NOKOMIS — It’s not every day a lime green truck of volunteer firefighters races down U.S. 41 on its way to put out a fire.
But for Nokomis, the “Slime Line” has been the beating heart of a community call to service for now 75 years.
Humble beginnings
After recognizing the need for fire protection in the Nokomis area, a station was built in 1950 with the help of funds donated by the community.
Starting as one little house on 111 Pavonia Road, the station was manned by an older couple who shared the land in exchange for helping field calls for the crew.
When a call came in, the couple would switch on the air raid siren on top the building.
As the station was not yet staffed 24/7, the siren would alert the volunteer firefighters, who worked across the street at the mechanic shop, Devlin’s Garage.
Nokomis Fire Department Chief Steve Kona grew up hearing the sound of the siren going off while playing outside his grandmother’s house a few blocks away.
Kona finished the NFD training program when he turned 21, and after retiring as a 20-year career firefighter at Venice Fire & Rescue, Kona came back to volunteer in 2011.