History

As River Forest began to grow after the incorporation of the Village, fires were frequent and more often than not, very destructive. This was a time when most structures were made of wood, were lighted by kerosene lamps or gas lamps that had open flames and were often still heated with fireplaces. Many homes also had barns which were filled with hay and other easily ignitable items. In one short span of time there were several serious fires, including three barns on Thatcher Ave., the O’Keefe home and the Jackson home on Thatcher Ave., the Broughton home on Keystone Ave., and a disastrous fire involving the Standard Oil tanks.

It was apparent that something had to be done to provide the early residents with fire protection services. On September 7, 1893, Village President Jacob Cost and the Board of Trustees enacted Ordinance #300 creating the Office of Fire Marshal or as the position became known as later, Fire Chief. This ordinance, along with creating the position of Fire Marshal, authorized him to organize a Volunteer Fire Company. And so the rich and storied history of the River Forest Fire Department began.

Henry Struble was appointed the first Fire Marshal in September of 1893. In following with the newly penned Ordinance, Chief Struble appointed Leonard C. Moore as Assistant Chief and then recruited 21 additional residents to serve as firefighters. They were: Hoyt Barber, George Bitting, W.E. Boyce, H.D. Chambers, C.C. Collins, Al Fairhead, D.L. Humphreyville, Will Morrison, James Pake, M.K. Parke, Harry E. Parker, Harry T. Richards, Edward Scharenberg, Leslie Stafford, Lewis C. Stafford, H.M. Thompson, William C. Walsh Jr., Adolph Westphal, R.L. White, John J. Wolf, and Peter E. Wolf. Assistant Chief Leonard Moore took over as Fire Chief in 1894 and served in that position until 1904. The men were given 50¢ per month as compensation. In addition to this princely salary, they received $1.00 for each fire that they responded to.

In 1893 the fire department equipment consisted of a hose cart with 600 feet of fire hose. The cart was pushed along by the men and the hose would be connected to the nearest fire hydrant, thereby providing water with which to battle the fire. As there was no firehouse at the time, the hose cart and other equipment belonging to the Fire Department was in the possession of the Fire Chief. Among his chiefly duties was the responsibility to keep all of the equipment "…in good condition and repair for the immediate use when required…" Ever the vigilant guardians of the public good, the Village Board also required the Fire Chief to be bonded in the amount of $200, no small sum in 1893! A siren on the Water Works Building would be activated to call the Firefighters to gather. As fire was the most feared enemy of the early villagers, false alarms were looked upon far more seriously than today. In one incident where a young lad falsely reported a fire as a prank, the youth’s father was fined $16.50 to recover the costs of the false alarm. The amount of the fire is equivalent to $600 in today’s dollars.

Prior to 1892, residents had to rely upon available water sources, which included animal watering troughs, rain barrels and any other standing water that might have been available, to fight fires. In June of 1892 the Village built the modern (for the times) Water Works building on Central Avenue, at the railroad embankment west of Park Ave. This was accompanied by a water distribution system of cast iron water pipes ranging in size from 12 inches to four inches in diameter. The design of the distribution system is still used today, with larger feeder mains running along the main artery streets like Lake Street and Madison Street, and smaller branch and auxiliary mains running to homes. With this distribution system a water supply was made available for each lot on the street and to the 89 hydrants which were located in prescribed locations throughout the Village. In 1894 the Village entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Harlem (Forest Park) that might be the first official form of Fire Department Mutual Aid between the Villages. This Ordinance called for the water mains in Harlem to be connected to the water mains in River Forest, with a valve located on Madison Street that could be opened whenever there was a need for additional water to fight a fire.

In 1897 John Matthews and his brother Will Matthews opened a grocery store at the southwest corner of Lake St and Thatcher Ave. The store was later moved to a larger building that was erected by David A. Thatcher on the southeast corner. From the beginning, both Matthews brothers were active in the community and both were drawn to the Fire Department. By 1898 both John and Will Matthews were members of the Volunteer Fire Company. In an interesting turn of events, by joining the fire department ranks, John Matthews was introduced to Miss Elizabeth Fairhead. She was the sister of Al Fairhead, one of Matthews’ fellow firemen. John and Elizabeth were married in 1898. Some time after 1898, John and Will Matthews volunteered to house the hose wagon and fire equipment in the garage section of their store at Thatcher and Lake. Their store acted as the defacto fire station until 1910.

