History

In December of 1913, the Village Board of  North Crystal Lake passed an ordinance to create a volunteer fire department.  The village decide it needed to organized a fire department that would hold regualr meetings, fire drills, and respond to emergency in a timely fashion.

On April 21, 1914 the citizens of North Crystal Lake (formerly known as the village of Nunda) and Crystal Lake voted for the fifth time to combine the two towns into one.

On May 7, 1914 the new village appointed first Fire Marshall to hire and organize the fire department.

In June 1914, the board gave the Fire Marshall approval to staff a volunteer fire department and to buy equipment.  25 individuals applied for the positions within the department, 12 were hired.

In 1999, 17 members out of 18 full-time firefighters decided to join the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).  They became known as IAFF Local 3926, Crystal Lake Professional Firefighters.

Crystal Lake is the largest city in McHenry County.  It is approximately 18.96 square miles, with the protection district equaling 46.2 square miles.  It has a population of about 40,500 residents, 52,000 citizens including the protection district..  The Fire Rescue Department responds to about 5,500 emergencies a year.

The Department has 68 members total within it’s organization including administration staff.

The City of Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department is responsible for providing fire protection, emergency medical service, specialized team responses to the residents of Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection district 24-hours a day.