New Joliet Fire Engine Honors Teen Who Died In Fall

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Fire Department has found a way to keep the memory alive of a Joliet teenager, Michael Sterr, who wanted to become a firefighter one day, but died in a tragic fall at Starved Rock State Park in the spring of 2006.

The boy's father, Jeff Sterr, is the city's director of the Neighborhood Services Division. He had a critical role in securing the necessary funding to pay for the city's new custom-designed pumper engine assigned to downtown's Station 1.

Station 1 is regarded as one of the city's busiest fire stations, along with Station 5 and Station 6.

New Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey told Joliet Patch the city's new engine cost $605,000.

Fortunately, Joliet's Neighborhood Services director had obtained a $455,000 community block grant in recent years. Jeff Sterr chose to designate his grant money to help Joliet's Fire Department. The grant had several restrictions, however.

For starters, the block grant could only be used to purchase fire apparatus in an area of the community that is deemed low-income, Blaskey explained.

Secondly, the money could not be used for buying ambulances.

Downtown, Joliet's Station 1 had a major equipment need on its hands.

The city's pumper at Station 1 was aging. It's been in service since 1996, Blaskey said.

So, for the past year, Florida's emergency services manufacturing company, E-One, built Joliet's new fire engine at its plant in Ocala. The manufacturers were instructed to design and paint a special logo on the front of the new fire engine.

"This is the first time we've done this," Blaskey told Joliet Patch during Tuesday's interview.

The green shamrock on the front of Engine 1 reads "MJFS."

Those are the full initials for Michael Francis Jordan Sterr. He was 14 when he died.

"He had an infectious smile. He was just full of good. He was sweet and kind and his friends loved him. My arms ache because I can't have him," his mother told The Chicago Tribune for an article published May 1, 2006.

The fire department did not notify the Sterr family in advance that the special logo was being made.

That was kept a secret.

Just last week, the Joliet Fire Department put its new engine 1 into regular service.

"Jeff came out before we put it out in service," Blaskey said. "And he was very appreciative. It was a surprise. We never told him this was something we were going to do."

Blaskey said the Joliet Fire Department felt the green shamrock with Michael Sterr's initials was the best way to honor the memory of a Joliet teenager who wanted to grow up and become a firefighter, but never had the chance.

Secondly, Michael Sterr's father was willing to provide the Joliet Fire Department with a $455,000 block grant designated for his office at City Hall.

Jeff Sterr's gesture defrayed 75 percent of the new fire engine's costs, Blaskey added.

"His son had an interest in the fire service, and this was also a thank you to Jeff for granting us that money and allowing this engine to be in service," Blaskey said. "The costs of these vehicles is just unbelievable."