Lena Fire

Truck Check Night

Monday, January 16, 2012 - It has been a while. We appoligize!. We have completed our transfer to a new computer and have made it a New Year's Resolution to keep the website updated more frequently.

Tonight was truck check night. We completed our usual truck inspections and also held our annual officer elections meeting. During our truck check we had our fifth call of the year, responding to a car fire. Luckily, the fire was extinguished before Lena Fire arrived.

Thus far in 2012, we have had a total of five calls. The most recent calls coming the morning of January 13th when Lena Fire was paged for a mutual aid call with Winslow Fire for a chimney fire. Lena Fire responded with an engine, tanker, aerial truck, and man power.

During our mutual aid call with Winslow Fire, we received another call for a car accident on Highway 20. Lena Fire called for mutual aid with Pearl City Fire and responded with 3901.

Below you will find pictures of Lena Fire in action from the past few month, including some extrication training pictures.

Stay safe everybody!

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New Recruits

Sunday, July 31, 2011 - Congratulations to our new probationary firemen. Pictured from left to right are: Chad White, Kevin Weaver, Nick Werhane, and Matt Strong.

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Flood Waters from July 26th Storms

Thursday, July 27, 2011 - Here are some pictures of the flood waters in the surrounding area and near Pearl City caused by the July 26th thunderstorms.

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Busy Summer

Monday, July 18, 2011 - It's been an eventful June and July! Lena Fire responded to several car accidents in the past two months in locations on Highway 20, Manny Road, and at Lake Le-Aqua-Na. Lena Fire was very busy during the morning of July 9th when it responded to a structure fire at 118 E. Railroad Street. Lena fire was dispatched at 3:15 a.m. and battled the fire until roughly 11:00 a.m. with the help of area departments including Pearl City FD, McConnell FD, Cedarville FD, Winsow FD, Freeport Rural FD, Orangeville FD, Stockton FD, Leamon's Ambulance, Stephenson County Sheriff's Reserve, Lena Police, and the Village of Lena Water and Street Departments. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Lena Fire has also assisted in numerous landing zones for Lifeline Helicopter, false alarms at Kolb Cheese, and mutual aid calls with Leamon's Ambulance. We have also been staying busy lately training with our aerial truck; pictures on our training page. Lena Fire helped the Jaycees Mud Volleyball again this year by hauling and pumping several thousands of gallons of water to its location on Lake Road. Also on July 15 the Red Cross held a blood drive at the station. Thanks to those who participated! Lena Fire also participated in the flying of the Patriot Flag on July 8th with the Freeport Fire Department at All Veterans Memorial Park in Freeport.

Lena Fire held a supper on July 18th for its current members, honary members, and newest members. All the members enjoyed socializing, eating, and playing recreational games. A moment of silence was held in honor of past member Melvin Thrasher who passed away in June. Thanks to all those who could make it.

Stay Safe Everybody!

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We're Back Online!

Sunday, April 3, 2011 - Sorry it has been such a long time! We have had a busy schedule and have been working through computer issues. Check back often as we will be updating the website more frequently. Below are some pictures of Lena Fire in action from the past few months.

Now that Spring is here, please make sure you are burning responsibly. Avoid burning on windy days and super dry conditions. Also, coming up on April 15, there will be a Stroke Detector Drive at the Lena Fire Station from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive at the fire station on April 29th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Stay Safe Everybody!

**Lena Fire will be testing its tornado siren on the morning of Tuesday, April 5.**

***Lena Fire is now accepting applications for volunteer fireman willing to dedicate their time to keeping our community safe. Stop by the Fire Station to pick up an application.***

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July Update

Monday, July 19, 2010 - Many things have happened since our last update. Lena Fire has been busy with a few structure fires, accidents, and a few false alarms. During June Lena Fire responded to set up a landing zone for Stockton Ambulance, had a smoke investigation west of town, a CO alarm on Foxnoll Drive, and two false alarms at Kolb Cheese. Lena Fire also responded to two minor car accidents in June as well.

