history

The first way of fighting fires in Hanna City was a bucket brigade with every able-bodied person joining in to help extinguish the flames.

On May 26, 1911, village trustees purchased a “combination chemical and water fire engine” and from the same company, 300’ of 2” linen hose. James Clemmer kept the fire engine at his place until Oct. 2, 1911. They then stored it in Favorite’s barn.

In November 1911, they added a shed on the south end of the Village Hall to house the wagon. Chemical soda was used to charge the fire engine. It was pulled by manpower and when the general alarm sounded, everyone went to help with one or two getting the fire wagon to the scene.

In 1918 the village purchased three dozen fire buckets and four extension ladders and a hook ladder. These buckets had a round bottom so they would roll off roofs because most of the fires then were roof fires. Sometime later the village paid $2.00 to the person who took the truck to a fire and returned it.

By August 1926 there was a meeting to organize a Volunteer Fire Co. in Hanna City. The first volunteers were: Clarence Bradshaw, Orrie Whites, Earl Fryman, Win Snodgrass, Fred Swadinsky, Earl Isbell, George Rindfleisch, Henry Workman, Albert Passinore, John Johnson, Walter Donaldson, Warren Stewart, Everett Sheckler, Glen Stear, Eddie DeTrempe, Russell Picton, Glen Carpenter, Claude Kendall, Allen Rice, William Snell and Ben Behrends. They went to see Dick Largent in regard to renting room in his garage for the fire truck.

These early volunteers solicited to buy a chassis on which to mount the hand-pulled pumper. When they purchased it, they were proud of their fire department since the pumper was motorized and was able to travel at least 25 m.p.h. The area for the fire department to cover was about a five-mile radius including Trivoli.

Fall 1927

In September 1927, a space on the west side of what is now Gil’s Supper Club was ready to house the fire engine.

The first minutes of the Hanna City Volunteer Fire Department were taken on Oct. 14, 1927.

1930

In 1930 the village asked Mrs. Irma Schuster, who was already employed as telephone switchboard operator, to take fire calls in her home. In early days she gave eight rings on the telephone for a general alarm. She would open all the keys on the switchboard and everybody in town would know about the fire.

In March 1935 the village, still the governing body of the department purchased a 1935 Ford fire truck for $2,580. This pumper was financed by the result of much legwork by Earl Isbell and others on the board going throughout the community asking for donations.

The truck was equipped with two 45-gallon chemical tanks. In each of these tanks a powder was put in the water and in the cap of the tanks was placed a glass bottle, which contained an acid. When mixed with the powder and water, it caused a chemical reaction creating a pressure of 45 lbs. making a good fire extinguisher. To activate the chemical mixture a lever was pulled to break the bottle containing the acid.

The meetings stopped again until 1940 when Village of Hanna City Mayor Arthur Evans called one to reorganize the Volunteer Fire Dept. Roy Wilson was elected Fire Chief, Robert Quick was Assistant Chief, John Stevens was Chairman of the Firemen and Russell Workman was Treasurer.

In January 1947 the department was transferred to the Hanna City Fire Department, Inc. The firemen would maintain the equipment from then on.

In 1948, the ground was purchased in Hanna City to build a new fire station where the present one is now, and a building was erected big enough to house two trucks. The money for this was raised through homecoming celebrations, public subscription, and other projects backed by the firemen.

By 1951, a fire district, the Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District was formed with George Doubet as the Fire Chief. The district included all of Logan Township, the east half of Trivoli Township and the south two tiers of Rosefield Township. Eventually additional areas would be added that included what is now Lake Camelot, and portions of north Trivoli and Quarry Road.

On April 3, 1956, with the help of Fire Chief George Doubet and Peoria County Civil Defense Director John Van Gordon, volunteers in the Trivoli area organized and began discussing creating a fire station in Trivoli.

In January, 1957, a lot on the northwest side of the railroad tracks on Trivoli Avenue was donated by the Trivoli Farmer’s Co-op. The fire station was built that year and an addition was added to the back of the building in 1959. The original officers of the Trivoli Volunteer Firemen, Inc were President Gordon Brown, Vice-President Cliff Johns, Secretary Steve Camp, Treasurer Eli Fidler, and Sgt of Arms Earl Harper.

The original apparatus for the new fire station was a 1957 Chevrolet Tanker and a 1948 Dodge Pumper. The first emergency piece of emergency medical equipment was purchased in 1959.

