TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. – An all-volunteer fire district in Tazewell County is planning to cease operations in the next few weeks.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Northern Tazewell Fire Protection District says it cannot provide the service needed to effectively protect residents in its district. The post cites declining volunteer numbers, increasing requirements to serve, and rising costs.
Because of that, Northern Tazewell is planning to no longer respond to calls on May 1st, and have Washington or East Peoria respond to high risk calls.
Currently, the department states that it only has one person who is able to respond to calls consistently during the daytime.
Financially, the department says that its revenue increases by about 3% each year, but the cost of training, equipment purchases, and maintenance of its vehicles and buildings exceeds the 3%. In addition, state grants for training have been canceled, which the department says has increased its training costs by as much as 200%.
A public meeting on the fire department’s future could occur with enough public interest.
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