ABOUT HALF DAY F.O.O.L.S.
Lake County Illinois Network of Traditional Firefighters
Half Day F.O.O.L.S. is an affiliate chapter of the International Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society. Our home is Highland Park, in Lake County Illinois. We were formed in August 2023 by Alex Tanner, Mike Vitale, Kevin Tracz, Jeff Marusich and Craig Gilsinger.
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Our commitment is to education and preservation. Our dream is to bring unique and purposeful training opportunities to our area. We believe the brotherhood must be protected, and our traditions and values preserved. We believe in honor, honesty, love, and exceptionalism. We strive to educate others on these values, in hopes that they too pass it on.
We connect exceptional firefighters to bring our area closer together. Lake County is full of young firefighters that are thirsty for top notch training opportunities. Our goal is to bring this training closer to us to lessen the travel time and burden on our families. Our dream is to bring down and dirty classes, lectures and keynote speakers to our area and push us to new heights.
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WHY Half Day?
Staying Connected to Lake County Illinois
3 of the 4 departments where our founding serve have Half Day Road (Illinois Route 22) run
through our communities. Half Day Road travels East and West from Highland Park to Fox River Grove. The former town of Half Day and the historic Half Day Road are cemented in Lake County's history.
This road is a midline between Chicago and Milwaukee, the area we represent. Half Day
Road was named after Aptakisic, a Potowonami Chief, whose name means "sun at the meridian" or "half
day". Chief Aptakisic was a local leader an ally to early settlers in the area. Friendly enough where he was honored by naming a town after him.
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F.O.O.L.S. INTERNATIONAL
The Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society (F.O.O.L.S.) is an organization that was started in 1995 by a group of Central Florida Firemen. This group, known today as the Founding F.O.O.L.S., had a passion for not only the camaraderie and brotherhood that is forged between firefighters but the rich tradition and heritage of the Fire Service. Since 1995, this brotherhood has grown to over seven thousand strong. There are chapters all over the world, with new chapters starting almost every day.
The Leatherhead is a term used for a firefighter who uses the leather helmet for protection from the hazards we face every day on the streets. The Leather Helmet is an international sign of a Firefighter, a symbol that is significant in not only tradition from the early years of firefighting, but one of bravery, integrity, honor, and pride. The helmet is a sign of who we are, not what we are.