Coal Valley Fire Protection District

06/05/2026

Station Construction Update:

We are pleased to share that construction at the station continues to make progress. Over the past several weeks, several major milestones have been completed.

The new bunk house has been painted, windows have been tinted for privacy, flooring and ceiling installation are underway, and the station alerting system has been installed. We anticipate being able to move into the bunk house within the next one to two weeks.

Work on the station addition is also advancing steadily, with additional structural steel installed this week.

We are excited to see this project continue to move forward and look forward to fully occupying both the new bunk house and station addition once construction is complete.

06/01/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and members of the Seaton Fire Department as they mourn the loss of Chief Brent Collins.

Rest in Peace Chief

05/25/2026

Happy Memorial Day from the Coal Valley Fire Protection District!

As we spend time with our families today, please take a moment to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Wishing everyone a safe and meaningful Memorial Day.

05/19/2026

Congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Heston and Firefighter/Paramedic Nick Aguilar on successfully completing the IFSI BOF/ATF Blended Program.

Over the past 20 weeks, they dedicated countless hours to both classroom and hands-on training, demonstrating outstanding commitment, perseverance, and professionalism throughout the course.

Thank you both for your continued service and commitment to the communities we serve.

05/15/2026

Coal Valley Fire Protection District
103 West 18th Avenue
Coal Valley, IL 61240
Station Phone: (309) 799-5534

Date: May 14, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shortly before 7:08 PM on May 14, 2026, the Coal Valley Fire Protection District was dispatched to eastbound Interstate 74 near
Mile Marker 6 for a report of a commercial vehicle fire.

Crews arrived on scene in under seven minutes from the time of dispatch and found a fully involved semi-trailer fire. Firefighters immediately initiated an aggressive fire attack. Due to the trailer being heavily loaded with cardboard and HVAC materials, extinguishment efforts were prolonged and challenging.

An extensive overhaul operation was required to fully extinguish the fire. The semi-trailer was determined to be a complete loss. The tractor portion of the vehicle had been disconnected prior to the arrival of fire crews and did not sustain damage.

Coal Valley Fire Protection District personnel remained on scene for just over two hours.

Coal Valley crews were assisted on scene by the following agencies:
• Coyne Center Fire Protection District
• Blackhawk Fire Protection District
• Colona Fire Protection District
• Illinois State Police
• Rock Island County Sheriff's Office
• Cantrell's Towing
• Quad City Towing
• River Valley Disposal

There were no reported injuries to firefighters or civilians.

For any questions related to this incident please contact Chief David Dunham at (309-799-5534 Ext. 210).

05/11/2026

Station Construction Update

We are excited to share the continued progress on our station addition project. Over the past several weeks, the new bunk rooms as well as the new electrical room have been framed, and drywall installation has been completed.

Currently, we are hopeful to begin moving into the new bunk rooms sometime in early June.

If you have driven by or visited the station recently, you may have noticed a large amount of steel occupying a large portion of our parking lot. That steel will soon become the framework for the new building addition and we are anticipating the steel to be put up sometime this week.

We appreciate the continued support from our community and look forward to sharing more updates as construction progresses. Continue following our page for future updates!

05/02/2026

History was made at the Coal Valley Fire Protection District on Friday, May 1, 2026.

To provide some background, the district hired six full-time Firefighter/EMTs and Paramedics in late December 2018. At that time, personnel services were provided through Kurtz EMS. In March 2020, the district transitioned to Paramedic Services of Illinois, continuing to grow and strengthen staffing levels through contracted personnel over the years. These partnerships played an important role in enhancing emergency services and supporting numerous surrounding communities.

As part of its continued growth and commitment to the future, the Coal Valley Fire Protection District has made the decision to bring all personnel in-house. This means the district will now directly employ its members rather than partner with a contracted service.

On Friday, May 1, 2026, the district officially swore in 24 members, with two additional members set to be sworn in in the coming months. This marks a significant milestone in the history of the Coal Valley Fire Protection District and reflects the progress, dedication, and vision that continue to move the district forward.

As we begin this next chapter, we do so with pride and optimism.

We hope our founder, Hank DeVooght, is proud of what has been accomplished here today.

We want to take this moment to recognize the volunteer men and women who have walked through these doors and given countless hours in service to this community. Your dedication, sacrifice, and commitment will never be forgotten. Thank you.

We are sincerely grateful for the service and partnership provided by Kurtz EMS and Paramedic Services of Illinois throughout the years, and we look forward to what the future holds for the Coal Valley Fire Protection District.

04/29/2026

The Coal Valley Fire Protection District is proud to announce that Squad 24 has officially been delivered and placed into service.

On April 20, command staff traveled to Alexis for the final inspection of Squad 24 and were able to bring it home that same night. Since its arrival, personnel have been working diligently to place much needed equipment on the apparatus, radio installations have been completed, and training has been conducted to ensure smooth and efficient operations.

Squad 24 is built on a Ford F-550 four-door chassis and is equipped with a 300-gallon water tank, 1,500 GPM pump, vital extrication equipment, and full Advanced Life Support (ALS) capabilities.

Squad 24 will serve as a vital asset for the district moving forward and will be a frontline response vehicle, enhancing our ability to provide prompt, professional, and effective emergency services to the community.

We are excited to place Squad 24 into service and look forward to the many ways it will strengthen our operations and service to those we protect.

04/23/2026

🚒 Coal Fire Protection District – Apparatus Update- Air 24 edition 🚒

We are pleased to announce that our rescue/air truck modifications have been successfully completed.

This “new-to-us” unit, a 2009 Ford/Pierce rescue truck originally built for the Chenoa Fire Protection District, was purchased in November 2025. Since its acquisition, it has served as a temporary squad/rescue unit and in the role of Air 24.

The apparatus has recently returned from Alexis Fire Equipment and SCBAs Inc… following several significant upgrades designed to enhance its operational capabilities. These improvements include:

•Installation of a 6,000 PSI onboard cascade system
•Installation of a SCBA booster pump
•Addition of a rooftop light tower for improved scene lighting
•Upgraded LED emergency lights
•Installation of a 6500-Watt onboard generator
•Added firefighter decontamination equipment
•Installation of 2 additional storage coffins

With these enhancements, this truck and trailer are capable of filling approximately 100+ air cylinders, making it the largest onboard air filling system on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities.

We are proud to place this unit into service as the primary response vehicle for Air 24. The current Air 24 trailer will transition to a secondary response role.

These enhancements strengthen our ability to provide safe, effective, and reliable service to our community and surrounding areas. Air 24 proudly provides mutual aid and is always prepared to respond to surrounding agencies when requested.

04/18/2026

Congratulations to all involved!

We would like to extend a special recognition to our Air 24/Support Team members who successfully completed the class.

Congratulations to Justin C., Anna C., and Richard I. on this accomplishment. Your hard work is greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed!

Some of our Firefighters and Cadets are completing their final night of EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) class tonight! They have been going to class after work and/or after school 2 nights a week for the last 3 months. Special Thanks to Lead Instructor Capt Kait Meeker. CONGRATULATIONS BROTHERS AND SISTERS!