and Henry Evans (local banker).

Many of the descendants of these first members are still active members today.

Changes
The Department responds to a changing community

The population increased steadily but the 1950’s brought a housing boom with over 700 homes springing up from farm fields in the Arrowhead subdivision. In the 1960’s and 1970’s well over 1000 new homes were added with the Summerlakes, Winchester and Emerald Green subdivisions. With the increase in residents came a corresponding rise in requests for fire and medical assistance.

Fire Chief Clifford Johnson took over the reins as the Departments' first full time chief in 1986. Chief Johnson replaced Charles Paver who had served since 1939.

The current headquarters fire station was completed in 1988 and in that same year the first contract paramedic/firefighters were hired. In 1992 the District hired three of its' own firefighter/paramedics to supplement the six existing contract personnel. A day firefighter/paramedic position was added in 1994 to supplement manpower during the week.

The roster of Paid-On-Call (POC) firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) has fluctuated between 30-40 members for the last twenty five years with the current roster totaling five full-time District personnel (including the chief), six contract firefighter/paramedics, and forty seven POC’s, including a class of eleven new recruits.

Modern Times
A snapshot of the Warrenville Fire Protection District

Around-the-clock the Warrenville Fire Protection District staffs an ALS (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance and an ALS Fire Engine. Within minutes POC’s can respond with an array of vehicles and equipment to assist the front line companies or to cover almost any emergency.

Over the past decades there have been remarkable advances in both the Fire and Emergency Medical fields. The Department carries specialty equipment to perform rescues high aboveground, in collapsed buildings, belowground, under water and in rivers.

An Argus™ thermal imaging camera allows firefighters to see people in complete darkness or blinding smoke by sensing body heat. Gas sampling technology allows members to detect a wide array of lethal gases undetectable to human senses. Both of the departments’ ambulances carry diagnostic 12 lead EKG's that are identical to the machines previously available only in hospitals.

Honoring our traditions woven into the fabric of our profession while embracing the latest technology to assist us in providing the greatest services to you is what the Warrenville Fire Protection District is all about!

The men and women of the Warrenville Fire Protection District are a dedicated and hardworking group. The Firefighter/EMT training is rigorous and very time consuming. All full-time and part-time members are expected to attend a minimum 20 hours of training per month. Those members with higher education levels or who are involved with specialty teams put in even more training hours.

It can take up to two years from a recruit's entry into the fire service just to meet the minimum standards of the Warrenville Fire Protection District, which are Firefighter II and EMT-B.

All classes are certified through the State Fire Marshal’s office. Many certifications require proficiency testing and continuing education. Most classes have classroom and hands-on portions and all students are required to pass proficiency tests and demonstrate their new skills to the instructors.

Illinois has one of the most comprehensive and complete certification programs in the country and, in addition to the State requirements, Warrenville Fire Protection District has added skills demonstration to many disciplines.

Insurance Service Office (ISO) Rating
How we measure up

Fire Departments are rated by the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) with a numerical indication of the department’s abilities. ISO provides advisory services to the insurance industry to help them develop pricing strategies for property and casualty insurance in the United States. For fire departments, a rating is based on a scale called the “Fire Suppression Rating Schedule” or FSRS.

The FSRS is based on three components: fire alarms; the fire department operations and training; and water supply within the coverage area.

Ten percent of the rating is based on how the department receives and dispatches fire alarms. Inspectors look at such things as: the number of operators on duty, number of telephone lines coming into the communications center and, the way fire companies are dispatched to an alarm.

The second rating is the actual fire department operation. Fifty percent of the rating comes from evaluating the department in areas such as:
• The type and extent of training.
• Number of active personnel.
• Firefighter response times to emergencies.
• Type and capabilities of Fire apparatus and equipment.
• Testing and maintenance of equipment

Water supply is the last rating category. This part of the survey focuses on available water above and beyond the daily maximum consumption.

The rating scale goes from one (the most desirable score) to ten (the least desirable score designating little or no fire protection). Warrenville is rated an ISO Class 3.

To put this into perspective there are 2375 fire departments in Illinois. There are 12 departments rated ISO Class 1. There are 31 departments rated ISO Class 2 and there are 85 departments rated ISO Class 3.

Warrenville Fire Protection District
is in the top 6% of ALL fire departments
in the state of Illinois!!