"... the first organized Fire Department for St. Charles was chartered in the County of Kane on the 18th day of March in 1842. Thus was formed the Lafayette Fire Company of the village of St. Charles and its membership roster recorded.
"From the meager information and records available concerning the early Lafayette Fire Company equipment and calls, it is known that there were fires which damaged both homes and businesses. At the earliest fires the only water supply was the Fox River, which runs through the center of town. There were also a few wells and hand pumps in the village....
"The Fire Company continued to operate with its buckets and hand tools until 1852, when a fire engine was purchased from the City of Chicago..."
The St. Charles Fire Department was officially and legally created by municipal ordinance on February 13, 1888.

- Information obtained from the book, "St. Charles, Illinois, Fire Department, 1842-1992: The Sesquicentennial History of the Fire Department: A Century and a Half of Dedicated Service" (available at the St. Charles Public Library