CHICAGO PARK, Calif. December 4, 2023 – Residents of the Peardale Chicago Park Fire District passed a benefit assessment in November of 2023. This assessment allowed the Fire District to hire two full-time Fire Engineers and two seasonal Firefighters.
With this additional staffing, the Chicago Park station (Station 57) is now staffed 24 hours a day. This provides for a much quicker response to emergency incidents for our district residents. We continually look forward to serving this community.
Chief Jim Bierwagen
Jim was born and raised in Chicago Park. His firefighter career started in 1977 as a volunteer, in 1984 he became volunteer Chief and full time Chief in 1991. Jim enjoys gardening, the outdoors and spending time with his family.
Captain Josh Ramey (Paramedic Qualified)
Josh was born and raised in the Grass Valley area; he is married to his wife Christina and they have been blessed with six wonderful children. Josh’s Firefighter career started in 1990 at Peardale Chicago Park, and he was promoted to Captain in 1998. After completing medic schooling and interning at Penn Valley Fire, Josh went on to build a local wholesale corporation as CFO. During that time he also became part of a Federal Incident Management team where he led medical and supply units.
Engineer Rick Blakemore (EMT Qualified)
Rick and his wife Mary moved into their home in the Peardale area in 1983 where they raised two boys. Rick started his volunteer service as an EMT for the Nevada Union Junior Minors Program. He was then inspired to put his EMT skills to further use and in 2004 became a volunteer Firefighter at Peardale Chicago Park Fire. In 2011 he advanced to the position of Engineer and 2021 became a full-time employee. In his spare time, Rick enjoys RVing, fishing, and hiking with his wife and dog.
Engineer Daniel Ramey (EMT Qualified)
Daniel was born and raised in Grass Valley; he is married to his wife Brooklyn and they are raising two young boys. His Volunteer Firefighter position began in 2015, and he was promoted to Engineer in 2021. Daniel is qualified as a Public Information Officer since 2016 and has actively worked on both CAL FIRE and Federal Incident Management Teams during wildfires. He continues his work as the department’s local PIO Officer. Daniel enjoys traveling with his family and the outdoors, as well as playing soccer.
Engineer Clint Fillyaw (EMT Qualified)
Clint was raised in Santa Cruz, CA and moved to the Grass Valley area in 2014. Clint started as a volunteer Firefighter at Ophir Hill Fire in 2019, during this time he was also completing Fire Academy. He continued to work as a seasonal Firefighter at Ophir Hill Fire and Chicago Park Fire in 2020. In 2022 Clint also worked as a correctional officer and just during 2023 promoted to full-time engineer at Chicago Park Fire. On his days off, Clint enjoys spending time with family, and working on motorcycles and small engines.
Seasonal Firefighter Matthew Beatty (EMT Qualified)
Matthew was born and raised in the Grass Valley. He started as a volunteer Firefighter at Peardale Chicago Park Fire in 2021. Matthew enjoys fishing and hiking.
Seasonal Firefighter Eddie Steele (EMT Qualified)
Eddie was born and raised in Grass Valley. He started as a volunteer Firefighter at Peardale Chicago Park Fire in 2021. On days off, Eddie enjoys working on vintage cars and exploring old mine shafts.
Our volunteers/paid call Firefighters are a vital part of keeping our department functioning. They allow the department to have a robust response to emergencies in the fire district. During summer fire season, paid call volunteers allow us to send our engines on Strike Teams to large fires all over the state.
In addition to responding to hundreds of emergency calls, our dedicated volunteers train every Wednesday night, and in total, each individual will train an average of 200 hours per year.