Excerpts from FireApparatusmagazine.com:
A tower ladder for the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District is among 12 community project funding requests made by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster that have been approved by President Joe Biden.
The fire district will receive $1 million for the truck so district firefighters no longer have to wait for outside departments to supply an aerial device when responding to emergencies.
tanks Dennis
This from Dave Weaver:
9/15/18 ELBURN – Box Alarm House Fire 42W826 Main Street Rd. – Video by Dave Weaver
A good Samaritan driving along Main Street Rd. before dawn smelled smoke and located smoke coming from the eaves of a ranch-style house. The man notified the 911 operator at Tri-Com Central Dispatch that no one was answering the door which was hot to the touch and that there were vehicles parked in the driveway. A General Alarm was dispatched and the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District responded along with multiple mutual aid companies. Once on scene, the Elburn battalion chief requested a MABAS Box Alarm response to bring even more mutual aid from surrounding communities to the scene and to Elburn’s fire station. The tense atmosphere was a bit relieved after a neighbor made contact with one of the residents by phone and advised firefighters that no one was home. A fire investigation task force responded to determine the cause and origin of the fire which took approximately 1 1/2 hours to bring under control. No one was injured but sadly, the family’s four cats perished. The Red Cross was requested to provide assistance for the three adult residents.
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Photo by Ashley McFall
Excerpts from the kanecountychronicle.com:
A fire that ignited overnight in a vacant barn at 42W600 block of Route 64 off Mary Drive near St. Charles in Campton Hills quickly turned into an inferno. The initial call for the structure fire came in at 2:05 a.m.
Horses were scheduled to move into the stables the next day and the blaze completely destroyed an indoor riding arena.
The Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District received assistance from 20 fire departments. Damage to the equestrian center was estimated to be $570,000.
The main barn and the attached arena plus a storage and residential building were completely destroyed.
The fire was brought under control by 3:50 a.m., but units were still on the scene at noon Oct. 20, addressing numerous hot spots.
thanks Dan
Excerpts from the KaneCountyChronicle.com:
Kelly Callaghan will retire this month after 33 years of service with the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District, but his connection to the fire department began even before that.
Callaghan was born and raised in Elburn. He and his brother Keith and their neighborhood friends began hanging out with some of the volunteer firefighters when they were kids. They would watch the firefighters leave the station for a call, and when they came back, Callaghan and the others would show up to help wash the trucks and clean the station and the hoses.
During his junior and senior years in high school, he became a cadet through the co-op at Kaneland High School. After he graduated high school in 1985, he began working construction and volunteered as a firefighter for the next four years.
During that time, the fire and the ambulance divisions were separate. In 1989, Callaghan was hired into the department full-time as the deputy chief. When he was promoted to chief in 2001, the fire and ambulance divisions were merged into one.
He is proud to have been a part of the department’s growth, from two volunteer departments to the opening of the second fire station in 2002, third station in 2014, and finally, the move of Station 1 to its new location in 2015.
He said the biggest challenge faced in his time was when the Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District tried to take over a part of the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District.
Callaghan’s co-workers and friends will gather to roast him, congratulate him and give him a high-five on his accomplishments at 5 p.m. Oct. 22, deputy chief Tate Haley said. Call the station at 630-365-6855 for retirement party information.
Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com:
Fire trucks began to arrive Monday morning at the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District’s new station on Route 38 in Elburn.
After 14 months of construction and years of planning, the new station, which sits east of Route 47, on the north side of Route 38, was bustling with activity Monday, its first day of operation. Assistant Fire Chief Tate Haley has been overseeing the project and he highlighted some of the features of the new station.The station is much larger than the previous station at 210 E. North St. in Elburn. The district covers areas beyond Elburn, including the Mill Creek subdivision, and Elburn’s population is expected to rise as building begins in the Elburn station area.
Funds for the station had been covered by the department, and no additional public funding was required. Original cost estimates were between $8 million and $10 million, and Haley said the station came in at close to $10 million.
… an open house is in the works for Dec. 13 so residents will have a chance to see the new features. Visitors also will notice more displays and areas open for public education. Haley said such items previously would be kept in boxes most of the year and taken out for special occasions, such as the annual Christmas Stroll.
The station has three levels. On the middle level, which is the main level, there are offices, boardrooms, training areas and a kitchen. Downstairs, is a fitness room. Previously, firefighters wanting to use a fitness room would use one in a different building that once housed ambulances.
