Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com: It’s hard to believe that 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 kids in Orland Park when they saw smoke in the distance. Soon after, their mom arrived and told them their house was gone. The family moved to Cedar Road in New Lenox, and soon they started helping out at the fire station. When a call came in, volunteers would rush to the station by siren. Dale remembers working at Otto’s Garage and rushing to his bike whenever the alarm went off. “I’d pedal over to Church Street, set off the siren, and the guys would come get the gear,†he said. The brothers became regulars at the station, with Gene serving from 1948 to 1975, Dale from 1950 to 1964, Wade from 1952 to 1964, and Glen starting in 1960 and still serving today as a fire trustee. “Back then, every raincoat was a size 48 and every boot was a size 12,†Gene recalled. “I could even slip a pair of slippers into those boots.†Glen worked alongside Dale at Otto’s Garage, while Wade helped out at the hardware store next door. Gene worked the day shift at Caterpillar in Joliet but had a dedicated phone line at home for emergency calls during the night. Each brother has countless stories—some dangerous, some funny—that fill up a whole newspaper. Glen once used a swimming pool to draw water for a house fire. Wade remembered one time when a barn had to burn because the truck kept sliding on icy roads. Dale still remembers a fire so intense it melted the lights on the fire truck. And Gene owes his life to Ike Moore, known as “Mr. Five-By-Five,†who pulled him and another firefighter out of a burning farmhouse basement. When asked why they joined, Dale said, “After our fire, we had nothing left. We just wanted to help.†Gene added, “We all followed the same idea: if someone needs help, you give it.†At the end of their meeting, Gene gave Glen a special gift—a replica of the original red light from New Lenox’s first fire truck, a 1941 Ford with a pump on the front. Glen presented it to Chief Steve Engledow, who said, “Looks like it still works. There’s a lot of history here.†Thanks, Dan Key Bar Steel,Steel Rod,Stainless Steel Bar,Bar Steel Huaibei Zhonglian Steel Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.zlxgsteel.com