Original Members

Original members when the Trivoli Fire Station was organized were:

Lawrence Andrews
Richard Andrews
Marion Bird
Gordon Brown
Lloyd Despines
Paul Downing
Eli Fidler
Ted Harding
Gerald Huffman
Jim Hurst
Clifford Johns
C Miller
E Arv
Oral Parr
Clyde Phillips
Elmer Phillips
Harold Quin
Leslie Stein
Dale Stookey
Bernard Watkins.

Assistant Chiefs at the Trivoli Station during early time were:

Gerald Huffman 1956-1958
Lawrence Andrews 1958-1961
Wayne Doubet 1961-1965
Don Harper 1965-1967
Donald Woodcock became Assistant Chief in 1967 and eventually became District Fire Chief in the1970’s.

In 1967, the district purchased the house next to the Hanna City fire station and construction began in October of that year on the present four-stall firehouse, located at 212 N Main Street. The station was completed in early 1968 and firemen moved into the modern new building in February, after being housed temporarily at the old International Harvester building, near the railroad tracks.

The Hanna City Firemen’s Auxiliary was formed January 14, 1974, to benefit those families whose homes were destroyed by fire, and people in the area with other needs. First officers were Pres., Phyllis Culver; Vice Pres., Doris Penn; Sec., Judy Clarke; Treas., Velma Stear. While the auxiliary is no longer active they provided a valuable role to the Fire Department.

In 1975, the Fire District installed a Plectron Alerting System. This system was purchased by citizen donations, donations from the Hanna City Firemen’s Corporation, Trivoli Volunteer Firemen’s Corporation, citizen donations, and by a grant from the Illinois Department of Conservation. This new system enabled Mrs. Schuster to trigger an alarm system in each volunteer firefighter’s home. She handled the fire phone so long that she knew many of the firemen when they were little boys. She called them “her boys” until her death in 1980. For some of those years of service Mrs. Schuster’s daughter, Mildred, helped her. She was honored along with her mother in November of 1978, when Irma retired as fire operator.

In 1978 the Fire District contracted with the Telephone Answering Service of Peoria to answer the fire phone system and alert the firefighters on the Plectron System. On June 15, 1993, the emergency number 9-1-1 was introduced to Hanna City and all of Peoria County. The Fire Number of 565-4221 became the fax line at the Hanna City Fire Station and 9-1-1 was now the number to use for all emergencies. The Fire District contracts with the City of Peoria Emergency Communications Center (ECC) to answer its 9-1-1 calls and alert the firefighters. The ECC is also capable of handling Text to 9-1-1. While some of the original Plectron Alerting Receivers are still in operation, the system now relays mostly on Pagers, which allow mobility for the firefighters. Hanna City and Trivoli have fire sirens that also sound when there is an emergency. The fire sirens in Hanna City and Trivoli do not sound between 8pm and 8am. There is not a fire siren in Lake Camelot. There are also yellow flashing lights on Farmington road near the entrances to the fire stations in Hanna City and Trivoli that flash for 8 minutes when there is a fire/rescue call.

The fire protection district is under the direction of a Board of Trustees. The trustees are appointed by the Peoria County Board Chairperson. Trustees in previous years have been Robert Howater, William “Bill” Stear (who also served as Fire Chief), Ted Harding, Greg Short, Phil Gould, David Alwood, Russell Deal, Deef Stone, and Bill Cackley.

Frank C Stear became Fire Chief on May 22, 1976, when Chief Don Woodcock retired. Frank continued as Chief until December 20, 1987. On December 20, 1987, David Clarke became Fire Chief. He continued in his role as Fire Chief until June 30, 1998.

In 1990, the Fire District built a fire station in the Lake Camelot Subdivision to serve the growing population in that area for the fire district. The Fire District now has three fire stations; one at Hanna City, one at Trivoli, and one at Lake Camelot. The district covers 82.5 square miles, all in Peoria County.

On December 23, 1997, the fire department suffered its first line of duty death when Brian T Hauk, an Assistant Fire Chief assigned to the Hanna City Station was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to the Hanna City Fire Station for a reported stove fire. Brian was a very dedicated member of the fire department and is greatly missed. A memorial flag is flown along Farmington Road on the west side of Hanna City that marks the location of the vehicle crash. Brian is buried in Elmwood. There is a memorial message on Engine/Rescue 431 in Brian’s memory. The Fire Department honored Brian with a memorial service on December 23, 2007. On July 1, 2014 a section of Illinois Route 116 (Farmington Road) from Cramer Road to just west of Taylor Road received an honorary designation, by the State of Illinois, as the “Assistant Fire Chief Brian T Hauk Memorial Highway."

On July 1, 1998, David E Tuttle became the Fire Chief when David Clarke retired. Chief Tuttle remains in this position today.

