About
District
The Hinckley Fire District is located in Southern DeKalb County, in north-central Illinois. It protects about 2,600 citizens, residing in approximately 64 square miles, including all of Squaw Grove Township, most of the southern half of Pierce Township and the Village of Hinckley. We respond to an average of 300 emergency calls per year, with about 240 those being requests for an ambulance (2021).
Emergency calls that are made to 911 are answered by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, who then handles dispatching personnel and equipment.
The Hinckley Fire District is a separate entity from the Village of Hinckley. It is governed by a Board of Trustees who oversee all aspects of the operation. These trustees, are appointed by the county board and are assigned roles of President, Treasurer, and Secretary
Personnel
The Department consists of one part-time Chief, and nearly 30 members consisting of "Paid-on-Call" firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics, and cadets. There is not necessarily anyone on-duty at the station at any given time, but there is always an ambulance crew available 24/7 to respond.. Members carry a pager with them at all times, and are alerted to an emergency just moments after dispatch receives a 911 call.
Many of the members that are on the department are residents of Hinckley. While some people who join may have a background in Firefighting or EMS, many of our members are trained by HFD. Training consists of weekly in-house training or department sponsored classes that allow members the opportunity to get industry recognized certifications and licenses like Basic Operations Firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, and Paramedic.
If you or someone you know might be interested in helping out in the community or becoming a full-time firefighter, we encourage you to inquire about becoming a member! Navigate to the "Volunteer" page linked above.
Mutual Aid
The District is a member of Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 6 and affiliated with Division 13.
MABAS assists departments in creating a mutual aid response system for all types of incidents ranging from structure fires, to hazmat or mass casualty EMS incidents. Response plans are created to ensure that departments have enough manpower and equipment to properly deal with emergency incidents and to minimize damage to life and property. The pre-plans also ensure that all statewide districts are protected with sufficient manpower and equipment.
Insurance Service Office Rating
We hold an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of 5 in the Village limits, and 9 in the surrounding rural area.
The ISO score is provided to fire departments and districts and reflects how prepared a community is for fires and other incidents. The ISO rating of nearby fire departments is often referred to when insurance premiums are determined. The rating consists of fire department health (roster, training, maintenance), water supply, emergency communications systems, and community risk reduction.
Freedom of Information Act
It is policy of the Hinckley Fire Protection District to fully comply with the Illinois Freedom of Information, also known as FOIA.
Persons seeking information under this act need to know the following information:
- All requests must be made in writing
- FOIA requests may be submitted by mail, fax, or email. All contact information can be found on the "Contact Us" page of this website.
- There is no form required to make a request under this act, however, in order to process requests, basic information is required. Information that must be included is requestors name, mailing address, phone number, format which a response is requested (i.e. paper, electronic)
- All requests will be responded to within 5 business days, in accordance with the law.
