New Lenox Fire District history

Posted on

Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com:

After nearly 70 years, the Krohn brothers still haven’t settled who was the first to join the New Lenox Fire Department. But on Wednesday, they came together at Fire Station 1, bringing with them a piece of local history.

In February 1939, the brothers were just grade schoolers in Orland Park when they saw smoke in the distance. Soon after, their mother arrived and told them their home had been destroyed.

The family moved to Cedar Road in New Lenox, and soon after, they began helping out at the fire station. When a call came in, volunteers would rush to the station by siren. Dale remembered working at Otto’s Garage and rushing on his bike to activate the siren, calling others to grab equipment.

During their time volunteering, burning barns and grass fires along the Rock Island Line were common calls. Gene served from 1948 to 1975, Dale from 1950 to 1964, Wade from 1952 to 1964, and Glen started in 1960 and continues as a fire trustee today.

“Back then, there was a rack with raincoats that all fit size 48 and boots that were all size 12,” Gene said. “I could even put slippers in those boots and they still fit.”

Glen worked alongside Dale at Otto’s Garage, while Wade worked at the hardware store next door. Gene worked during the day at Caterpillar in Joliet but had a dedicated fire line at home for 20 years to handle night emergencies.

Each brother has countless stories about life in the firehouse—some dangerous, some funny. Glen once used a swimming pool to draw water for a house fire. Wade remembered letting a barn burn because the truck kept sliding on icy roads.

Dale never forgot a fire so intense it melted the lights on the fire truck. And Gene might not be here today if Ike Moore, known as “Mr. Five-By-Five,” hadn’t pulled him and another firefighter out of a burning farmhouse basement.

For the Krohns, volunteering wasn’t just about duty—it was about giving back. “After our fire, we had nothing left,” Dale said. “We all followed the same idea: help someone who needed help.”

At the end of their meeting, Gene presented Glen with a special gift—a replica of the original red light from New Lenox’s first fire truck, a 1941 Ford with a pump in front. Glen handed it over to Chief Steve Engledow.

“It still works,” Engledow said, smiling. “There’s a lot of history here.”

Thanks Dan

Plastic Auxiliary Machinery

Plastic auxiliary machinery is a series of equipment specially designed and produced to support primary processing in the plastic manufacturing industry. These auxiliary machines play an important role in improving the efficiency, precision control and quality control of each production link. The key components of plastic auxiliary machinery include granulators for recycling waste plastics, dryers for removing moisture from raw materials, feeding systems for accurate metering of materials, cutting systems for cutting preservation, etc.
In addition, plastic auxiliary machinery includes coolers for cooling processes, mold temperature controllers for maintaining consistent mold temperatures, and automation systems that integrate all these components to simplify operations. By optimizing these processes, auxiliary machinery can help manufacturers reduce waste, improve product quality, increase automation levels and efficiency, and ensure average output, which plays an important role in the sustainable development of plastic machinery manufacturing.

Vacuum Calibration Tank,Extrusion Calibration Tank,Pipe Calibration Tank

Zhangjiagang Polestar Machinery Co.,Ltd , https://www.polestarpm.com