La Grange Park Fire History

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La Grange Park Fire History

History of the La Grange Park Illinois Fire Department. Established February 8th, 1900

09/11/2026

La Grange Park Fire Department sends their support to FDNY - 2001
FDNY lost 343 firemen on 9/11 which remains the largest single-incident loss of firefighters in world history

Poem written by LGPK Fireman Michael Czmil
"A Firefighters Tribute...

I knew not your name
or the smile on your face,
As you showed me your courage
in evils' place.
You put your life on the line
Until it ended your own,
With your memory in my heart
I will never feel alone.
As God reached out
And took your hand,
There was a sense of sadness
All across this land.
But from the twisted rubble
And piles of debris,
You will rise up a hero
In America's memory.
You are American,
You are my brother,
I have learned from your bravery
To love one another.

God bless your and your loved ones."

09/09/2026

126 years ago Today, the newly established La Grange Park Fire Department held its First Annual Picnic at Thiele's Grove and fought its first fire!

The Fire Department held Picnics annually during the early days well into the 1920s. Activities included Baseball, Fishing, Shooting, Knife Throwing, Candy Roulette, Grab Bags, Music, Food & Drinks including Soda, Ice Cream, Ci**rs. The first Picnic was significant as each member was awarded a share of $6 from the proceeds to purchase Class A Uniforms. Out of the 14 Original Firemen, Captain Wright and three others refused to participate and were not photographed in the Original Photograph.

Festivities were cut short when the volunteers were summoned by the Fire Bell to battle their first fire as an organized fire department! From the picnic, the men responded back to town, to Hoover's Barn at the corner of Richmond & Ashland Ave. Despite the outcome, the village paid the department $7.50 for their services rendered at the fire that day.

The Picnic Grove was on the South-West Corner of present day 22nd and La Grange Rd, Westchester. This property was owned by the Thiele family, who also owned and operated Fresh Meadows Golf Course, along with many other businesses in the Hillside/Westchester area.

09/08/2026

September 8th 1919, a petition was filed for the purpose of reestablishing the fire department signed by Chief Mesenbrink, H. Diedrichsen, Alfred Degener, Ed Bollnow, W. Meyer, H.C. Griffin, Ed Haase, Elmer Kemman, H. Meyer, and G.W. Gale.

It is believed the purpose of the reestablishment was due to lack of pay from the village. Between 1913 and 1918, the village had only been paying Marshal Mesenbrink and not the rest of the men. The establishment was passed and the department used the funding to purchase a new hose cart on December 1st, which the department still owns today!

Unfortunately, by mid-1920, the village again denied firemen salaries causing much rift between the village and fire company. The infighting eventually lead to Mesenbrink and the 8 other firemen striking several times. Mesenbrink even submitted his resignation in 1921 and Police Chief Otto Piltz was asked to take control in the meantime. Albert Mesenbrink would stay Chief though, till his death in 1923 when George Gale took charge and kept the department functional and the men paid into the future.

09/04/2026

Patrolman Robert E. Miller Badge 301
La Grange Park Police LODD
September 4th, 1960

66 years ago today, Patrolman Miller passed away three days after colliding with a vehicle on his Police Motorcycle at the corner of La Grange Rd & Oak Ave en route to a fire in town. The impact sent Miller off his motorcycle.

Robert Miller had served the La Grange Park Police department for seven years and left behind a wife and two kids. Robert was 34 years old.

After his death, La Grange Park named a skating pond "Miller's Pond" in his honor, which stood at the 1000 blk of Barnsdale Rd, the current site of the Water Works Reservoir. The Pond is pictured below.

09/02/2026

On this day in 1825, Johann Heinrich Friedrich Kemman was born in Germany. Upon immigrating to the United States in the 1850s, he changed his name to Henry Friedrich Kemman and settled in Proviso township as a Farmhand for Mr. Dieke, who later bought the farm land around him for Kemman, to prevent it being sold to Irishmen as both Dieke & Kemman were Germans. Soon after his death in 1883, Henry Kemman's son (Alphonso) took over the farm and helped establish the area into La Grange Park in 1892. Alphonso Kemman would go on to establish the Fire Department. The photograph of the first firemen in 1900 was taken in front of Henry Kemman's house and his barn was used to store the hose cart and fire equipment. Four of his grandchildren (Alphonso Jr., Elmer, Clarence, Herbert) also served, for a combined 92 years of service to the Department & Village from the Kemman family.

Henry Kemman Sept. 2 1825 - Oct. 19 1883
Pictured below are Henry's Grave site at Parkholm Cemetery, the farm outline with today's map, and photos of his estate.

09/01/2026

September Service Anniversaries of Retired and Honored Members

9/1951 - Assistant Chief Gordon "Mack" McKittrick, Badge 102 (Service: 1951 - 1976)
9/2/1965 - Firefighter/EMT John "Bud" Roderick, Badge 109 (Service: 1965 - 1983)
9/14/1980 - Deputy Chief/EMT Norman R. Rick, Badge 109/111/1202 (Service: 1980 - 2024)
9/11/1986 - Firefighter/EMT Michael Czmil, Badge 120 (Service: 1986 - 2016)
9/21/1989 - Firefighter/PM Steven Norvilas, Badge 122/1281/126 (Service: 1989 - 2023)

08/29/2026

August 29th, 1892; soon after the incorporation of the Village of La Grange park, the Village Board attempted to establish a Fire Department for the Village, recruiting La Grange Park Fire Company 1, which was ran out of the Kemman Farm Barn by volunteer farmhands and residents of the Village. This ordinance is the only record of such event but was omitted from the Village Records with no indication of any formation of a Village Fire Department until February 8th 1900. Documentation is very scarce of the existence of the Fire Company prior to 1900, but evidence suggest they operated as early as 1890, even prior to establishment of the Village itself.

08/28/2026

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of honoring Retired Firefighter Victor Martinka who visited the firehouse with his family and pinned his retirement badge on our Retired and Honored members wall. Victor served the village as a member of the Civil Defense 1963 - 1966 and then the Fire Department 1983 - 2002.

Thank you to Vic and family for coming out and for your service to the Village!

08/06/2026

Suburban Life
1960 Department Ladder drill

Don Anderson, Gil Welch, Emil Talla, Jim Strnad, Mick Koehler
1924 Reo Engine 321

08/03/2026

August Service Anniversaries of Retired and Honored Members

8/5/1955 - Honorary Member Loren "Turk" Edwards (Service: 1955 - 1962)
8/6/1959 - Firefighter James A. Campbell Sr., Badge 119 (Service: 1959 - 1985)
8/9/1984 - Firefighter/PM John Giannelli, Badge 121 (Service: 1984 - 2007)
8/16/1990 - Captain/EMT James Gruszka, Badge 124/1204 (Service: 1990 - 2022)

Address

447 N. Catherine Avenue
La Grange Park, IL
60526

Website

https://www.facebook.com/La-Grange-Park-Fire-History-112861737019765/

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