Middletown Fire Protection District celebrates 60th Anniversary

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[March 26, 2015]  MIDDLETOWN - Saturday was a perfect spring day - a great day to open the bay doors at the Middletown Fire House and welcome guests for a 60th Anniversary. The facility and apparatus were all in tip-top shape to celebrate with an open house.

Located at the furthest southwest corner of Logan County, the Middletown Fire Protection District serves a 36 square mile area of Logan and east central Menard Counties. The MFPD provides fire protection service, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and comes to the aid of nearby departments throughout both counties.

The Middletown Fire and Rescue Team operates under the power of a dozen volunteer firefighters. Four, soon to be five, members are also qualified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).

MFPD officers Chief Josh Gasparini, Assistant Chief Scott Schriber and Captain Cody Peddicord each hold advanced training in fire and field service medical qualifications, with one officer nearing completion of fire inspector training.

The department not only responds to fire calls, but like most fire departments today, approximately 80 percent or more of its calls are medical related.

As such, Chief Gasparini said that the dedicated volunteers train twice a month; once for fire, the other time is for medical. Plus, one or two times a year, the department goes for special fire fighting training at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Many of the firemen also train independently with other departments, such as Tazewell, whenever they can. They are always interested in improving and pick up things while training with the other departments, Gasparini said.

Assistant Chief Schriber said, "We are a small department, but we have the most up-to-date equipment, and we train all the time on different things."

The department is proud of their average response time. Volunteers come from all over the area to the station when there is a call. From pager to the time the truck leaves the station is 8 minutes. "Our guys are proud of what we've got and how we do it," Chief Gasparini said.

The department is also proud to be part of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. When called, they are ready to go to other communities and they are willing to share manpower or equipment resources as needed. During the big Oasis fire in Lincoln, Middletown took over the city of Lincoln's station calls.

Assistant Chief Scott Schriber and Firefighter Severan Landstrom said that the Polaris all-terrain vehicle is a great asset that is available to other communities if needed through mutual aid. Its small size and trax wheels make it able to go where most other vehicles would get stuck. It can be handy for hauling supplies when conditions are muddy, steep, into brush or small areas that a normal vehicle can't reach. The Polaris is loaded on a flatbed and ready to go when and where needed.

In addition to observing the MFPD anniversary, it was a good time to observe another tradition. Engine No. 5181, a 2007 American LaFrance Liberty, was purchased last fall, but had not yet received its ceremonial induction into the firehouse.

Recalling days of horse drawn engines, when returning to the firehouse the horses would be unyoked, the equipment wiped clean and pushed back into the bay.

Today, the ceremony calls for hosing down the engine and then everyone grabs a towel and wipes it down. Special guest and former chief Harry Boward's wife, Esther, was quick to lead polishing the chrome siren up front. Everyone, including the littlest ones, who are the future of fire and rescue, grabbed a rag and wiped, and with many hands at work the task was completed quickly.

Then, while a firefighter drove, the crew pushed the engine back into its designated spot in the bay.

The decision to purchase the LaFrance took over a year to make, but since getting the engine, there has been no doubt that it was a good choice for the department.

No. 5181 capabilities replaced two trucks and the cab allows two more passengers for four persons to occupy the engine, a big benefit. It features 750 gallon water capacity and 10 gallons foam with a 1500 gal per hour Hale pump.

No. 5181 is now the lead vehicle responding to medical, mutual aid, motor vehicle accidents and investigations.

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The Department's fire apparatus is rounded out with three other vehicles. No. 5180 (yellow) is a structure fire engine that can carry 2,500 gal water and pump 2,000 gal per min at 80 to 100 lbs pressure with 1. 5 to 2.5 inch hoses. Two other vehicles complete the fleet: a tender (water tanker) and a brush truck.

Many of those who came out on Saturday have long and deep ties to fire service. Fire and medical rescue interests run through families from generation to generation. One of those special families present on this day was the Boward's. Esther Boward's husband Harry was Middletown's Fire Chief for many years.



Years later, her son Harry Dean would also become the Middletown Fire Chief. Esther remembers many nights that her son would call at hours like 3 a.m. and ask her to come stay with the kids, they were needed in the field, and understanding she would gladly go promptly.

The gals in the Boward family, her granddaughters and now a great granddaughter continue in tradition training in medical fields including nursing.

Serving as Middletown Fire Protection District Trustees are president, John Tibbs; secretary, Jeff Dorgan, and its treasurer is Jim Graff.

Middletown Fire Department Officers, years of service and qualifications:

  • Chief Josh Gasparini
    Member of the District since 2006
    State Certified Firefighter II and EMT-B
     
  • Assistant Chief Scott Schriber
    Member of the District since 2007
    State Certified Firefighter II and EMT-B
     
  • Captain Cody Peddicord
    Member of the District since 2006
    State Certified Firefighter II and EMT-B

Firefighters:

  • Firefighter Bret Tripplett
    Member of the District Since 2002
    State Certified Firefighter II and EMT-B
     
  • Firefighter Zach Gasparini
    Member of the District Since 2006
     
  • Firefighter Shaun Skelton
    Member of the District Since 2011
     
  • Safety Firefighter Travis Fletcher
    Member of the District Since 2011
     
  • Firefighter Severan Landstrom
    Member of the District Since 2012
    State Certified EMT-B
     
  • Firefighter Kiefer Willis
    Member of the District Since 2012
     
  • Firefighter Craig Brannan
    Member of the District Since 2014
     
  • Probationary Firefighter Darron Stapleton
    Member of the District Since 2014
     
  • Probationary Firefighter Brandon Leonard
    Member of the District Since 2014
     
  • Probationary EMT B Theresa Unger
    Member of the District Since 2014

The MFPD is proud of its volunteers that mean so much to the community and is interested in continuing to train additional firefighters and EMS technicians to serve the Middletown community.

[Jan Youngquist]

 

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