OSWEGO â Mayor Billy Barlow held a dress inspection of the Oswego Fire Department in honor of the 145th anniversary of the department being incorporated as a paid fire department on May 20, 1876.
Mayor Barlow and Fire Chief Randy Griffin offered remarks to the department before holding the dress inspection and posing for department photos. In 1828, Oswego was incorporated as a village and Henry Eagle, Francis Rood, Thomas Ambler, and William I. Kniffen were appointed fire wardens.
In 1842, an act by the state legislature providing for the incorporation of a fire department in Oswego was passed. The first steam engine for the department was purchased in 1867 and finally, in 1876 the old volunteer department was superseded by a paid department, and the present system was put in operation.
John R. Boehm
ILLINOIS SETS JULY REOPENING DATE: Illinois is on track to fully reopen the economy in July under Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois reopening plan, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot saying her goal is to be fully open by July 4.
As more Illinoisans get vaccinated against COVID-19 and hospitalizations decline, the state could soon move into the “bridge phase” the last step before a full reopening. Then, following 28 days of continued stability or decline in key COVID-19 metrics like vaccinations and hospital admissions, it would lift all capacity limits and resume large gatherings with new safety protocols.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker declined to provide a date for a full statewide reopening, but said that based on the current trajectory it will be on a similar timeline as the city of Chicago.