The downstairs area also includes an emergency operations center and a large boardroom area that can be used for training. There will be a museum of sorts with an old wheel that had been on display at the old station for years, but some people never realized it.
Upstairs, there are 15 bunks, a large multipurpose room and a patio. Instead of a fire pole, firefighters can go from the second-floor residence area to the apparatus bay using a slide. There is also a training tower, which also can be used to dry hoses and can be used for training for rescues and confined spaces.
Images from Roland Sauer of a house fire at 5N820 Timber Trails in the Elburn & Countryside FPD (St. Charles) this morning (4/4/15). The fire was elevated to a Box Alarm for tenders only.
Roland Sauer photo
Roland Sauer photo
Roland Sauer photo
Roland Sauer photo
Kanecountyconnects.com has an open letter from the Elburn & Countryside FPD chief about the upcoming ballot initiative regarding fire district coverage for some residents.
- Editor’s Note: The following is a guest essay from Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District Fire Chief Kelly P. Callaghan.
Dear Editor:
Because of the Nov. 4, 2014, referendum, the recently formed Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District has been spending a lot of time defending their fire district in the press. In one of their letters, they stated that “Change tends to bring out strong emotion.” They are correct; change can be quite emotional, especially when that change affects your tax dollars.
Drew Frasz, our Kane County Board representative, stated in a Letter to the Editor, “Many government bodies have struggled with down revenues over the last few years, but hostile takeovers of areas that have been well-served by fiscally responsible agencies is not something I support.” We couldn’t agree more.
Fox River needs to acquire more rooftops to pay off their $4.4 million debt to continue to operate. This disconnection is about money, not public safety. If this were about public safety, as Fox River claims, they wouldn’t have repeatedly tried to stop the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District from opening a station in Lily Lake to better serve the district. If this were about public safety, they wouldn’t have repeatedly tried to stop the villages of Elburn and Lily Lake from opposing and speaking out against the disconnection and supporting the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District, which has served and protected their citizens for more than 132 years.
Are you willing to take on Fox River’s $4.4 million in debt? If you choose to disconnect from Elburn Fire, this is exactly what the referendum covers: You are taking on their debt. Eventually you and your hard-earned tax dollars will be called upon to retire that $4.4 million in debt, as well as pay for all the extra equipment and personnel they will need to serve you and your family.
While Fox River continues to acquire more debt and has done so since their inception, Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District has no debt, no hidden costs, and no new taxes. Fox River’s math just doesn’t add up.
Let the facts speak for themselves, and let your voices be heard.
PLEASE VOTE NO on Nov. 4!
Kelly P. Callaghan
Fire Chief, Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District
thanks Dan
The Daily Herald has a followup article on the referendum about whether residents will move from the Elburn & Countryside FPD to the Fox River Fire/Rescue District:
A Kane County judge has agreed not to immediately certify results of a Nov. 4 referendum asking if some properties should be allowed to disconnect from the Elburn Fire Protection District. Circuit Judge David Akemann agreed to the delay Monday at the request of the Elburn fire district, which is appealing his Aug. 28 decision to allow the referendum to take place.
If voters approve the disconnection, Akemann would be asked to certify the vote and order the disconnection. If voters decide not to, Akemann would have to dismiss the petition, according to a motion filed by the Fox River district, which opposed the stay.
The appellate court has given the districts until Feb. 10 to file motions and replies on the appeal.
Voters in a portion of Campton Hills, Wasco and unincorporated areas are being asked whether they want to join the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District instead.
The Elburn district contends, in an appeal it filed with the Illinois 2nd District Appellate Court, that the petitioners who sought the referendum didn’t adequately prove requirements for allowing the referendum. Under state law, Akemann had to judge whether the area in question would receive equal or better service.
The petition for disconnection was filed July 17. Hearings were held in August. Elburn fire district officials argued they hadn’t had enough time to prepare a case that would counter the petitioners’ claims about taxes, fees, response times, facilities and more. The Fox River district says it could respond faster to emergencies, and would charge less property taxes.
The Elburn district has also asked Akemann to vacate his Aug. 28 order, but he has not ruled on that request. Attorneys for the Fox River district argue Akemann’s decision can’t be appealed, and that the stay of judgment would eliminate the “ability to obtain relief sought by the petition for disconnection.”
The area in question is bounded roughly by Campton Hill, La Fox, Burlington, Empire, Silver Glen and Swanberg roads.
thanks Dan
The Kane County Chronicle has an article about the ballot referendum for some residents in the Elburn Fire Protection District:
Select voters in the Elburn fire district will decide Nov. 4 whether they want to join the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District.
