McHenry County Blog

McHenry County Strike Team lined up in rotation during our water supply operation.

When I heard that Illinois fire departments were helping put out the fire in Burlington, Wisconsin, I figured some would be from our area.  (Here’s the Chicago Tribune article.)

Burlington is one of the places where my father used to get his newspaper, The Star Reporter, printed.  I made the trip a couple of times.

I reached out to some local fire protection districts to find out local involvement.

It turns out that seven McHenry County departments provided assistance.

Richmond’s Chief Rick Gallas was kind enough to provide the details:

“MABAS Division 5 responded to an inter divisional task force request made by MABAS DIVISION 102 for a Tender Strike Team.

“We were alerted at 4:50 am this morning.

“Richmond sent a Chief as the strike team leader, Harvard sent a Battalion Chief, and water tenders were sent by

• McHenry
• Huntley
• Woodstock
• Cary 
• Marengo

“Our strike team was put to work as “A” Division water supply at 6:30 AM.

A WMAQ-TV aerial view of some of the fire equipment marshaled to fight the Burlington, Wisconsin, fire at Echo Lake Farms Produce Company.

“Our strike team was demobilized approximately at 10:15 AM.

“I was back in Richmond by 11:00 AM.”

The Woodstock Fire Protection District station near Woodstock North High School.

Some of McHenry County’s Fire Protection Districts are at the maximum rate allowed by law.

Fox River Grove’s Fire Protection District is close. It will only be allowed a 2.3% increase next year, instead of the 3% the Property Tax Cap would allow if it were further under the 40 cents per $100 of assessed valuation statutory limit.

Among those beneath their statutory tax rate are the following:

• Algonquin-Lake in the Hills
• Barrington Countryside
• Cary
• Fox Lake
• Harvard
• Hebron-Alden
• Huntley
• Marengo
• McHenry
• Nunda Rural
• Spring Grove
• Union
• Wauconda
• Wonder Lake
• Woodstock

With the expected 9% overall cut in real estate assessments, those tax districts at or near their maximum rates will see even more problems maintaining the amount of tax revenue they have grown to expect.