In the 1920s, a service station housed the fire trucks of Hanover Park and became the village’s first fire department.

Excerpts from theChicagoTribune.com:

In the 1920s, a service station at 2064 W. Lake Street housed the fire trucks of Hanover Park and became the village’s first fire department. That location, where Suburban Tire Auto Repair Center is now located, was designated with a heritage marker for its historic significance.

Hanover Park Fire Chief Craig A. Haigh and more than 50 people attended, as local officials unveiled a commemorative plaque at the site.

Called the Ontarioville Volunteer Fire Department, the unit was established April 3, 1928 with a $282 collection from the community.

Hanover Park Fire Lieutenant Jim Hite said he was about six years old when he would visit the location with his late father, Glen Hite, a volunteer firefighter.

“Back then they would talk about an eight minute response time from here to Sherman Hospital,” Hite said. “Now we can’t even make it across town in that time,” he joked, as four lanes of traffic during the rush hour event on West Lake Street passed by.

Along with less congested traffic back then, Hite recalled a 1962 Harvester fire truck at the station that he actually saw there again in 1982, when he joined the department. “It wasn’t a response vehicle, but it was used in parades and things,” he said.

These days, the Village of Hanover Park has a full time fire protection department and still uses volunteers to staff the rehabilitation unit.

thanks Dan

Tags: Glen Hite, Hanover Park Fire Chief Craig Haigh, Hanover Park Fire Lieutenant Jim Hite, Ontarioville Fire Protection District, Ontarioville Volunteer Fire Department