Chief Oscar Lee Presley Jr.

Fire Chief Oscar Lee Presley Jr. retired from the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District as of December 31, 2007 after almost 42 years on the department, 25 as Fire Chief. Oscar joined the department on January 10, 1966. He was promoted to Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, and then Chief in 1982. He became the first full-time paid Chief for Harlem-Roscoe Fire on December 1, 1997.

In 1966 Oscar took First Aid Classes and became an instructor for 12 years. In 1970 he attended the first EMT Class in this area. He took the Paramedic class in McHenry County from one of the leading doctors of the day, but his Paramedic Certification from there was not accepted here. So, in 1979, he was in the first paramedic class held at Saint Anthony Hospital. Oscar was a true pioneer of the volunteer paramedic program in the area and was revolutionary in forcing the hospitals and doctors to accept, use, and respect volunteer paramedics. He held his Paramedic license for 20 years finally letting it go in 1999.

Oscar attended Rock Valley College when they first started the Fire Science program. He has attended schools and classes in various parts of Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and Missouri in fire, rescue, and medical. He was adamant that not only would his firefighters get proper training, but that they would get the best equipment out there to do their job. He saw to it that Harlem-Roscoe was one of the first fire departments to have new rescue tools such as the "Jaws of Life" and Thermal Imaging Cameras.

Oscar started a Fire Prevention Division for retired seniors and promoted the Chaplains program. He wanted everything documented and Harlem-Roscoe was one of the first in the area to have a department photographer. He started a department newsletter, had a website built (having it continually updated), and put out a department brochure and a yearly calendar.

Oscar was an original member of the E9-1-1 Board serving from 1991-2007. He was an active member in the Winnebago Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) and past president in 2000. He spearheaded WFCA projects such as river mile-marking and county-wide dispatching. He has been on the governor's advisory board, has served on several ad-hoc committees over the years as well as testified before state and local government inquiries.

Besides receiving the Paramedic of the Year for 1980, the Meritorious Service Award in 1999, and the 2003 State VFW Outstanding Firefighter Award, