The Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois Fire/Rescue Association was organized as the ‘Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois Firemen's Association’ in 1915.  At that time it was comprised of twelve fire departments in the southwestern region of Wisconsin and the northwestern region of Illinois.

The goal was to bring these fire departments from both states together for the exchange of ideas, operations, and mutual aid.  Annual Conventions, hosted by a different member each year, were held to forward these goals and to conduct Association business and elections.  The Annual Convention also featured one or more nationally known speakers.  These speakers were virtually a Who's Who within the nation's fire service. 

On Sunday, September 10, 1937, the Association held its first ‘School of Firemanship’ in New Glarus, Wisconsin, with 60 firefighters in attendance.  The membership of the Association at that time was twenty-one fire departments.  For the next twenty-three years, the ‘Fall Fire School’ was hosted by different fire departments in both Wisconsin and Illinois.  On September 18, 1960, the Annual Fire School was moved to the Green County Fairgrounds in Monroe, Wisconsin, where it has been ever since.

In 1980, the Association’s Fire School was expanded to include classes on Saturday.  In 1998, the Fire School was further expanded to include a third day, Friday, when a National Fire Academy class was held on Friday and Saturday.  2005 marked the last year that the Sunday afternoon grandstand demonstrations were held.  After years of this being one of the centerpieces of the Fire School, as the number of classes offered and number of students attending steadily rose for the three days of classes, the Sunday afternoon demonstration attendance declined as students and other attendees opted to instead visit the vendor exhibitions—or to go home after being thoroughly worn out by the live-fire and other hands-on classes.

The Association has continued to grow throughout its history and as of 2007 the membership included hundreds of fire departments, rescue squads, and business members.  Attendance at the Annual Fire School has also continued to expand.  In August 2009 brought in 1031 students, an increase by 93 students from 2008, which is outstanding!  There are hundreds of instructors, vendors, exhibitors and support staff who continually dedicate their time.

2010 will mark the 74th consecutive year of the Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Fire/Rescue Association’s Annual Fire School and the 51st consecutive year that the Fire School has been held in Monroe.  It has come to be known, and rightly so, as the Monroe Fire School. 

 

SWNIFRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS —FISCAL YEAR 2009/2010        OFFICERS President:  Joe Sutherland, South Beloit, IL 1st Vice President:  Chad Grossen, Fitchburg, WI 2nd Vice President:  Patrick Widolff, Orangeville, IL Secretary/Treasurer:  Rhonda Cleveland, South Beloit, IL       DIRECTORS Dave Bloom, Madison, WI Charles Dahlberg, North Park, IL Ron Weavel, Rockton, IL Ken Morse, South Beloit, IL Darrell Leisses, Columbus, WI Daryl Rausch, Monroe, WI Richard Reiter, McFarland, WI Gary Schenck, Jansville, WI William Wiser, Fox Lake, IL Aaron Withee, Brodhead, WI