Spring Grove Elementary Schools hosted it's 1st National Bike to School Day May 16th.  It was a huge success with over 60 kids participating plus Fire Chief Richard Tobiasz.  Check the Village of Spring Grove's website for more photos!

     Click Here for:     Village of Spring Grove Photo Archives

Illinois is vulnerable to brush fires during periods of dry weather and high winds. Most brush fires are directly caused by humans, often by negligence. They pose a tremendous risk because they can occur in areas where traditional firefighting equipment cannot be used and trained wildland firefighter's must travel on foot, carrying their equipment.

"When it is necessary to burn brush from falling tree limbs or tree trimming, make sure the brush is piled in a safe location. Embers may flare up, and float in the air. They may land on buildings or vehicles if you do not chose a safe location.

Pile the brush close to a water access, such as a garden hose, creek or stream. If the fire starts to get out of control you can quickly douse it with water by either squirting it from the hose or pouring buckets of water around the perimeter and Call 911!

If the area you are burning in is extremely dry, it is advisable to wet the perimeter down before you begin burning the brush. Do not make a huge pile, especially if there are not enough people to assist you. Start burning the brush in a small pile and add more as it burns down. Burn the brush pile on a day where no winds are predicted. Wind can fan the fire, allowing it to get out of control. The wind may also lift larger pieces of brush and carry them to other areas where they will start a fire.

Use caution when lighting the brush pile. Make sure the pile is dry, and place a few pieces of crumpled paper around it, and light the paper. The paper will slowly ignite the dry brush. Never use anything combustible such as gas or lighter fluid, as this will flare up, and will possibly burn you as you attempt to light the brush pile." (ehow.com)

Always check for a Fire Weather Watch (means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur) before burning.  This can be done through the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov.  Or call the Spring Grove Fire Protection District at (815) 675-2450 to check if burning conditions are within McHenry County's Burning Ordinance.

Summary of McHenry County's Burning Ordinance:
*The Village of Spring Grove enforces the McHenry County's Health Department's Burning Ordinance*

Click Here for a copy of McHenry County's Complete Burning Ordinance.

Engine 1844

Last Summer, the Spring Grove Fire Protection District replaced Tanker 1879 and Engine 1844 (Picture right) with a new Pumper/Tanker 1844.

Tanker 1879 was sold to the Village of Spring Grove for public works to use to water parks and fields.pan>

After reducing the asking price several times for Engine 1844, an offer was made.  Last Tuesday, the Board of Trustees approved the sale of Engine 1844 to the Avant Fire Department, Oklahoma.

Avant is a small community with a population of 372 according to the 2000 Census.  Their volunteer fire department covers approximately XXX sq miles, much of which is reservation.  The department relys on fundraisers and donations to operate.  Their current fleet consists of trucks that are designed for fighting brush fires, not structural fires.  Engine 1844 is the first piece of apparatus that this fire department has purchased.

Also donated to the Avant Fire Department was several hundred feet of 1-1/2" hose, fire extinguishers, nozzles, a hose reel, and several other piece of equipment worth approximately $4,000.

To see Engine 1844 in it's new community, please click on the link for video from Fox 23 News in Oklahoma.