St. Charles Honor Guard Gains 10 New Fire Department Members

Taking responsibility to serve and protect your city as a member of the Fire Department is already quite an honorable action.

But 10 members of the St. Charles Fire Department recently committed to take it a step further by joining the department’s Honor Guard, which was established in January 2015.

“We saw a need to promote the traditions of the fire service and represent our department in proper fashion for fire department ceremonies,” Chad Tinsley, firefighter-paramedic and honor guard member, said.

The Honor Guard provides dignified and honorable services for fallen members of the department at funeral and memorial services. Recently, the group has adapted a larger role by participating in firefighter retirements, the Veterans Day ceremony and marching in St. Charles parades.

The St. Charles Honor Guard is one of the largest and most recognized throughout the state. Members have hosted regional training for the State Honor Guard and have been called to assist other departments with their ceremonies.

“The dedication towards taking care of our own is similar to what I experienced in the Marine Corps,” Tinsley said. “This sense of pride that was instilled in me when I became a St. Charles Firefighter is exactly what I felt when becoming a Marine. We as an Honor Guard want to ensure that this pride in our department is shown and the traditions of the St. Charles Fire Department never fade away.”

Content and photo courtesy of the City of St. Charles.

Pictured: Firefighter/Paramedic (FF/PM) Stephen Siwy, FF/PM Clifford Lo, FF/PM Michael Pyzyna, FF/PM Christian Thomas, Battalion Chief James Kurczek, Lt. Anthony Cavallo, FF/PM Chad Tinsley, FF/PM Patrick Lacey, FF/PM Steven Rehak