Naperville FD makes presentation to the historical society:

Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis and Bureau Chief of Community Services Andy Dina presented Naper Settlement with the Naperville Fire Department’s 2012 inaugural composite photo that represented all 202 members of the department. Each member of the department, including 185 firefighters and administrative staff, was photographed and the individual photos were assembled into a 40-inch by 40-inch composite.

Chief Puknaitis said, “We have never done anything like this composite photograph before. We are creating a legacy. If we don’t do this, the history will be lost.”

The photographs will be added to Naper Settlement’s Naperville Fire Department Collection, which dates back to the department’s founding in 1874, and includes photographs, objects, artifacts and the Joe Naper Pumper, Naperville’s first piece of firefighting equipment. The Naperville Fire Department is one of the oldest continuously operating fire departments in the United States.

Bureau Chief Dina said, “We wanted to donate the composite photo to Naper Settlement, which is preserving our history for us.”

“We are proud to support the Naperville Fire Department,” Naper Settlement President and CEO Rena Tamayo-Calabrese said. “Through their donation, we continue to be the institutional memory of the community.”

 

Tags: fire department history, Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis, Naperville Fire Department