Mokena Fire Department Celebrates 100th Anniversary

MOKENA, IL -- It has been 100 years since the Mokena Fire Department was first established and the village is planning an extended celebration to mark the milestone.

Every year the village of Mokena has what Fire Chief Howard Stephens calls a “community-based celebration” for the Fourth of July and this year that celebration will mark the milestone the fire department is celebrating with events and games that will immediately follow the holiday parade.

The Mokena Fire Department has grown in connection with the growth of the village. When it was first organized, it only had 30 members and firefighters needed to use a 300-foot hose to respond to fires. The original hose cart is still in existence today at Mokena Fire Protection District Station #1.

Over the years, the department grew from volunteer only to having a paid staff. But while many things have changed since a century ago, Stephens says one thing has remained consistent. That’s the close relationship the department has with the community.

“No matter where we go we are always greeted with smiling faces,” Stephens said. “We don’t get to see residents at the best times of their lives but we try to help as much as we can and do good things for the community.”

The department now has 34 full-time firefighters and an administrative staff. At one point the department did not even have a fire station, but now there are three.
Stephens, who has been fire chief since 2012 and has been with the department for 26 years, says the last quarter of a century have brought about the sharpest changes.

“The community was much smaller back then,” he said. “The department is more ambulance based now.”

In addition to the post-4th of July parade celebration that will include face-painting and other family friendly activities, the department’s celebration will include several visits to area schools, the selling of 100th anniversary T-shirts and a Christmas ornament marking the milestone.

“All of these are good ways to memorialize the 100th anniversary,” Stephens said.

It all begins from 1-4 p.m. on July 4 with a balloon artist, Skittles the Clown, a magic show and reptile show in front of the Metra lot in Mokena.

Mokena Fire Chiefs Through The Years

Herman Schweser 1923 – 1946
Barney Hostert 1946 – 1956
Arthur Hostert 1956 – 1959
Carol Roberts 1959 – 1962
Robert Rust 1962 – 1971
Frederick Rauch 1971 – 1979
Delbert Yunker 1979 – 1991
Ted Golden 1991 – 2012
Howard Stephens 2012 - present

Image provided