In 1904 Edward Scharenberg was appointed Fire Chief and served until 1906. In 1905 the Fire Department manpower was reduced to twelve men including the Fire Chief. Although the manpower was reduced, the equipment and wagons were updated. Under Scharenberg’s tenure, the Village purchased a new ladder truck. This "truck" was actually a horse-drawn cart that was custom made to hold all of the ladders that the Fire Department owned. It was the companion vehicle to the horse-drawn hose cart that was already in service.

John Matthews succeeded Scharenberg in 1907. John Matthews’ Fire Department career spans over 40 years. Although his career was long and he rose to the position of Fire Chief, it was not without controversy. After his initial appointment to Fire Chief in 1907, he was replaced in 1918. He was again appointed Chief in 1928, only to be replaced again in 1929. After a yet another hiatus, he was again appointed Chief in 1931 and served until his retirement in 1938.

In 1910 a new Village Hall building was erected on the lot at the northwest corner of Park Ave. and Central Ave. At that time, the existing frame structure was moved to the adjacent lot to the north and converted into the fire station. The second floor was converted into an apartment for use by the Fire Chief. Chief Matthews was the first to occupy the apartment. The building also served as the police station until the police moved into the new Village Hall building in 1922. In 1915 the Village purchased a 1915 Packard motor-driven fire truck, a motor driven vehicle specially designed and manufactured for firefighting.

In 1918 Herman Schoff was appointed as Fire Chief replacing Matthews. Schoff was recently retired as the Fire Chief in neighboring Oak Park. As he had done in Oak Park, he was responsible for retiring the old horse-drawn fire engines. In 1919, the Village purchased an American LaFrance

Pumper to augment its first motorized fire truck. Chief Schoff was also the first "full-time" chief who was salaried. Previous chiefs received a small annual stipend, but were still considered to be volunteers. Their only benefit being the use of the apartment over the fire station. As a "professional" Chief Schoff methodically changed the Fire Department into an organized unit of trained men, always seeking to better the department with the use of "new-fangled" equipment. In addition to modernizing the department with motorized vehicles, Chief Schoff also lobbied the Village for a Fire Department two-way radio. However, due to the fact that no funds ($125) had been budgeted for such equipment, he met stiff resistance. Not to be deterred, Chief Schoff found a resident who agreed to provide the Fire Department with a radio at no cost. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Frederick Lowrey of 530 Franklin, the Fire Department had it first two-way radio.

During the early days, the firefighters had to pay to belong to the River Forest Volunteer Fire Department. Dues were $1.00 per month. It was also customary that whenever a fire occurred and the Fire Department responded to extinguish the fire, that the resident would donate $20-$25 to the "Firemen’s Fund." This practice remains to this day, albeit with the residents donating cookies and pastries rather than cash! To raise additional funds, the Fire Department joined with the Police Department to hold an annual Benefit Dance and "Bunco" Party. The proceeds of which were divided between the departments. The Fire Department logbook entry for February 20, 1924 reports that a Dance and Bunco Party was held at the Firehouse on February 11, 1924. 2,303 tickets were sold, generating $1,151.25 in revenue. Total expenses were $136.65 which left $1,014.60 in profit. Using classic firefighter logic, it was decided that because the party was held in the Firehouse and the firefighters did all the work, that the first $500 in profit would be split 60/40 with 60% going to the Fire Department and 40% going to the Police. The remaining $514.60 was split 50/50. What is most quizzical is how they got 2,302 people in the firehouse! Especially given the fact that the party was held in February, precluding the possibility of having tables set up outdoors. Eventually, due to the number of people who attended the annual functions, the party was moved to the Lido Theater in nearby Maywood where attendees were treated to a movie and a vaudeville skit.

The Fire Department treasury paid for various expenses, such as refreshments during monthly meetings and odds-and-ends the firefighters needed. (Such as the installation of the above-mentioned radio. The assumption being that Village funds were not budgeted…..) In 1925 a tornado swept through Murphysboro, IL (near Carbondale). In a gesture of goodwill, the Fire Department sent a $150 donation to Murphysboro Fire Department. In addition to the day-to-day expenses, the treasury funds were also used to pay the membership dues for every firefighter to belong to the Illinois Firemen’s Association. One of the benefits of joining this association was that the firefighters were eligible to purchase life insurance.

