Bill Text: IL HR0999 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates the Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection District on achieving its 80th anniversary. Thanks the members of the fire protection district for their continued service and dedication to the community.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-07-17 - Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Jay Hoffman [HR0999 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2025-HR0999-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate the Northwest St. Clair | ||||||
| 4 | County Fire Protection District on the occasion of its 80th | ||||||
| 5 | anniversary; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 7 | District began as Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc. | ||||||
| 8 | after a group of concerned individuals realized the need for | ||||||
| 9 | fire protection in an unincorporated area located outside the | ||||||
| 10 | city limits of Belleville, founding the fire department on | ||||||
| 11 | December 16, 1946; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc. had the | ||||||
| 13 | No. 1 Fire Station built at 1513 North Belt West by volunteers | ||||||
| 14 | involved in the forming of the fire department, and its first | ||||||
| 15 | fire engine was ordered and placed into service shortly | ||||||
| 16 | thereafter; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc. expanded | ||||||
| 18 | into the south in the 1950s, developing Engine House No. 2 at | ||||||
| 19 | 2327 South Belt West through the efforts of volunteer firemen; | ||||||
| 20 | and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc. operated | ||||||
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| 1 | as a subscription service to citizens until three fire | ||||||
| 2 | districts were formed in 1976, representing the north, south, | ||||||
| 3 | and the west; despite this, the department never refused | ||||||
| 4 | anyone service; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc. became | ||||||
| 6 | the first fire department in the area to require all | ||||||
| 7 | firefighters be certified by the Office of the Illinois State | ||||||
| 8 | Fire Marshal in 1980; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Northwest Volunteer Fire Department Inc.'s three | ||||||
| 10 | fire districts were combined to form the Northwest St. Clair | ||||||
| 11 | County Fire Protection District in 1986, which was governed by | ||||||
| 12 | three trustees, and it subsequently hired its first full-time | ||||||
| 13 | career administrator in 1989; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 15 | District saw continued growth in the 1990s, including building | ||||||
| 16 | a new fire station, No. 2, at 3407 South Belt West in 1997 and | ||||||
| 17 | obtaining new equipment to combat fires more efficiently; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, As the Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 19 | District continued to grow, its staff received further | ||||||
| 20 | specialized training in a number of areas, including technical | ||||||
| 21 | rescue, hazmat, confined space, high angle, and EMS, in | ||||||
| 22 | addition to line officer and chief officer classes; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 2 | District, thanks to the successful passage of a referendum in | ||||||
| 3 | 2017, obtained the funding necessary to make capital | ||||||
| 4 | improvements, allowing the remodel of and an addition to Fire | ||||||
| 5 | Station No. 1, the purchase of its first 75-foot ladder truck, | ||||||
| 6 | the refurbishment of Rescue 4220, and the purchase of | ||||||
| 7 | necessary equipment to ensure the safety of district | ||||||
| 8 | firefighters; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 10 | District is led by Fire Chief Chester L. Borkowski Jr. and the | ||||||
| 11 | members of its board of trustees; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 13 | District has continued to grow over the past eight decades, | ||||||
| 14 | becoming the esteemed ISO Class 3 Fire Protection District it | ||||||
| 15 | is today, with state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained | ||||||
| 16 | firefighters who provide a level of service the residents | ||||||
| 17 | expect, and the fire protection district will continue to | ||||||
| 18 | advance through the valiant efforts of countless individuals, | ||||||
| 19 | ensuring it provides fire, rescue, EMS, and technical rescue | ||||||
| 20 | services to the community; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, The Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 22 | District will be celebrating its 80th anniversary as well as | ||||||
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| 1 | commemorating America's 250th anniversary; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we congratulate the Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection | ||||||
| 5 | District on achieving its 80th anniversary, and we thank the | ||||||
| 6 | members of the fire protection district for their continued | ||||||
| 7 | service and dedication to the community; and be it further | ||||||
| 8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 9 | presented to Fire Chief Chester L. Borkowski Jr. of the | ||||||
| 10 | Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection District as an | ||||||
| 11 | expression of our esteem and respect. | ||||||