On December 15, 2001, firefighters in Trivoli moved into a new fire station at 18911 W Farmington Road in Trivoli that replaced the old fire station which had been located at 101 N Trivoli Ave. The old station had been very cramped and did not allow for the purchase of modern firefighting apparatus. The new station allows not only for the present fire apparatus, but also allows for growth in the future. The building is also equipped with a modern office, meeting room, kitchen, and rest rooms.

Logan-Trivoli is proud to provide Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) service to our fire district. This level of service, which unfortunately is becoming uncommon in Peoria County, allows our EMT’s to use early defibrillation, 12 lead cardiac monitoring, nitro and aspirin for chest pains, Epinephrine for anaphylactic emergencies, Narcan® for overdose emergencies, I-Gel for advanced airways, Albuterol® and Atrovent® for breathing problems, Glucagon for diabetic emergencies, Zofran® for nausea/vomiting, Benadryl® for allergic reactions, CPAP for breathing difficulty emergencies and the ResQCPR System. Logan-Trivoli’s EMTs also receive advanced training such as International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) and Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP). We are proud to be a member agency of the Peoria Area Emergency Medical Services (PAEMS) System based at OSF St Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Advanced Life Support Patient Transport Services are provided by Advanced Medical Transport of Central Illinois (AMT). We are proud to have a great working relationship with the staff of AMT.

Helicopter medical transport services from the scene of serious incidents is provided by OSF St Francis Medical Center’s Lifeflight program. While the helicopters are based at the General Wayne A Downing Peoria International Airport, they are stationed in Galesburg, Bloomington, Peru, and Rockford.

Logan-Trivoli has eight pieces of fire apparatus available to respond to incidents. Three at Hanna City (Engine/Rescue, Tender, Brush Truck), three at Trivoli (Engine/Tender, Brush Truck, Rescue), and two at Lake Camelot (Engine/Tender, Rescue).

In the winter of 2007, the fire department welcomed its new Engine/Rescue 431, which combined the tasks of two vehicles into one. This 2007 Custom Pierce Enforcer responds on all fire and Emergency Medical Service calls in the fire district. The apparatus is also equipped with the area’s first Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) that produces Class A compressed foam and is 4 times more effective at firefighting than just water. CAFS is used on all fires where Engine 431 is operating. The engine/rescue also is fully equipped for heavy rescue duties.

In 2008, the fire department welcomed its new Custom Pierce Impel Tanker/Tender 432, which replaced a 1980 Tanker. This new tender not only carries twice as much water as the old tanker, but twice as many personnel. The tender is equipped to seat up to six firefighters and is equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus, large diameter hose, a fire rated pump, and our Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) equipment.

We are a member of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), Division 36, which is the State of Illinois fire mutual aid system. This allows our department to have almost unlimited fire and EMS resources from almost every fire department in Illinois.

In March of 2009, our fire department was asked to house MABAS Division 36’s All Terrain Vehicle (ATV). This ATV is used for brush fires, transporting injured parties from remote areas, and transportation of fire personnel to and from remote areas for fire and EMS incidents. This ATV is housed at the Hanna City Fire Station.

The General Wayne A Downing Peoria International Airport is just east of the Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District Boundary. Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District routinely trains and responds with the Illinois Air National Guard Fire Department to emergency training or incidents at the airport. On October 21, 1971, a Chicago and Southern Airlines plane crashed in the eastern portion of our fire district south of Doubet Road. All sixteen persons aboard were killed in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled the accident was caused by the plane flying too low and hitting two power lines. Weather conditions were poor that day and visibility was low. A plane crashed on December 14, 2006 when a small private plane crashed just west of Taylor Road off Doubet Road. The pilot was not injured. The last plane that crashed in the Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District was on August 13, 2022 when a small private plane crashed in Hanna City on Farmington Road just west of Main Street. Both the pilot and passenger died at the scene. The preliminary NTSB report indicates the plane ran out of fuel.

Doctor James M Reed, MD (1927-2013) Dr. Reed practiced medicine in the Trivoli/Farmington/Hanna City area for 55 years. Dr. Reed provided emergency medical scene responses with our fire department for over 40 years. Long before advanced life support services were available in our fire district, Dr. Reed provided life saving measures, medications and cardiac defibrillation to patients. It was by his efforts that we were the first fire department in Peoria County to offer early cardiac defibrillation. He would respond -anytime day or night- from his home or office to the scene and provide care to patients. Janet Reed, Dr. Reed’s wife, was also very dedicated to the doctor’s responses. He never charged any patient that he responded to. Dr. Reed passed away on April 1, 2013. We remember his unselfish dedication to our communities. Dr. Reed is remembered with lettering on the side of Rescue 440.