Thus far in July, Lena Fire has responded to three car accidents, none which involved serious injury. Lena Fire did have a busy day on July 6th as they responded to two structure fires on Schlegel Road, one of which was a large barn. Providing mutual aid to the large barn fire were area fire departments from Pearl City, McConnel, and Freeport Rural. Twenty Lena Firemen responded to the fires.

Lena Fire has been busy this summer training and preparing their new Platform Ladder Truck 3951. Chief Strong, Lt. Stamm, and Fireman D. Shultz brought home our ladder truck from Long Beach, New York in early June. The truck should be in service shortly.

***Our training page has been updated. Click the Training link to the left to view pictures of our recent training nights. Also we have added a page on Facebook. Please check out our page and like!***

Below are some pictures of the structure fires Lena Fire responded to on July 6th and our new ladder truck. Thank you to Larry Nelson who provided some of those pictures.

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Eventful April

Sunday, May 16, 2010 - April was a busy month for Lena Fire. A house fire on Cedarville Road, a Semi vs. SUV accident on Highway 20, and a mock DUI accident with the Lena-Winslow High School were among the the events keeping us busy. There was a minor shed fire, a rollover accident with minor injuries, and a few false alarms thrown in the mix as well.

On April 20th, Lena Fire was about to start its monthly meeting, but took on a four hour house fire on Cedarville Road instead. At 7:33 p.m. we were toned out for a garage fire, but upon arrival of Engine 3901, the garage fire had spread into the house. Cedarville and McConnel Fire Departments were quickly called in for mutual aid. Freeport Rural Fire Department was later called to standby at another station. Thank you to all fire departments who responded!

Two days after working the house fire on Cedarville Road, Lena Fire was toned out shortly before 4:00 a.m. for an S.U.V. vs. Semi with three occupants still inside the S.U.V. Upon arrival, all three occupants managed to get out of the vehicle. Two were immediately treated by Leamon's Ambulance, while the other occupant fled the scene. Lena Fire spent quite some time assisting the Stephenson County Sherrif's Department searching for the last occupant before going back into service shortly after 7:30 a.m.

Lena Fire partnered with Leamon's Ambulance, Lena Police, Stephenson County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police, and Lifeline to demonstrate a mock D.U.I. accident for the students at Lena Winslow High School on April 27th. Thank you to all who helped get the message out to our students before prom weekend.

Below are some pictures of Lena Fire in action. Thank you to Bill Rosemeier Photography for providing some of the our pictures to us. Stay Safe!

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Quiet

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - As of today, Lena Fire has had 13 total calls in 2010. The largest of these calls involved a house fire south of town. Lena Fire also responded with mutual aid to a few area fire departments in January and February.

It is that time of year when many of us are burning off the dead grass. Please make sure you are burning on non-windy days, and when the vegetation is not extremely dry.

There will be a Blood Drive at the station on May 14th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please come if you are able to donate!

With not much else to say, below are some pictures of the house fire south of town in January, courtesy of Larry Nelson and the Shopper's Guide.

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Slow start to 2010

Sunday, January 17, 2010 - We're halfway through January and Lena Fire has yet to receive an alarm. However we are finding other ways to keep busy around the station. On December 12, Lena Fire hosted Breakfast with Santa. Over 300 people attended to make a great turnout. On December 13, Lena Fire had its annual Christmas Dinner which also had a tremendous turnout of current and honary firemen. Firemen Brad Cox and his wife Meghan welcomed their first baby boy on November 20, 2009 at 8:16 a.m. Brody Collin Cox weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Lena Fire will be holding an American Red Cross blood drive on Friday, January 22 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the fire station. Sponsers include the Lena American Legion, Knights of Columbus, the Lena Fire Deparment, and the Masonic Lodge.

