Message from the Chief
Thank you for taking an interest in our organization and taking time to visit our website. I encourage you to check out our social media accounts where we share a lot of educational and community information.
Our Fire Protection District was formally organized in 1966 under authority of the voters. The foundation of organized fire protection in Minooka goes back to the late 1800’s. Some of that history can be viewed at our headquarters station where, in the lobby, we have one of two original hand pulled hose carts from the 1800’s. On the wall, you can view reprinted original fireman’s dance invitations from this same time period as well as some other pictures of the Village of Minooka from the 1900’s.
Minooka Fire Protection District is a growing organization, in a growing community. We protect 38 square miles of a constantly developing area, 40 miles southwest of Chicago. We are a combination fire protection district comprised of career firefighters, part-time firefighters, paid-per-call firefighters, fire cadets, and civilian staff. We are responding to approximately 2,800 calls for service with this number increasing each year. We respond to a wide variety of incidents including medical, providing advanced life support ambulance; fires, and specialized rescue that includes water, high angle, confined space and trench, and structural collapse.
Our organization continues to advance in our service to the community. We plan ahead to staff to proper levels of personnel to meet the demand and we are regularly looking years down the road in our development of fire stations, future locations of fire stations, our fire engines, ambulance and other apparatus. We utilize some of the most advanced technology for building information, dispatching, and patient care so that our citizens are receiving the best care and service in the industry. Our commitment to top notch fire protection is demonstrated in our ISO Class 1 Public Protection Class. Of the nearly 46,000 fire departments in the United States, only around 400 are currently Class 1 Departments. The Class 1 is made possible through the professional operations of fire suppression as well as our partners in dispatching, and public works for water supply.
A large part of our mission is prevention of fires. We have a very active fire prevention bureau that includes a full-time public educator and full-time fire inspector/investigator. Our bureau provides regular educational opportunities to all ages and includes fire extinguisher training, CPR, first aid, fire escape planning and other risk reduction programs. Our inspector regularly inspects businesses and commercial properties to maintain compliance with fire safety and life safety codes as well as safe business practices. We also make sure new developments and buildings comply with the fire and life safety code through a plan review process.
Our two stations are staffed 24/7/365 to respond to community emergencies. Our personnel are highly trained and skilled in their responsibilities and we work every day to provide “A Culture of Excellent Service”. All line firefighters are certified by the State of Illinois. Our paramedics and EMT’s are licensed by the State of Illinois and working within the medical system of Morris Hospital, under medical direction from a physician.
In 2025, the fire district placed in service a new level of leadership and management, battalion chiefs. The battalion chiefs are responsible for the daily supervision and operations of the shift, response coordination and readiness on each day. The battalion chief reports to the deputy chief of operations who reports to the fire chief. Our organization is governed by a five-member board of trustees who are members of the community responsible for establishing policy and ordinances, and establishing revenue and budget for the fire district. A board of three fire commissioners, also members of the community, are responsible for the processes related to hiring and discipline for career firefighters.
As a growing department, we are regularly hiring personnel. If you are interested in the fire service as a career, continue to check back to our website on the careers page and see what employment classification we are hiring. Career firefighters are required to go through a written and physical examination in order to be placed on a list of applicants eligible for hire. All firefighters, part-time and full-time must be in good physical condition to safely and effectively perform the requirements of the job.
Again, thank you for stopping by and taking a few minutes to read about our fire district. If you are exploring our website for the purpose of applying, moving to the area, or considering building or developing a business, I think you will find this website very informative but if you do not find it here, give us a call.
Sincerely,
Al Yancey, Jr, Fire Chief