History

In the Beginning 

The Village of Romeoville was incorporated in 1895 and, like many towns of that era, was prone to fires due to the materials used to construct the buildings. Countless structures were lost over the years including homes, businesses, and, in one harrowing 1903 incident, the Santa Fe train depot. A telegraph wire started a fire in the building, which contained 500 pounds of dynamite, enough to “nearly wipe Romeo[ville] off the face of the map,” according to the newspaper account. Residents of the 100 person town, including the former mayor, rushed into the building and carried out the dynamite. Stories like this showcase what life was like prior to a dedicated fire department: untrained residents doing their best in situations that often saw buildings burn to the ground.

The Founding of the Department

Original Fire FleetRomeoville remained a small town of under 200 people until 1957. That year, six hundred acres of farmland became the Hampton Park neighborhood. Because of this development, the population of Romeoville soared from under 200 in 1956 to over 3,500 in 1960, a 1,676% increase.

Romeoville had been served by Bolingbrook Fire Department and the Lockport Fire Protection District, but the spike in new houses and businesses pushed some residents into deciding it was time for Romeoville to have its own fire department. In April 1960, the Romeoville Volunteer Fire Department was created by this group. The department’s first engine, a 1960 Seagrave, arrived in August and was housed in the newly built Village Hall on Montrose Drive. This would serve as the fire station for the next 15 years.

On November 17, 1965, the Village Board passed an ordinance creating the Bureau of Fire Prevention. As laid out in that ordinance, their duties were to enforce all Village, County, and State laws covering the prevention of fires, the storage and use of explosives and flammables, the installation and maintenance of fire alarm and fire extinguishing systems, the maintenance, regulation, and adequacy of fire escapes, and the investigation of the cause, origin, and circumstances of fires. While on the topic of ordinances, an ordinance was never adopted creating the Romeoville Volunteer Fire Department back in 1960. This was resolved on April 17, 1974 when an ordinance creating the fire department was officially passed.

Growth

Original Fire Station 1In December of 1972, the Village Board approved a loan for the construction of a standalone fire station across from Village Hall on Montrose Drive. That station was completed in 1975 and was designed for part-time personnel. Upon the opening, the Village began paying personnel to staff the station 24 hours a day. Five personnel were placed on shift.

In the early 1980s, the fire department identified the need to provide around the clock paramedic service. Up to this point, a paramedic was only on duty certain days of the week, so while a resident could still be picked up by ambulance at any time, they may only receive basic care on the way to the hospital if a paramedic wasn’t around. The members of the department launched a citizen education campaign in support of a referendum to establish an ambulance tax. The referendum passed on November 3, 1981 and funding was provided for equipment and personnel to protect the Village at all hours.  

In 1986, an addition was added to the west side of the fire station, which allowed for equipment storage and living quarters for on duty personnel.

Becoming Professional

Romeoville Fire TruckHaving been established for 30 years, the department began taking steps to become more professional. In 1990, the first full-time fire chief was appointed by the Village Board. In 1991, a second fire station was opened in Marquette Business Park along Enterprise Drive. 

In 1992 the fire department opened a third station of sorts. The 135 th Street bridge was abruptly closed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District on September 18, 1990 due to safety concerns. This closure cut off the east side of the village from fire protection. The area, which included the oil refinery and a small number of homes, had to rely on Will County and surrounding municipalities for protection. To address these concerns, space was rented on New Avenue in the unprotected area and an ambulance, tanker truck, and two personnel were stationed there from spring 1992 until the bridge was restored in November 1998. Even with resources now in the area, agreements were in place with the City of Lemont and City of Lockport for additional aid, especially for the oil refinery.   

1992 also saw the department hire 7 full-time personnel (four captains and three firefighter-paramedics), starting the transition from a part-time department to a full-time one. If phase one of professionalizing and modernizing the department was hiring full-time staff, phase two was upgrading equipment. The Village Board passed a referendum in 1994 to purchase new fire engines, ambulances, turn out gear, SCBA and other related equipment. 

In 1995, Romeoville began expanding west of Weber Road, building homes at a rapid pace and giving rise to subdivisions including Wesglen, Wespark, and Weslake. These neighborhoods, in addition to others north of 135 th Street, and other developments that would follow, led to Romeoville’s second modern population boom. In 1990, there were 14,074 residents, increasing to 21,203 in 2000. To assist with covering all these new neighborhoods, the Village entered into an inter-governmental agreement with the Lockport Township Fire District in 1997 to provide additional fire and ambulance service to areas west of Weber Road. As the 1990s came to a close, the fire department purchased their first aerial truck with a 100 foot tall ladder and placed it in service in 1999. The truck provided service to the oil refinery, Lewis University, motels, and other larger buildings in Romeoville.

Leaping Forward

Members of Korean Disaster Relief Team pose with Fire Academy instructor by fire truck. Having used the last decade to become a modern and professional organization, the Romeoville Fire Department spent the next decade becoming leaders in the fire service. Eight new vehicles were purchased between 2000 and 2009 to replace older models or incorporate new tools. One such vehicle was the rescue squad, which provided emergency lighting, filled breathing gear at incidents, and assisted with specialized equipment on calls. Technology was also improved. In 2005, RFD became one of only a handful of fire departments in Illinois to deploy the auto pulse device (a cardiac support pump that moves more blood than manual CPR and improves survival). In 2007, they took another big step in cardiac health and replaced their standard cardiac monitors with 12 lead monitors. These generated information for doctors that was instrumental in getting patients the right care faster upon arriving at the hospital.

Leaders teach, so on December 19, 2005, the Romeoville Fire Academy was created with the goal of beginning training courses in 2006. The academy was initially established to train firefighters from northern Illinois in advanced skill areas like hazardous materials, technical rescue, water rescue, and other specialties. As the years went on, academy students would start to come from around Illinois, other states, and even internationally (Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and Korea) to train in Romeoville.

Additionally, the 2000s saw upgrades to RFDs fire stations. Fire Station 2 expanded, adding two bays, storage space, and living quarters (2004), a new station, Fire Station 3, was constructed along Normantown Road (2008), and the planning and purchase of land for the new Fire Station 1 took place.

Maintaining and Innovating

Fire Station 1 with flags, flower bed, and decorative bricks.2010 marked the Romeoville Fire Department’s 50 th anniversary. Now a department with over 20 vehicles, 30 full time personnel, three stations, and its own training academy, it had come a long way from a group of volunteers that were based out of the Village Hall. The latest era of the department sees a continued focus on replacing vehicles in the fleet and incorporating new technologies and methods including a boat (2012) for water rescue and hazmat cleanup, drones (2015) to aid in search and structure fire spotting, and a dog (2023) for search and rescue purposes. This all ensures the best protection possible for the residents of Romeoville.

In 2011, the department entered into its first agreement with Local 4237, making it a union organization. In a move long in the making, Fire Station 1 was knocked down and its replacement built on the same site, opening in 2016. In 2022, the ranks of RFD expanded when six full-time personnel were approved to be hired. 
If history is any indication, the Romeoville Fire Department will continue to be an adapter of new technology, continue maintaining their fleet, and always be looking for what the next innovation is in the name of protecting their community.