This from Tyler Tobolt:
Here are photos of the Wonder Lake box alarm this morning (12/27/20) around 5am at 5712 E Lake Shore Dr. The house was fully engulfed on arrival. One person is unaccounted for. The state fire marshal and coroner were requested to the scene.
More photos provided in this link.
Tri State – USFiR Photography
From Michael Paige at the swift water rescue today (5/18/20) at 4201 W. Lake Shore Drive in Wonder Lake where fire department swift water rescue techs verified that a stolen car in the river was unoccupied before working with a towing company to remove the car.
Michael Paige photo
Michael Paige photo
Excerpts from the NWHerald.com:
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District is asking voters to approve a referendum March 17 election ballot increasing its property tax levy. An average homeowner with a $100,000 home currently pays $153 in taxes to the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District. If the referendum is successful, that would go up by $33, so the homeowner would pay $186. The amount of taxes currently able to be levied for the fire district is $963,994. The amount the WLFPD is asking for is $1,152,054.
One of the reasons this increase is needed is because the department is dealing with a 52 percent increase in general and workers compensation insurance. These are based on the pay of the worker, and will increase significantly when minimum wage becomes $15 an hour. The minimum wage increased this year, and per state law, will continue to go up until 2025, when it hits that $15 mark. With the current tax rate, the fire district’s budget will be consumed by payroll, leaving them with a deficit for operations.
Calls to the fire protection district have gone up by 43 percent over the past 19 years. Having only three members causes the fire district to have jump crew. If there’s a call for an ambulance, all three go to the ambulance call, and if there’s a fire call, all three go to the fire call. If people are waiting for an ambulance or fire truck to come from McHenry or Richmond, that could mean a 12- to 15-minute wait.
In addition, the district’s equipment is aging. One of their front line engines is 26 years old. Engines made now are safer in the event of a rollover and have more protection for the people in the vehicles. With newer equipment, maintenance on the vehicles would go down, and the district could stop putting more money it can’t afford into these engines.
If the referendum gets approved, the fire district won’t actually see any additional money for a year, but after that year they would put a bid out for a new engine. If this referendum is not approved, it could mean potentially lowering the on-duty personnel.
There have been things the fire district has done to lower costs for the community, such as applying for state grants. In addition, they have minimized their command staff by not replacing people when they resigned.
From the Pierce Flickr site:
New Pierce Enforcer engine for the Wonder Lake Fire Protection District – SO 29621
thanks Al
Pierce composite
Sep 21
This from Asher Heimermann:
fire apparatus pictures from the funeral in woodstock
Asher Heimermann photo
Asher Heimermann photo
Asher Heimermann photo
Asher Heimermann photo
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District in McHenry County has been added to the site . Information was provided by Karl Klotz, Steve Redick, and Larry Shapiro who photographed the stations and apparatus last week.
The district encompasses 11 square miles and has two stations. The main station is staffed around the clock and the outlying station only at night. Their rosters consists of 45 part-time firefighters and paramedics.
They have three ambulances, two engines, two 3,000-gallon commercial tankers, a heavy rescue, and a brush unit. They also have three boats of their own, plus they house a pair of MABAS Division 5 boats as well. One of their engines was previously part of the McHenry Township FPD.
One of the Wonder Lake boats is this air boat by Trail Boss with an enclosed area for divers. Larry Shapiro photo
Wonder Lake Engine 1644 is X-McHenry Township Engine1244. Larry Shapiro photo
Wonder Lake FPD Squad 1631 built by Saulsbury is on a 1999 Spartan Diamond chassis. Larry Shapiro photo
Wonder Lake Tender 1671 is one of two twin 3,000-gallon tankers on matching Peterbilt 357 chassis. Karl Klotz photo
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
