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Community Organizations

Sycamore’s hometown heroes earn that title not only for doing their jobs—keeping the peace and putting out fires—but also for the many other roles they play in the community. Both the Police and Fire departments participate in community activities, and both have pet projects of their own that benefit the people they serve outside of their stated duties.

For example, the Sycamore Fire Department has adopted the cause of Muscular Dystrophy as a focus of fundraising efforts. The firefighters help raise money for MDA throughout the year with such programs as “Fill the Boot,” a joint effort with the DeKalb units. Volunteers stand at various intersections with a fire uniform boot collecting donations. In return, contributors receive thank-you stickers and the good feeling that they are doing something positive. The activity raises thousands to help fight MD.

Another such activity is the Cabin Fever Lockup at Johnny’s Charhouse. This popular event allows people to designate someone to be brought in and “locked up.” The detainee must then either pay a fine to get out or call friends and get them to pledge enough for “bail.”

The Sycamore Police Department is likewise involved in helping the community above and beyond their stated duties. The PD is really two organizations in one—the department itself, and the the police union, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The two groups work hand in hand to provide support for the community in many ways.

The FOP sponsors two major events: the annual Easter Egg Hunt and a summer golf outing. The egg hunt at Sycamore Community Park, a long-standing tradition in the area, attracts as many as 2,000 children who are treated with baskets of candy and other prizes donated by local businesses. The golf outing, involving as many as 45 foursomes, also offers dinner and door prizes. It is a major summer event that raises funds for two scholarships presented each year to graduating high school seniors.

In fact, both departments focus much of their time and effort on young people. Both sponsor baseball or softball teams, and during Homecoming, the two departments go head-to-head for fun, coaching the junior and senior girls in powderpuff football. “We alternate teams each year,” says Michael V. Anderson, PD Administrative Sergeant. “It’s a good-natured competition.”

While the Fire Department is involved in fire education throughout the year, Fire Prevention Week and the month of October are especially “hot” times for the Fire Department, with special activities to increase safety understanding. Special visits to the schools teach children not only how to prevent fires, but how to survive them. The firefighters work with teachers to make sure every home has a working smoke detector, and the department sponsors poster and essay contests to increase fire safety awareness.

The Police Department also provides a strong presence in the schools, with a full-time school resource officer, Officer Dan Wojcik, on-site at the high school. Wojcik also maintains a presence at the other schools, presenting educational programs for both the students and the staff.

If anything is going on in Sycamore, it’s a good bet the Police and Fire departments will be taking part. The Fire Department offers the popular FireFighters Breakfast, an activity seen at various times throughout the year. The breakfast might be the prize in a silent auction to raise funds for another event, or it might be offered as a prize for the students who win the Fire Prevention Week essay and poster contests. Other events supported by the firefighters include handling the town’s Meals on Wheels in November, a program run by the Voluntary Action Center.

Fire Chief Bill Riddle looks at the role of the emergency service departments as one of community caregiver. “Seventy percent of [firefighter] calls are medical emergencies or accidents. When we meet people, they are usually having the worst day of their lives, and we are there to stop the emergency, but to also begin the healing process and to make the next 24 hours of their lives better.”

Anderson concurs, “The Sycamore Police Department strives to provide the best services to the community while interacting as a member of our community.”

Riddle adds, “Even t hough we call them citizens, taxpayers, voters, we see the people as customers, and we want to supply whatever is needed, to deliver the best in customer service in a caring, professional and cost-effective way.”