QEM Fire Protection District History

In the mid-1960s, the City Fire Department of Grafton and the Village of Elsah merged to form a township Fire Protection District, one which is supported by a township tax base. The new Fire Protection District was named Quarry-Elsah Fire Protection District.

In the mid-1980s, the southwestern part of Mississippi Township was annexed into the present fire protection district, and a few years later the southeastern part of Mississippi Township was annexed into the fire protection district.

Photo by Austin Nuber – Jersey County Responder.

The Quarry-Elsah Fire Protection District changed its name to QEM Fire Protection District after annexation of the Mississippi Township into its district.

In the early 1990s, the QEM Fire Protection District entered a contract with the Otter Creek Township Fire Protection District to handle all their fire emergencies on a yearly basis.

In the mid-1990s, the QEM Fire Protection District and The Grafton Volunteer Emergency Corp. merged to create a squad to handle all emergencies and to help each other and the public better.

The QEM Fire Protection District covers 127 square miles by township lines and by contract. QEM Fire Protection District covers Otter Creek Township and all of Pere Marquette State Park and the Lodge located inside Quarry Township.

In 1996, QEM Fire Protection District and Jersey Community Hospital joined together, with the hospital as our resource provider and as a training guide for medical training and control. In 2023, QEM Fire Protection District changed its resource hospital to St. Anthony’s Hospital.

QEM Fire Protection District has mutual aid agreements with other fire departments arounds, including Godfrey Fire Protection District, Rosedale Fire Protection District, Jerseyville Fire Department, Fieldon Fire Protection District, Southern Pike Fire Protection District and Calhoun County Fire Protection District.

QEM Fire Protection District has two fire stations in the district. Station 1 is located on Elsah Rd. in Grafton, just off Route 3. Station 1 houses, one rescue truck, one engine, one tanker, one boat, one side by side, and two brush trucks. Station 2 is located on Dow Rd, in Dow. Station 2 houses one engine and one brush truck.

The QEM Fire Protection District consists of a five-person Board of Trustees, one Fire Chief, two Captains, and multiple volunteer firefighters.