Realizing the dire need for the town’s own personnel, the Palos Heights Community Club appointed a committee to develop a fire brigade and purchased the first pieces of equipment – a siren and a Model A Ford modified for fire fighting.  Bartlett Realty donated a storage barn which developed into the town’s first Fire Station.  As there was no tax structure to support the venture, residents were obliged to donate 2 dollars yearly to maintain operations, with building, training, and other department maintenance conducted exclusively by volunteers and community members.  Early editorials in the Palos Regional often lament some families’ lack of donation: “Last year, only eight people in Palos Heights failed to pay dues…According to rules of the department, you are subject to a charge of $25 if you have to call the fire department and your dues are not paid.  Mail your check or money order TODAY.” (Palos Regional, 3/23/1950).

Eventually, volunteer financial contributions and fundraising were not enough to sustain the costs needed for state-of-the-art equipment and training, and the Fire Department incorporated as a district in 1956.  This gave the Fire Department the ability to raise money by taxes, and fire protection in Palos Heights became part of the public trust.  Since the new Fire Protection District was not strictly part of Palos Height’s municipal structure, its protection could extend to homes outside municipal boundaries. 

The Fire Protection District has grown since then to accommodate the growing community.  Following a fire that destroyed the Bartlett Fire Station, a new station was built in 1944 at 123rd and Harlem; this building also housed the library for a time.  In 1961, that building was razed and a new one constructed in the same location, currently Fire Station #1.  In 2004, the Fire Protection District opened a new facility at 13101 S. Ridgeland Ave.  While the days of a volunteer force have passed, today the Fire Protection District employs 19 full-time fire fighters and 3 part-time fire fighters.