In 1923, with the number of serious fires on the rise, Chief Schoff finally persuaded the Village Board to hire full time firefighters. In 1923 the Village Board decided to have a "paid" Fire Department. In May of 1923 the Village approved an Appropriation Ordinance that provided for two paid firefighters in addition to the paid Fire Chief. The firefighters were paid $150 per month. These firefighters worked a 24 hour shift then received 24 hours off. This 24 on – 24 off shift was the normal shift for a River Forest Firefighter until the mid-fifties. In August of that year, the Village increased the staff again by hiring one firefighter to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week! In June of 1924, yet another paid position was added to the Fire Department. That brought the number of paid positions to five. By 1929 the Chief earned $2,800 and the four paid firefighters earned approximately $1,800 each (approximately $30,000 and $20,000 in today’s dollars). Considering the fact that the Great Depression was just underway, these salaries were not to be scoffed at.

It is interesting to note that although the number of emergency responses is only a fraction of what we respond to today, the number of fires that the department responded to was significantly more that today. An annual report for the calendar year 1928 shows that there were 30 structure fires, which caused an estimated fire loss of $4,660. These totals do not account for 15 vehicle fires, 15 grass fires, and 6 rubbish fires.

On May 31, 1928, Chief Herman Schoff retired from the force. On June 1, 1928, after serving as Assistant Chief under Herman Schoff, John Matthews was appointed Fire Chief for the second time in his career. (In June of 1923 former Chief John Matthews was called out of retirement to re-join the Fire Department to replace Howard Wheeler who had resigned when he moved to California.) The paid staff consisted of Chief John Matthews, Lt. Alfred Zay, FF Otto E. Malm, FF Fred Janisch and FF Arthur Milchofer. Chief Matthew’s service as Fire Chief for the second time was to short lived however. The following May, Village President Shaw refused to re-appoint Matthews as Chief and appointed Wesley Trebass as Chief. This petty political squabble got more than a few lines in the Forest Leaves. In a May, 1929 issue of the Forest Leaves, Matthews is quoted as saying; "I was appointed Chief a year ago and have received no intimation that my work was unsatisfactory. One morning I came to work and found another man in my place." Upon asking Shaw why he had made the change, Shaw simply indicated that he decided to make a change. "If my services were not wanted, I should have had a chance to resign" Matthews complained.

Rumors of the time suggest that there were two incidents that might have been factors in Shaw’s decision to replace Matthews. There was a fire incident on the south side of the village where the River Forest firemen failed to hook onto the nearest fire hydrant and the Forest Park Fire Department, seeing the mistake, hooked to a nearer hydrant and put out the fire. "It wasn’t my fault," Matthews was reported as saying, "as I was home in bed recuperating from the effects of an earlier accident that I had with the fire truck." The second incident involved a fire call to a house on Ashland Avenue on the north side of the Village. The firemen responded to an incorrect address on the south side of town and the delay in responding to the correct address caused severe damage. Matthews claimed "…that the police gave us the wrong address. I was not responsible for the delay."

Wesley Trebass had a long service with the department going back to 1919. Trebass owned a garage that was located at Ashland and Lake St. He rose through the ranks and served as Assistant Chief for four years. In May of 1929, as a result of the political difficulties that visited John Matthews, Trebass was appointed Fire Chief. Trebass’ tenure was not without political trouble though. In 1930 the Fire Department took delivery of a new Ahrends-Fox fire truck, a state of the art pumper. The Rolls-Royce of fire trucks, it was the envy of all firefighters with lesser vehicles. There was only one problem. Chief Trebass contracted to purchase the new fire engine for $16,000, an amount that was more that the Village Board had budgeted for. Within months, Chief Trebass was replaced by his former boss, John Matthews. Yet another political casualty, Trebass elected to retire from the Fire Department rather than serve in a lesser capacity.