In October of 2014, Logan-Trivoli Fire became the first fire department in Peoria County to use the new Peoria County P-25 Public Safety Trunked Radio System. This digital radio system, as of June 2015, is now used by every fire department in Peoria County and all public safety users in the County. The initial call for service is toned out on the VHF radio system and then all radio communication moves to the P-25 radio system. Streaming audio of all radio traffic is available at http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/18278 Audio streaming is available on a PC, Apple, and Android. We recommend the Scanner Radio or Broadcastify app for smartphones. In January of 2019, the P-25 radio system moved to the State of Illinois, Motorola owned, Starcom 21 radio system. This move greatly enhanced our radio interoperability.

In 2015, the Fire Department recognized three members of the department for milestone years of service. Ron Stear was recognized for his 60 years of service and the Hanna City Station was renamed in his honor as the Ronald V Stear Fire Station. An open house was hosted in Ron’s honor. Ron was one of the very first EMT’s in the Peoria area when the training was introduced in the early 1970’s. Ron began his service to the department in January, 1955. Ron retired from the department on February 2, 2022 with 67 years of service. Ron passed away on February 24, 2022.

Elliott Plumer and Gene Tuttle were also honored with a gold ax and open house for their 50 years of service. Both Elliott and Gene joined the fire department in September, 1965. Elliott and Gene were one of the first EMT’s at the Trivoli Station in the mid 1970’s. Gene retired from the department on October 31, 2023 with 58 years of service. Elliott passed away on November 27, 2020; he had served 55 years on the department. An emblem and lettering on Engine 441 at the Trivoli Station recognizes Elliott’s years of service.

Logan-Trivoli fire, along with every volunteer fire department in Peoria County, uses the “I am Responding” response system. This system displays on a screen in the fire stations and on an app on smartphones who is responding to the fire station. This allows the response to be more efficient and improves response times. Fire & EMS personnel also receive a text message on their smartphone detailing the location of the call, the cross street, and what the call for service is.

On November 25, 2015, the Fire District received authorization from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Peoria Area EMS office to become the first fire department in the region to participate in the EMS in-field upgrade program. This in- field upgrade allows EMS personnel with advanced skills to perform at their level of certification when they are on the call for service and the situation warrants. This program allows our Paramedics and Pre-Hospital Register Nurse (PHRN) personnel to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) when they are on the call for service.

On March 1, 2016, the Fire District completed the building addition to the Lake Camelot. This addition added much needed space for training, an office, storage, a kitchen, and updated accessible restrooms. The Fire Station continues to have two apparatus bays to house fire and rescue apparatus.

On March 4, 2016, the Fire District placed into service new MSA Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). This significant investment ensures that firefighters who enter a structure have safe, reliable, up to date safety equipment.

There are presently over 40 firefighters between our three fire stations; over 20 of those firefighters are Emergency Medical Technicians (Basic & Paramedic) and/or Pre-Hospital Registered Nurses (PHRN). Many of our firefighters are also Illinois Certified Firefighters and have advanced skills and certifications.

We have an active cadet program, where individuals that are 16 years of age or older can participate in some training and fire department activities. This prepares them to be more qualified firefighters when they reach the age of 18 and can become a full member.

In September of 2019 our department moved to electronic patient care reporting using software from ESO. This greatly enhanced our documentation of patient care.

In August of 2020 the fire district welcomed it newest Fire Engine 441, which replaced a 1995 fire engine housed at the Trivoli Station. This 2020 E-One Custom six-person engine carries 2,000 gallons of water and is able to tender water as well as be an engine. The new engine has a 1,250 Gpm pump, large diameter hose, battery operated positive pressure fan, and additional firefighting equipment that our older engine could not carry.

Logan-Trivoli Fire continues to be a leader in many areas. Logan-Trivoli was the first fire department in Peoria County to provide early defibrillation, EMS field medications, Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) for Firefighting, use Peoria County’s P-25 radio system, In-Field EMS upgrades, and the “I am Responding” response system.

The present Board of Trustees are Wendy Conner, President, Stu Tiezzi, Treasurer, and Dave Doubet as Secretary.

Thank you to the board of trustees that provide outstanding administrative leadership to the fire department, to our district fire officers, and to our Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service personnel who answer the calls each day and night.

We are always looking for new members who wish to help their neighbors in time of need. If you want to volunteer, please visit our website for more information.

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Our email address is logantrivolifire@gmail.com

Our website is www.logantrivoli.com