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Busy Week for the Lena Fire Department

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - Lena Fire was quite busy in the past few days. The fire department responded to a grain bin fire four different times at the same location just off of Cedarville Road. Lena Fire also responded to a suspected grain bin fire west of town. Fortunately, after a short investigation no fire was found. Lena Fire also responded to two separate vehicle accidents. The first of these happened near McConnel and Flansburg Roads. The second accident involved three vehicles at the intersection of Highway 20 and Route 73 on Saturday evening. Minor injuries were reported at both accidents.

November, overall, had several other alarms. The Lena Fire Department responded to two vehicle fires this month. One fire was near Eleroy involving a semi tire; the other car fire was on Route 20 east of Galena Road. Lena Fire also responded to a devestating house fire south of town. Four other area fire departments were paged out to assist in putting out the fire. There was also a false alarm thrown in the mix too bringing the total number of calls this year to 99.

Lena Fire was also fortunate to bring in the Lena Winslow Boys Football team throughout their playoff run. It was great to see the community come together to support such a fantastic group of kids. Congratulations to both, the football and volleyball teams, on the great seasons. Good Luck to all the winter sports teams!

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Not Much Going On

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - It has been pretty quiet around the station lately. September and October together had a total of 10 alarms, reluctantly, most being minor; however, there was a small basement fire that did involve some damage. On October 6th, Lena Fire was called out to Pinhook Road to extinguish the small fire which originated from a dehumidifier in the basement. Upon arival the fire was mostly put out by the home owner. A picture below shows where the dehumidifier sat.

Other than responding to a few calls, the Lena Fire Department led the Lena Lion's Fall Festival Parade, and also hosted water fights after the parade. Some members of the Lena Fire Department made a trip out to the Lena School District on Fire Prevention Week to provide education to students. Lena fire also provided a fire extiguisher fill on October 10th at the station. The annual Lena Firemen's Dance was held on October 10th as well. Thank you to all those who donated to our cause.

With fire season just around the corner, please make sure you check the batteries in your smoke detectors, and go over a plan of escape with your family. Lena Fire would also like to wish good luck to the High School Boys' and Girls' Sports Teams as they begin their play in the post season! Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

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Car vs. Semi

Monday, August 17, 2009 - Lena Fire was dispatched to an accident around 7:15 a.m. Friday, August 14 involving a car and semi. Units arrived at the scene near Route 20 and Crossroads to find one patient needing extrication from the car. Nearly 25 minutes later, Lena Fire had the occupant of the car removed to be transported by the Lifeline Helicopter.

Lena Fire also responded to two calls Sunday, August 16th. Around 10:00 a.m. Lena Fire assisted Leamon's Ambulance in carring a patient to their rig. Later that day Lena Fire was called to a house fire in the very west end of the fire district. Upon arriving little smoke was visible from the structure. It was quickly extinguished by the Lena Fire Department. Thankfully the fire was contained to just one room. After the overhaul operation was completed, Lena Fire packed up and returned to the station.

Congratulations to Lena Fire's newest members who were voted in at Monday's monthly meeting. Those firemen passing their one year probation period include: Mark Blakely, Cody Haas, Matt Klien, John Raab, and Jason Schultz.

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Handful of Accidents Lately

Monday, August 3, 2009 - Lena Fire was enjoying a slow July up until the end of the month when they were called to a string of vehicle accidents. On July 19th around 12:45 a.m. Lena Fire responded to a one vehicle accident at Stagecoach Road and Waddams Grove road. Extrication was needed to remove two passengers from a heavily damaged car. On Friday July 24th Lena Fire responded to a two car accident at the intersection of Galena and Cedarville roads. The Lena Fire Department also responded to two motorcycle accidents, one near Mound Round and Route 20, the other in the vicinity of Galena Road and Crossroads. A helicopter was needed to transport patients for both motorcycle accidents. Also on July 28th, Lena Fire responded to extinguish a tractor fire in Eleroy.