In October of 1930, Fireman Otto Malm passed away suddenly and the vacancy was filled by Edward Doering. At that time the Department still consisted of 5 paid men and an additional 7 volunteers. These "volunteers" were paid $1.50 for each call that they responded to. In an interesting, but poignant turn of events, Ed Doering became the antithesis to taking a public safety job for the security of a lifelong pension. Doering was a River Forest Firefighter from 1930 until 1951, which entitled him to a full pension. In 1951, even though he was eligible for a full pension, he elected to resign from the department and requested a full refund of his contributions to the pension fund during his 21 years of service. Despite the recommendations of his fellow firefighters, Doering received a refund of approximately $1,200 which he planned on investing in a "can’t miss" endeavor in California. In less than three years, his venture failed and he returned to the River Forest area flat broke. As he had given up his pension, he was reduced to taking odd jobs and lived with his daughter. In 1974 he showed up at the fire station seeking anyone that he might have worked with who would recognize him. He explained that he was destitute and needed a place to stay. Feeling sorry for him, the firefighters allowed him to stay for several days and included him in their meals. After several days, a collection was taken up and Doering was sent away with enough money to see him through for a short time. That was the last time anyone in the department heard from or about Edward Doering.

In 1931 John Matthews was appointed Fire Chief for the third time in his long career with the River Forest Fire Department. He served without further incident until his retirement in 1938.

In 1933 the department responded to a large fire in town. As it does today, such an event drew a sizable crowd. However, in this case, much to the Firefighters chagrin, they witnessed the crowd setting up folding chairs and laying blankets on the ground as if preparing to watch a show or sporting event. Chief Matthews was determined to change the public’s attitude toward the seriousness of fires and how they affected the victims long after the firemen and the crowds had gone away. In 1934 the department began to conduct house to house fire inspections and offered residents advice on how their buildings and possession could be protected. Fire Prevention programs were conducted in the school and children were offered "junior fire badges" for noting and reporting potential fire hazards. A Dalmatian dog was added to the staff and he accompanied the firefighters when they conducted their activities. There were open houses at the fire station. The local newspapers picked up on the program and began to follow the story. Later that year the Fire Department received national news coverage for their innovative methods on getting citizen involvement in their fire prevention programs.

In 1938 Alfred Zay was appointed Fire Chief. Zay had been a long-time volunteer member of the department, and in 1928 was one of the first paid firefighters. He was Lieutenant under both Trebass and Matthews. One of his accomplishments was that he helped to form the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. Today, the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association provides all of the Fire Chiefs in Illinois with a channel to network with their peers to improve the efficiency and elevate the status of the Fire Service. The IFCA has become one of the premier fire service organization in the country. It has developed an Education & Research Foundation which provides funds to conduct research for equipment and practices which further firefighter safety. In addition, the IFCA has founded the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance which is dedicated to educating the public about fire safety. The IFSA also funds an annual Burn Camp. This camp brings together children who suffered severe burns, so that they can participate in sporting events and other leisure activities with other children who share their scars and disfigurements. There are professional counselors on hand to provide whatever assistance might be needed to the children. This camp is completely funded by the Alliance and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

In 1940 the Firefighters were given a raise by the Village Board. Effective May 1, 1940 each Volunteer Fireman was given $2.50 per day for each day that they worked, with a maximum of 15 days per month. This was accomplished by setting up a loose schedule where each man was on duty every other day. In their case, "On-Duty" meant that they had to spend a prescribed time actually in the fire station. The requirement to spend a significant amount of time in the fire station was not as onerous as it may sound. You see, at the time, the fire station was more of a clubhouse than what it is today. The men had a pool table and a card table, both of which were well used. There were also frequent social gatherings held there.

In 1948 the Village decided to build a new Fire Station. The old wooden Fire Station was demolished to make room for a new three-bay station, complete with offices for the shift commander and the Fire Chief. The station also boasted a large kitchen, dayroom and bunk room. During the interim after the old station had been demolished and the new station was ready to move into, the Fire Department operations were conducted under a large circus tent that was set up on the lawn in the back of the Village Hall.

On March 23, 1953 the Fire Department personnel received some terrible news. Chief Alfred Zay was killed in an automobile crash while he was vacationing in Mexico. As a result of his untimely death, Lt. Herman Flohr was promoted to Fire Chief.

Chief Flohr was known for his flamboyant personality. A gregarious individual, he was formerly a "wing-walker" who performed stunts on the top wing of a bi-plane. In an interesting coincidence, one of the pilots that piloted the aircraft Flohr performed on was none other than Carl Soderlin, a River Forest Policeman, who later became Police Chief.

