Des Plaines Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 4211

06/23/2026

Time has a way of blurring the past, and when we stop sharing our stories, we risk forgetting the history that shapes us. Forty-six years ago, a Mount Prospect firefighter, Leonard Kaiser, made the ultimate sacrifice, losing his life during a training exercise at the Des Plaines Fire Department training tower on Dempster/Thacker. It takes a special soul to step into harm's way for the sake of strangers, and it is a somber reminder that the inherent dangers of this calling begin long before the sirens wail on a live call. We owe those who serve our deepest remembrance, and we must ensure their legacies live on. We will never forget.

06/23/2026

Des Plaines FIrefighters Local 4211 would like to wish FF/PM Noah Bulka a Happy Anniversary!

06/22/2026

Went into Niles this afternoon to back up Niles Fire Department on a kitchen fire at Oakton & Milwaukee. Had one on this same corner back in the ’90s during the summer that went all the way to a Box Alarm. Same setup then as now, businesses on the first floor, residents stacked on the second, and a whole lot of people depending on us to keep a small fire from turning into a repeat of history.

06/21/2026

A few more photos coming a little later. We helped out our Brothers and Sisters this afternoon in Niles.

06/20/2026

It’s come to the final, let’s get be our hometown Rand Red Hots a vote!

From the first round to the CHAMPIONSHIP—YOU got us here! 🌭🔥 Thank you for believing in Rand Red Hots! Now it’s time for the final vote. Let’s make it official—Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs! 🗓️ Voting ends June 22 at 10 AM. 👉 Vote now:
https://wgnradio.com/chicagos-very-own-eats/chicagolands-best-hot-dogs-tournament-2026/ #/bracket/6020813

06/20/2026

After enough years in the fire service, you end up knowing firefighters in so many cities that you can’t even take a vacation without running into someone who wants to tell you about their department’s “unique” way of doing the exact same thing you do.

And with that nationwide brotherhood comes the real treasure: a massive, highly sophisticated, absolutely unregulated black‑market network of firehouse information including recipes. These things travel faster than the rookie when someone yells “kitchen’s on fire!”

Today’s masterpiece comes from Lt. Goode of the North Maine Fire Protection District, a man whose cooking was so good it almost makes you forget he once tried to convince everyone that his chili recipe was an original. Sure, Lt. Goode cooks like he’s feeding a crew that hasn’t seen a vegetable since 1930, but you know what? It works.

Consider this recipe part of the sacred firehouse tradition: passed down, argued over, and inhaled in under six minutes because you know the tones will drop the second you sit down to eat.

06/20/2026

Des Plaines Firefighters Local 4211 would like to wish FF/PM Matthew Glen a Happy Birthday!

06/20/2026

When a firefighter tells you a story about something they saw, there's a good chance it's true. We see things most people never do.

06/15/2026

🌭 THANK YOU, DES PLAINES! 🌭 Rand Red Hots has made it to the FINAL 4 in WGN Radio's Chicagoland's Best Hot Dogs Tournament 2026!. Now we're just one step away from the Championship round, and we need your votes again! 🗳️ Vote now before June 18 at 9 AM:
https://wgnradio.com/chicagos-very-own-eats/chicagolands-best-hot-dogs-tournament-2026/ #/bracket/6020802