New Lenox Fire District History

Three members of the community met in May 1940 with the intent of forming a Fire Protection District. In October 1940, by special election, the New Lenox Fire Protection District was formed. In November, after passage of a referendum, officers were elected to the first Fire District Board which was to be comprised of three members: Ed Sheel as President, John Francis, Secretary, and Ed Hahney as Treasurer.

In 1941 a $10,000 bond referendum was passed that allowed for the purchase of firefighting equipment.

In 1942 the first piece of apparatus was purchsed and Frank Valy was selected to be the first Fire Chief.  When the engine arrived space was leased from Mr. Walsh to store the engine in the back of his gas station on North Cedar Rd. next to New Lenox Lumber Company.

In 1946 the first fire station was built at 201 N. Church Street where it still stands today.

In 1970 Station 2 was built just north of Station 1 on Cedar Road due to the increase in traffic on the Rock Island tracks and constant flooding of Hickory Creek. These two stations were run entirely by volunteer firefighters.

Often several wives of these firefighters would answer emergency calls on red phones in their homes, then set off a siren and a page to notify the firefighters of an emergency.

In May of 1978 the fire district suffered its first Line of Duty Death when Captain Wallace Faulk suffered a fatal heart attack in the line of duty.  Captain Faulk collapsed less than two hours after he responded to a vehicle accident on Interstate 80.  Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he passed away at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet.

On September 5, 1980, Engineer Michael Palumbo of the New Lenox Fire Protection District was fatally injured in the line of duty while responding to a traffic accident. Palumbo responded to the alarm from his home and was reporting to Station 2 in his personal-owned vehicle, but the vehicle overturned at the intersection of North Cooper Street and Francis Road. Palumbo was transported to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, where he succumbed to his injuries on September 13.

On January 21, 1983 yet another tragedy occurred when Firefighter Kenneth Sobbe died in the line of duty following an accident that occurred at the intersection of Route 30 and Route 45.  Firefighter Sobbe was riding on the tailboard of a tanker as it traveled east on Route 30 it swerved to avoid a collision with a passenger vehicle.  The end of the tanker struck the vehicle, however, and overturned.  Firefighter Sobbe suffered serious injuries and was treated at Olympia Fields Osteopathic Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries later that day.  Two other firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.

As New Lenox grew so did the demand on the fire district. In order to keep up with a growing number of calls in the south-west corner, a third station was added. Initially, the District rented space in an industrial condo with a fire engine manned by volunteers. In 1984 the District’s first full time Fire Chief was hired, Ken Hossack, who served until his retirement in 2006. Finally, in 1986 the construction of Station 3 was completed at the corner of Nelson Rd and Country Creek Dr.

In 1989 the Fire District passed a referendum to add an ambulance district. Just a few months later the district purchased an ambulance and hired their first seven Firefighter / Paramedics. They were located at Station 1 and assisted the volunteers in both fire and medical calls.

Station 4 was constructed in 1996, providing better service to the North-East area of the District. Then in 2003, Station 1 and the Fire District Administrative Offices moved to its current location and the original Fire Station 1 on Church Street was closed. Currently the District staffs 4 fire stations, 24 hours a day, utilizing 17 firefighters per shift.

Throughout the years the New Lenox Fire Protection District has seen many changes and continues to grow with the community it proudly protects.