The upcoming ballot measure regarding fire service has turned political. The Elburn Village Board recently approved a resolution opposing the potential disconnection, and Fox River Fire Chief Greg Benson said some opponents are spreading misinformation about his district.
About 3,000 registered voters live in the proposed disconnect area, a territory roughly bound by LaFox Road to the east, Anderson Road to the west, Campton Hills Road to the south and Silver Glen Road to the north.
Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Kelly Callaghan said his agency has a proven track record of taking care of that area for both fire and EMS, and it recently opened a station in Lily Lake to better serve it. “Our department has been in existence 132 years, much more than three,” Callaghan said.
Benson said the quality of service shouldn’t be an issue because a judge determined the territory would receive comparable service from the Fox River district. In fact, he said, residents should experience shorter 911 call processing times. Currently, calls from the disconnect area are received by Kane Comm and are transferred to Tri-Com before units are dispatched, a process that can take up to four minutes, he said. Fox River calls are received and dispatched by Kane Comm, he said, a process that takes up to 21/2 minutes.
Property owners would pay less in taxes should they join the Fox River district, Benson said, noting Elburn’s tax rate is about 0.79 and Fox River’s is about 0.27. To illustrate the potential savings, the Fox River district compiled a list of addresses in the disconnect area, the taxes they paid to Elburn and the projected taxes they would pay to Fox River. According to the list, a home in the 40W000 block of Fox Creek Drive in Campton Hills paid $1,548.28 in taxes to Elburn and would pay an estimated $524.44 to Fox River – a difference of $1,023.84. On the lower end of potential savings, another home in the village might see a difference of about $350.
Should the disconnect be approved, Callaghan said the Elburn district won’t know the exact amount the district would lose in property taxes until the levy is approved. “We’re going to do everything we can not to lay off,” he said. “We still have 20,000 people in our district that we have to provide the same services for.”
Both fire districts charge EMS fees – the chiefs said it is common practice – and the rates vary by residency status and ambulance type.
Benson said his district also has been accused of charging fees for fire responses, which he said is not true. However, he said, its cost recovery ordinance gives the district the ability to charge a fee in certain circumstances, such as arsons or other illegal activities. Similarly, he said, a fee could be brought against someone who has a history of false fire alarms and refuses to fix the alarm system.
thanks Dan
The Kane County Chronicle has an article about
The Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District might gain more territory at the expense of another fire district. Voters this summer petitioned to disconnect land from the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District and to add such territory to the Fox River district, according to court documents dated July 17.
Attorney Pat Griffin, who represents the Fox River district, said the territory is bound by LaFox Road to the east, Anderson Road to the west, Campton Hills Road to the south and Empire Road to the north, although some agricultural land is included just north of Silver Glen Road.
About 128 people signed the petition to disconnect, he said, but the number of residents in that area is around 3,000. The petition is a mechanism for voters to put a question about the disconnection on the Nov. 4 ballot, Griffin said.
He said a judge had to hear the petition and determine several factors, such as whether the territory would receive comparable service from the Fox River district and whether the disconnection would cause serious injury to the Elburn district. Kane County Circuit Judge David Akemann last week found that the conditions for transfer and disconnection were met, according to a court document dated Aug. 28.
“The Elburn FPD argues that the evidence showed that there would not be a proportionate adjustment to expenditures to match the loss of revenue,” according to the document. “In fact, very little evidence was received by any party as to what the effect of the disconnection would be on Elburn FPD expenditures.”
Only those living in the territory in question will be able to vote on whether to disconnect from the Elburn district, Griffin said. A simple majority is needed for the disconnection process to proceed, Griffin said.
The referendum is on the agenda for the Fox River district’s special board meeting at 7 p.m. [9/3/14].
The questions are as follows:
For making the transfer from the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District to the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District, remaining liable for a proportionate share of the bonded indebtedness outstanding as of the date of disconnection, if any, of the district from which disconnection is proposed and also assuming a proportionate share of the bonded indebtedness, if any, of the district to which transfer is proposed.
Against making the transfer from the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District to the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District, remaining liable for a proportionate share of the bonded indebtedness outstanding as of the date of disconnection, if any, of the district from which disconnection is proposed and also assuming a proportionate share of the bonded indebtedness, if any, of the district to which transfer is proposed.
thanks Dan
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