A volunteer Firefighter since 1931 Flohr joined the department as a paid member in April of 1938. His personality directly affected the operations of the Fire Department. Among his achievements during his tenure, Chief Flohr resurrected the Fire Prevention Bureau. Characteristic of his ways, he and the department charged ahead. "Herm" was a real showman. He arranged for grandiose public displays to draw attention to the Fire Department and to the Fire Prevention Bureau. In one display, he arranged for the firemen to conduct a "rescue" from the roof of the tallest structure in town. The crowd was amazed at the dexterity of the firefighters as they set up and climbed the aerial ladder and brought down their victim. They were also impressed by the composure of the victim who remained calm and tranquil while dangling high in the air in a rescue basket. It was only after their "victim" had reached the safety of the ground, that it was revealed that the victim was a dummy dressed up just for the demonstration. In yet another public display billed as "The Men From Mars," Herm arranged for a helicopter to land in the playground of each school in town. In the 1950’s the helicopter was a new contraption, which most residents had never seen before. While one firefighter would address the crowd of kids with an "auto-hailer" (bullhorn), another firefighter dressed in an aluminum fire suit would step out of the helicopter holding a CO2 fire extinguisher. He would discharge the extinguisher, causing a cloud of CO2 gas that would immediately dissipate. Having the full attention of the crowd, the firefighter with the bullhorn would talk to the kids about basic fire prevention. If the kids attention would begin to wane, the firefighter in the aluminum suit would shoot another cloud of CO2.

In 1969 Richard Luhman was appointed Fire Chief. A second-generation River Forest Firefighter, Luhman had joined the department as a paid firefighter in 1942, but his service as a volunteer stretched back to 1925. In 1970 the Department purchased a 1970 Mack Pumper. Chief Luhman was subjected to much scrutiny after this purchase, as it was alleged that the contract was not given to the low bidder, but rather to the highest bidder. Specifically, River Forest resident and owner of a local fire apparatus company, William Darley was particularly critical of the purchase. In fact Mr. Darley sent several letters to Village President Edward Schmidkke indicating that in addition to the contract not given to the low bidder, that the Mack bid did not meet the specifications. Chief Luhman was able to diffuse the situation, but for the next 30 years, every new pumper purchased by the River Forest Fire Department was manufactured by the W.S. Darley Company. Luhman served as Chief until his retirement in 1971. His accrued service as both volunteer and paid member of the RFFD totaled more than 46 years. A career span that has never been equaled by prior or subsequent members of the department.

Following Luhman’s retirement, Thomas Riley was appointed Fire Chief. Riley, who had joined the department in 1953, worked his way through the ranks. A visionary of sorts, Riley attempted to bring the Fire Department into the 20th Century. Rather than continue on with the traditional ways, Riley believed that firefighting had changed, and that his department needed to modernize. Among the changes that he instituted included the changeover to pre-connected hose lines. A practice that is all but taken for granted today, this was a major change in the firefighting operations of the day. Previously, whenever a hose line was needed, the firemen pulled off the required amount of hose, then connected one end to the discharge port on the pumper and put a nozzle on the other end, and finally advanced the hose into the building. The new method called for pre-connecting the hose to a built-in discharge port on the pumper and having a nozzle already attached to the other end. This hose was flaked across a hose bed that was the same width as the pumper body, allowing for it to be deployed from either side. The firemen could simply pull up on the fire building, grab the nozzle and pull the hose into the structure. The engineer needed only to open the water supply to the hose.

In an equally bold move, Riley convinced the Village Board that the ever-increasing calls for medical assistance required all personnel to be trained as Emergency Medical Technicians. Prior to 1970, the standard of care for sick or injured was relatively rudimentary. All firemen had basic training in first aid, but the "swoop & scoop" method was the method of choice. Essentially, the thought process was that if you became sick or injured, the faster that you could be transported to the hospital, the better. Deferring to the more modern medical practices espoused by emergency physicians, Riley instituted a policy that all personnel assigned to the ambulance must become Certified Emergency Medical Technicians. This certification involved comprehensive medical training required to be able to stabilize a patient before moving them. This required the EMT to have an extensive medical knowledge, far beyond the basic first aid. In 1974 Riley took the practice to the next level by sending several firefighters to be trained as Paramedics. The paramedic program fizzled out after 1976, most likely due to a combination of the Village not wanting to expend the funds needed for the program and the fact that Riley retired shortly after the first bunch of firefighters completed their paramedic training. In any case, Riley’s thinking was ahead of his time. In 1987 the Fire Department instituted a paramedic program and maintains a paramedic staff and ambulance to this day.