Roger Sandall: History of the Brimfield Fire Department

Interview Date: 6 July 1993

Roger Sandall made a presentation to the Brimfield Historical Society on 6 July 1993. It was recorded on cassette tape. In April 2022, Kim (Claybaugh) Hanks converted the cassette to a digital recording. 

Below is a tag and timestamp for this audio recording. The original cassette recording is not high quality. Because of this there are places in the digital recording that may not be audible or discernable. There are likely spelling issues with names and places in the timestamp. 

When searching for key words/tags, names, places, and dates use spelling variations if needed.  

00:00 Introduction of Speaker by Velma Clark
02:18 Introduction of presentation by Fire Chief, Roger Sandall
03:55 Beginning and formation of Brimfield Fire Department
04:50 Previous Fire Chiefs
06:35 Early Years of the fire department and its equipment
09:18 Service area and more discussion of equipment
10:50 Financial support of the fire department; increased services; formation of fire district
14:34 Phone alert system; expansion of fire district; additional equipment, 
16:18 Fire numbers and tri-county addresses
17:35 Fire house expansion; training
18:55 Fire house remodeling; expansion to Kickapoo
20:50 BYE ambulance expansion to Brimfield
21:35 Cost of equipment; tax rate; aging equipment, current fire officers
26:27 How firefighting has changed
29:18 –  Q&A; 911 dispatch; cellular and mobile phones; enhanced 911 services; firefighter expenses; services times  

Roger Sandall
Brimfield Fire Department
Brimfield Historical Society
Velma Clark
Fire Chief
Dave [David] Clark
Charles Moss
J Savage
W H Wilson
George LaFollette
Harland “Scout” Pemble
Gerald [Jerry] Heinz
Murray Miller
Dave [David] Clark
Ken Fishel
Roger Sandall
Doctor Roberts
Russ Ludkey
Larry Heinz
Bill Simmons
Danny Rogers
Jeff Sollenberger 

Interviewed by: Brimfield Historical Society

Interview Format: mp3 Recording from Original Cassette Tape

Total Time : 48:40

The interview is archived at the Brimfield Public Library District in Brimfield, Illinois.

The Brimfield Oral History Project is a long-term effort to record the stories of Brimfield’s past in the voices of those who remember and make these original sources available for generations to come. This collaboration is a partnership between the Brimfield Public Library District, the Brimfield Historical Society, and the Peoria County Genealogical Society.

Readers of interview transcripts, if available, should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word and that the interviewer, interviewee, and editors sought to preserve the interview as recorded. Brimfield Public Library District and project volunteers are not responsible for the factual accuracy of this interview, nor for the opinions expressed within.

© Brimfield Public Library District 2023

This interview and accompanying documents may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Brimfield Public Library District. However, the Fair Use criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials may not be deposited in other repositories or used for resale or commercial purposes without authorization from the Brimfield Public Library District Director.