June 03, 2022
To the residents of Tuscarora Fire Protection District:
This communication is being posted for all residents of the district in an effort to keep the public informed about the status of the Tuscarora Fire Department.
Over the last decade, the volunteer fire service as a whole has seen a drastic decrease in volunteerism. During this same period, the overall workload (including training and regulatory requirements) for firefighters has increased. These factors have been detrimental to many communities. Our fire district is very small, formed out of an area that no fire department would cover during the 1960s, with very limited financial and personnel resources. A fully functional stand-alone fire department requires 10-15 active members who are dedicated to learning the needed skills, training regularly, and responding to emergency calls. In addition, our members have conducted many fundraisers throughout the years in order to supplement the tax revenue generated from our very small district. Since about 1999 our membership has steadily declined from about 15 active members to the current 3. Despite the efforts of our volunteers over the past 62 years, we are now at the point where we can no longer operate as a stand-alone department and deliver the service that the public deserves in a safe and reliable manner.
The last few years, steps were taken to provide necessary coverage for our district through an automatic aid agreement with Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District. For all emergency calls in our area, Timber-Hollis is dispatched to respond in addition to Tuscarora personnel.
The Board of Trustees, with guidance from legal counsel, started the process of preparing petitions to dissolve the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and allow its consolidation in the Timber Hollis Fire Protection District. Both the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and the Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District meet the requirements within the law and are contiguous with the proposed consolidated district.
In the next few weeks, the Tuscarora Fire Protection District Board of Trustees will be seeking signatures for the Petition for the Dissolution of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and its consolidation into the Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District. With enough signatures collected a final decision will be made by the residents regarding on dissolution of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District on the Fall 2022 ballot.
If you have any questions, please contact the Board of Trustees by email at jrendleman1@hotmail.com or attend a monthly meeting. The Board of Trustees of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Tuscarora fire station.
Respectfully,
The Tuscarora Fire Protection District Board of Trustees: Jay Zentko, President
Ryan Breedlove, Secretary
Jack Rendleman, Treasurer
To the residents of Tuscarora Fire Protection District:
This communication is being posted for all residents of the district in an effort to keep the public informed about the status of the Tuscarora Fire Department.
Over the last decade, the volunteer fire service as a whole has seen a drastic decrease in volunteerism. During this same period, the overall workload (including training and regulatory requirements) for firefighters has increased. These factors have been detrimental to many communities. Our fire district is very small, formed out of an area that no fire department would cover during the 1960s, with very limited financial and personnel resources. A fully functional stand-alone fire department requires 10-15 active members who are dedicated to learning the needed skills, training regularly, and responding to emergency calls. In addition, our members have conducted many fundraisers throughout the years in order to supplement the tax revenue generated from our very small district. Since about 1999 our membership has steadily declined from about 15 active members to the current 3. Despite the efforts of our volunteers over the past 62 years, we are now at the point where we can no longer operate as a stand-alone department and deliver the service that the public deserves in a safe and reliable manner.
The last few years, steps were taken to provide necessary coverage for our district through an automatic aid agreement with Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District. For all emergency calls in our area, Timber-Hollis is dispatched to respond in addition to Tuscarora personnel.
The Board of Trustees, with guidance from legal counsel, started the process of preparing petitions to dissolve the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and allow its consolidation in the Timber Hollis Fire Protection District. Both the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and the Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District meet the requirements within the law and are contiguous with the proposed consolidated district.
In the next few weeks, the Tuscarora Fire Protection District Board of Trustees will be seeking signatures for the Petition for the Dissolution of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District and its consolidation into the Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District. With enough signatures collected a final decision will be made by the residents regarding on dissolution of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District on the Fall 2022 ballot.
If you have any questions, please contact the Board of Trustees by email at jrendleman1@hotmail.com or attend a monthly meeting. The Board of Trustees of the Tuscarora Fire Protection District meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Tuscarora fire station.
Respectfully,
The Tuscarora Fire Protection District Board of Trustees: Jay Zentko, President
Ryan Breedlove, Secretary
Jack Rendleman, Treasurer
Tuscarora Fire Department is located just south of Bartonville, Illinois in rural Peoria County. We provide fire, rescue, and EMS services with an ISO rating of 4. Our volunteers attend training weekly on Wednesday nights at our station. Within Peoria County, we are active members of MABAS Division 36 in which we have a standing agreement to assist all other MABAS fire departments. We are dispatched through Peoria County's enhanced-911 system located in downtown Peoria, IL.
