Fire Station Named After Former Homer Township Chief After 53 Years Of Service

HOMER GLEN, IL — Last month, the Homer Township Fire Protection District honored one of its longtime members by naming its Fire Station 1 after him as he retires from serving on the fire board.

The newly dedicated station is now called the Kenneth Fijan Fire Station .

Chief Dave Bricker said Fijan joined the District in August 1973 as a volunteer firefighter.

"Ken has been a part of many changes over the years, from the all-volunteer staff to seeing it progress to a part-time staff and then full-time staff," Bricker said.

Over the next five decades, Fijan served as a firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, captain, fire inspector and as fire chief. He also served as a trustee on the fire district's board and is retiring after 53 years of service.

"Ken loved his time here and was instrumental in hiring and training many of the current members and members of many other local departments that got their start here at Homer," Bricker said.

In addition to the newly-renamed fire station, Fijan has also been given the title of Fire Chief Emeritus.

The Ken Fijan Fire Station is located at 16050 S. Cedar Road. It was first built in 1959.

"The station has seen many renovations and additions over the years and Ken was here to see them all," Bricker said. "There have been many times where Ken was called upon to seek out information on what may have been behind an old wall or in a ceiling."

Ken's daughter, Amy Medina, also shared with Patch that her dad's legacy is a multi-generational one. Amy's grandfather, Frank Morris, and her great-uncle, Bernie, were two of the founders of the Homer Township volunteer fire department.

She said her dad's legacy is also continuing into another generation, as her son recently graduated from paramedic school.

"Having a firehouse dedicated in someone’s honor is an incredible and very rare recognition," Medina shared with Patch. "It is a testament not only to my dad’s dedication, but also to the generations of our family who have devoted their lives to the fire service."