MABAS Division 5 encompasses McHenry County. There are 18 departments in the division and several had non-red apparatus over the years. Only three departments had fleets that were lime green and white or yellow; the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District, the Lake in the Hills station of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, and the Woodstock Rural Fire Protection District (now part of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District). According to the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District website, in October of 1993, the Woodstock Rural Fire Protection District, Woodstock City Fire Department, and Woodstock Rescue Squad merged together to form the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.
Eight other departments had red fleets, but at one time each had a unit that was painted differently. (Crystal Lake, Hebron, Harvard, the Marengo Rescue Squad, Richmond, Spring Grove, Union, and Woodstock City)
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department purchased a small rescue squad in 1982 that conformed to the Department of Transportation (DOT) specifications, one of which required that it be delivered painted lime green.
The Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District had a brush truck which was blue in contrast to the rest of the fleet that was painted red.
The Harvard Fire Protection District and the Harvard Rescue Squad ran out of the same station. The Rescue Squad had an orange and white squad which was the only piece with this paint scheme.
The Richmond Fire Protection District had a rescue squad that was painted white.
The Spring Grove Fire Protection District had a squad unit and a tanker that were painted white.
The Union Fire Protection District ran a white Ford/Darley engine in 19__ which was the only lime green piece in the fleet.
The Woodstock City Fire Department purchased a Seagrave quad in 1967 that was painted white, and they also had a white brush truck, a 1969 Dodge W300/Welch 250/200.
The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire District had two stations in years past. The apparatus at the Lake in the Hills station was painted yellow. They had a 1968 IHC/Welch squad and there were two additional pumpers at the Lake In the Hills station that were painted chrome yellow; a 1972, IHC Cargostar-Alexis 750/750, and a 1975, IHC Cargostar-Bean 750/1000.
The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District changed their fleet from lime green/white to red/black.
When the Woodstock Rural Fire Protection and the Woodstock City Fire Department were separate entities, the rural apparatus was painted lime green & white.
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#1 by Dennis Saam on May 12, 2012 - 5:39 PM
The Harvard Rescue truck was bought by Tonica Volunteer Fire Dept, in LaSalle County in the late ’80’s and refurbed. It was then painted Chrome Yellow and White. It was sold by Tonica, to a chemical plant in Henry, IL for their Haz-mat unit. I was one of the fire personel from Tonica that went up to Marengo to get the truck when we first bought it. Tonica is a not-for-profit organization and gets no tax money. It is supported strictly by donations and grants.
#2 by J. C. on May 11, 2012 - 7:51 AM
Hebron’s blue brush truck is still in service and has been repainted red after an accident.