In other news, several Lena Firemen have reason to celebrate lately. Fireman Brad Cox and his wife, Meghan, found out they will be expecting a baby boy in November. Fireman Brett Anderson and his wife, Becky, had their first child, Adelynn Bree Anderson, on July 2nd, 2009. She weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 20.7 inches long. Fireman Mark Blakely and his wife, Jessica, tied the knot on July 18th and celebrated with a trip around town in the old white 1941 pumper truck. Also, Fireman Troy Confer welcomed his two new twin grandsons, Nathan and Andrew, on Monday July 27th. Current and Honorary firemen got together on Monday, July 20th to share stories, eat, and play cards. Coming up on August 14th through the 16th, several Lena Firemen will be attending Monroe Fire School learning new techniques and information in several different fields.

July 19th Accident Brett Anderson's Baby Girl - Adelynn Bree Anderson     Mark & Jessica Blakely's Wedding Troy Confer's Twin Grandsons - Andrew & Nathan Bertram

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Motorcycle Accident near Waddams Grove

Monday, June 15, 2009 - Lena Fire responded to a motorcycle accident involving two victims yesterday afternoon around 3:48 p.m. on Galena Road a few miles west of town. The first responding unit was on scene within four minutes of being dispatched. Sadly there was one fatality as a result of this accident, while another patient was flown to a hospital on MedFlight. Leamon's Ambulance and the Stephenson County Sheriff's Department also responded to the call. Lena Fire was back in service around 5:30 p.m. Below is a short video of the MedFlight helicopter landing behind the Lena Elementary School.

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Busy Start in June

Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Lena Fire has been busy lately with several calls. The latest of those calls was a mutual aid call with the Shannon Fire Department. Lena Fire was dispatched to respond with a tanker and ladder truck late Friday night for a house fire on West Loran Road, southeast of Pearl City. Below is a picture and video of our ladder truck in action. Lena Fire was one of several other fire departments who responded to the call.

Also earlier in the week, Lena Fire reponded to a mutual aid call with the Cedarville Fire Department for a Barn Fire. Lena Fire has also reponded to a few general alarms at Kolb cheese in the past two weeks, which were thankfully false alarms. Last Sunday, Lena Fire reponded to a motorcycle accident near Waddams Grove with minor injuries. The Sunday before that, Lena Fire responded to a 2 vehicle accident on Route 20 near Roughing It which also included minor injuries.

Lena Fire has also been busy lately with non-emergency business including: welcoming the boys and girls state track team medalists home, a weekend of training with elite fireman from Chicago and Orlando, and conducting a controlled burn near Eleroy. Pictures and videos of these events will be uploaded to our training page within the next week.

Lena Fire would also like to congratulate Fireman John Raab, his wife Amanda, and their family on thier new addition. Cooper Raab was born in April 2009.

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Single Motorcycle Accident

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - Around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday evening Lena Fire received a call for a motorcycle accident on Route 20 east of Lena. The Lena Fire Department arrived on scene with Leamon's Ambulance and immediately called for Lifeline Helicopter to transport the patient. Also aiding with the scene was the Lena Police Department, Stephenson County deputies, and the Illinois State Police. Lena Fire was back in service shortly after 11:00 p.m.

Earlier in the week, Lena Fire responded to a lawn mower fire near a structure, and a roll over accident north of town on Route 73 near Torkelson Cheese. Be sure to check out our training page soon as it will be updated with recent practices and drills Lena Fire has had.

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3901 Sees Its' First House Fire

Sunday, April 26, 2009 - At 9:36 p.m. the Lena Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire on Route 20 west of town. Upon arrival no fire was visible from the outside of the house. It was quickly determined that the fire originated from an electrical source in the basement. Smoke was soon showing after the first truck arrived. Crews were sent into the basement to extinguish the fire. Another crew was sent in the main and second floors to search for any hot spots. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the department spent quite some time making sure the fire was completely put out between the walls. Most contents inside were saved. After an hour and half, Lena Fire packed up and went back in service.

