Toluca-Rutland Fire Protection Dist.

08/05/2026

Tonight our members did a refresher training on grain bin rescue. We want to thank Ruff Rail for allowing us to use their facility for this.

07/21/2026

Last weekend 3 of our cadets attended IFSI cadet fire school in Champaign for 3 days. Thank you for taking the time out of life and spending the weekend to learn from some of the best!
Ethan Vallazza
Rylan Vallazza
Ryan Ehrnthaller

07/19/2026

05/20/2026

Last night 45 members from Toluca-Rutland fire, Wenona Fire, Varna Fire, and Lostant Fire trained together on vehicle extrication. We were also able to take 1 of the vehicles and work on the basics with some cadets and probationary firemen. Most of the tools used for extrication have been purchased from fundraiser money. Thank you for the support and allowing us to better serve our communities.

04/25/2026

TRFD put a new rescue engine in service today. This truck is fully equipped for extrication, fire fighting, and ems. It is licensed Bls to care for patients if an ambulance is not available or needs help. We were also able to move one of our newer engines to Rutland and replace an older truck there. This truck replaced our 1996 rescue that ran over 100 calls last year. This would not have been possible with out the support from our great communities. We would like to thank our entire district and the trustees for making this possible.

04/01/2026

Toluca-Rutland Fire set a record for amount of calls in March of 2026.

5- EMS Assists
2- 1st Responder calls (BLS level)
8- Vehicle Accidents
7- Brush/field/wildland fires
2- Weather related calls
2- Power line down calls
2- Structure fires
1- Automatic fire alarm
1- Hazmat incident
30 Total Calls

All of these calls were handled by our volunteers. If you see them out and about tell them thank you for the time that they spend for our communities.

03/10/2026

Afternoon update regarding the storms this afternoon into tonight. We will keep everyone updated as we get new information.

[12:12 PM CDT Tuesday 3/10/2026]

The NOAA NWS Storm Prediction Center has upgraded a portion of the area to a threat level 4/5 (Moderate Risk) for severe storms later today into this evening, shaded in red on the map, which is for areas primarily south of I-80.

Within the level 4/5 area, the main concerns include damaging tornadoes (potentially strong) and/or destructive hail >=2" in diameter.

Given the current southwestward progression of a lake enhanced cold front, it still appears that areas farther northeast in the level 4/5 (moderate risk) are more likely to have a significant hail threat vs. a significant tornado threat. As we continue to assess the progress of the front and where it ultimately stalls this afternoon, we'll be able to better refine the area of greatest concern for damaging tornadoes.

Within the level 3/5 (Enhanced Risk) area, particularly areas north of the level 4/5, the main concern is for damaging to potentially destructive hail, with localized wind damage also a possibility.

To read the text of the outlook discussion, go to: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html

03/09/2026

With volatile weather conditions forecasted for tomorrow, we are asking all residents to review and finalize their safety preparations. To ensure you remain informed as conditions evolve, please utilize multiple reliable sources for real-time updates.

𝗥͟𝗘͟𝗟͟𝗜͟𝗔͟𝗕͟𝗟͟𝗘͟ ͟𝗜͟𝗡͟𝗙͟𝗢͟𝗥͟𝗠͟𝗔͟𝗧͟𝗜͟𝗢͟𝗡͟ ͟𝗖͟𝗛͟𝗔͟𝗡͟𝗡͟𝗘͟𝗟͟𝗦͟
In the event of power outages or network congestion, redundant communication is vital. We recommend monitoring the following:

• 𝐍𝐎𝐀𝐀 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨: Ensure your device is programmed for our local area.
• 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬: Monitor trusted broadcast stations for live tracking.
• 𝐖𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 (𝐖𝐄𝐀): Verify that emergency alerts are enabled in your smartphone's notification settings.
• 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚: Follow our department and local Emergency Management pages for localized updates.

𝗘͟𝗤͟𝗨͟𝗜͟𝗣͟𝗠͟𝗘͟𝗡͟𝗧͟ ͟𝗖͟𝗛͟𝗘͟𝗖͟𝗞͟𝗟͟𝗜͟𝗦͟𝗧͟
Please take a moment today to inspect your emergency supplies:
𝟏. 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Replace old batteries in weather radios and flashlights.
𝟐. 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: Ensure portable power banks for mobile devices are fully charged.
𝟑. 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Confirm flashlights are functional; avoid using candles during storms due to the increased fire risk.

We will continue to provide updates as new data becomes available from the National Weather Service.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞.

02/27/2026

Increased fire danger on Friday...

⏰Timing…
•Friday Morning - Friday Evening, February 27th.

📍Location…
•Large portion of Illinois.

🔥Hazard…
•High fire danger is expected. Any fires that develop will have the ability to become out of control and spread rapidly.
•Sustained southwesterly winds of 13-25MPH and wind gusts of 23-43MPH are expected.
•Relative humidity as low as 16-25% is expected.

✔️Summary…
•The combination of gusty winds, low humidity, dry fuels and unseasonably mild temperatures will lead to high fire weather conditions across a large portion of Illinois. Outdoor burning should be postponed to another day. Any fires that develop will have the ability to become out of control and spread rapidly.

10/30/2025

Toluca-Rutland Fire Protection District has lifted the burn ban for now. Please do not burn on Halloween when the kids are walking around.