The Hillsdale Fire Protection District Fire Department is a volunteer Fire Department. The Department was established in 1943 with a force of fourteen men. George Oliver served as the first Fire Chief and also donated the first fire truck, a 1936 Chevrolet. The truck was housed at 104 2nd Street in Hillsdale at the home of Carroll Holly. This residence acted as the Fire Station until 1951 when the Fire Protection District bought a building at 411 Main St., Hillsdale. The original fifteen volunteer firemen that served the Hillsdale Fire Protection District were:
- George Oliver (Chief)
- Ted Lockhart
- Cliff Oney
- Carroll Holly
- Rodney Dillin
- Bob Nicholson
- Buell Young
- Bill Cain
- Larry Elliott
- Leonard Fillmer (1952-1971), Fire Chief from 1958-1971
- Louie Fillmer
- Maurice Lannoo
- Loren Ropp
- William "Bill" Nicholson
- Ralph Buckley
In 1968 the Fire Department purchased a new fire truck, a 1968 Chevrolet tanker and pumper at a cost of $13,000. The prior truck, a 1949 tanker was traded in during the purchase. Leonard Fillmer was the Fire Chief at the time and Ralph Sell was the Assistant Chief. Other Fire Board members included Carroll Holly, Louis Fillmer and Ralph Buckley.
The following persons have also served and since retired from the Fire Protection District's volunteer Fire Department:
- Leon "Butch" Heinsen
- Burton "Skip" Dillin (1968-1988)
- Dale Schultze (1970-1989)
- Robert "Bobby" Day
- Lex Gober
- Francis Pearsall
- Lantz Ropp
- Martin Ropp
- William "Bill" Phillips
- Douglas "Doug" Smith
- Kenneth "Kenny" Dwinnels
- Ralph Sheldon
- Richard "Dick" Sheldon
- William "Bill" Sheldon
- Larry Weimer
- Donald "Donny" Heinsen
- James "Jim" LeCleir
- Leslie "Les" Oney
- Al Judas
- Richard "Rick" McConnell
- James "Jim" Salens
- John Parks
- LLoyd Foster Jr.
- James "Jim" Larvenz
- Leonard Schnowske
- Paul "Bull" Tanner
- Laurence "Larry" Hayden
- Jerry Fox
- Becky Hayden
- Mike Haggard
- Scott "Sparky" Fuller
- Pam Neels
- Hank Neels
- Linda Vroman
- Chuck Jellis
- Dawn Oney
- Gary Wilkie
- Dale Dillin
- Fred Howard
- Charles Foles
- Dave Minge
- Chad Seams
- Dennis Smith
Each year the Fire Protection District recognizes firemen for outstanding service. The 2006 Award Winners are:
- Left: Shawn Sproston, EMS award winner
- Center: JD Snowden, Firefighter of the year
- Right: Kevin LeCleir, Officer of the year
Awards were presented at the annual Christmas Banquet on December 2, 2006.
Rick Mitton is the current Fire Chief for the Hillsdale Fire Protection District.
Paul "Wally" Dillin - Wally started his tour with the Fire Department in June of 1965. Wally has held several positions on the fire department including Firefighter, EMT, Assistant Chief, Chief (1970-1974) and is currently the President of the Board of Trustees and Assistant Chief.
Todd Nicholson has been a firefighter since 1975 excluding several short absences. Todd has held the positions of Firefighter, EMT, and was a Lieutenant for a period of time.
Brad Mullen started with the Hillsdale Fire Protection District in the summer of 2003. Brad was given the 'Firefighter of the Year' award in 2004 for his outstanding service to the Fire District.
Kristin Snowden fell in love with firefighting at a young age when she sat in the radio room as a child when her father (Wally Dillin) was on fire calls. Kristin joined the Department on her 18th birthday in 1993 and has since gotten her First Responder Certification, Fire Fighter II Certification, and is a certified SCUBA Diver. Kristen has also taken HazMat Awareness training. Kristen describes her experience with the Hillsdale Fire Protection District as a "challenging and rewarding experience".
If you have corrections or additions regarding the Hillsdale Fire Protection District's members, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@villageofhillsdale.com
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