Waukegan Fire Department

Our Mission:

The Fire Department is created as an agency of the City by City Ordinance and is administrated by the Fire Chief, who is appointed by the Mayor, and such other members of the department as may be authorized from time to time.

Traditionally, the primary function of a city's fire department is to save lives and property from damage and destruction from fires. To this end, the City of Waukegan maintains five (5) active fire stations strategically located through the community, staffed by 110 professional fire fighters and civilian personnel.

The Fire Department provides a vast range of services, not only to the citizens of Waukegan, but also to the commercial and industrial occupancies doing business here. The employees of said businesses and the constant flow of people passing through town are also recipients of these services which include fire prevention, fire control and suppression, rescue, ambulance and paramedic coverage and public education. In satisfaction of these primary objectives the Department is assigned the following duties:

to extinguish accidental or destructive fires and to prevent the occurrence and spread of such fires;
to enforce all fire prevention regulations and all other ordinances and laws within the competence of the Department;
to provide for emergency medical and rescue service;
to review all building plans to ensure adherence to all fire prevention methods and procedures;
to provide public education regarding fire prevention methods and procedures;
to educate and train Fire Department personnel to efficiently perform in their areas of responsibility and prepare them to function in the next highest position;
to establish and annually review an Activity Schedule to assure maximum utilization of manpower and coverage for all necessary activities;
to provide safety equipment for Department personnel, which will assure adequate protection in all atmospheres and under all working conditions encountered
to develop good physical fitness of all personnel to adequately maintain apparatus, hose and equipment through programs and equipment to provide immediate response and use with maximum efficiency at all emergencies.