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One Vehicle Accident Near Waddams

Sunday, April 26, 2009 - Around 7:11 a.m. Lena Fire recieved a call to respond to the top of Waddam's Hill for a single vehicle accident. Truck 3901 was the first to arrive on scene, followed by 3941 & 3972. The car was approximately 100 ft. off the roadway. Lena Fire removed the single passenger of the car and Leamon's Ambulance transported the patient.

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Accident on Route 20

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - Lena Fire was called to an accident on Highway 20 around 1:00 p.m. No one was injured in the accident. Lena Fire aided in traffic control and scene clean up. Lena Fire was back in service within a half hour of being dispatched. Route 20 was reduced to one lane for several hours after the accident occured.

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One Car Accident on Route 20

Sunday, April 19, 2009 - Around 7:15 Sunday morning, nine hours after the Lena Fire Department was called out for a smell of natural gas the night before, Lena Fire was called to an accident with injury on Route 20 east of Lena. After arriving on scene, the lone occupant of the car was outside of the vehicle. No extrication was needed. After assisting Leamons Ambulance load up the passenger, Lena Fire went back in service. Nineteen firemen responded to the call.

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Quiet Lately After Busy March

Saturday, April 11, 2009 - Lena Fire has been pretty quiet lately, which is a good thing. We did have a small grass fire last week. Most of the action around here has been training, especially with our new Pierce Rescue Pumper. At our last training night, the department celebrated Chief Chris Klaas' 50th Birthday.

Lena Fire would like to thank Larry Nelson and the Shopper's Guide for featuring an article on our new truck in a recent addition.

Staying Busy with 5th Grass Fire of the Week

Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Lena Fire was dispatched to a field near Mound Road Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Units were on scene within five minutes. The fire took no longer than ten minutes to extinguish. Trucks 3941, 3961, 3962, 3971, and 3972 all responded to the call. A total of 23 fireman responded to either the scene or to the fire station. Lena Fire was back in service at 3:05.

2 Calls for One Day - Vehicle Fire & Field Fire

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - LFD was dispatched to a car fire in the parking lot of Lena Bed & Biscuit at 1:38 p.m. Units 3901, 3941, and 3972 responded to the call. The fire was extinguished using approximately 750 gallons of water. Lena fire was back in service at 2:10 p.m. Lena Fire was called out again this afternoon at 4:30 to put out a field fire on West Fisher Road. Firefighters battled the fire for nearly an hour and a half. Winslow Fire Department was called for mutual aid. Sixteen fireman from Lena Fire responded. Trucks 3941, 3961, 3962, 3971, and 3972 responded. Lena Fire was back in service by 6:15 p.m.

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2 Vehicle Accident

Monday, March 16, 2009 - At approximately 2:00 p.m. Lena Fire responded to a two vehicle accident at U.S. Route 20 and Illinois 73. Immediately responders stablized a van with two occupants inside. Spreaders were used to open driver side door and firefighters assisted Leamon's Ambulance with removal of injured occupants who were transported to the hospital. Trucks 3901, 3941, and 3972 responded to the scene. Lena Fire was back in service at 2:50 p.m.

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Field Fire

Sunday, March 15, 2009 - Around 1:53 p.m. early Sunday afternoon, Lena Fire was called to put out a field fire on Waddams Grove Road. Upon arrival a large portion of the field was on fire. The ground was too soggy for grass trucks, so about 13 firefighters snuffed the fire with swatters. The fire was controlled within a half hour. Trucks responding to the call included: 3941, 3961, 3962, 3971, and 3972. Lena Fire was back in service at 2:46 p.m.

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One Vehicle Accident - Truck vs. Utility Pole

Sunday, March 8, 2009 - At approximately 5:21 a.m. Lena Fire was dispatched to North Shippee Road for a 10-50 unknown injury, car vs. utility pole for its first call of March 2009. Truck 3901 responded first and was on scene at 5:29 a.m. Upon arrival we met with Lena Squad who informed us that the occupants had fled the scene. The pick up truck had extensive front-end damage. Truck 3941 also responded to the scene. Lena Fire was back in service by 5:48 a.m.

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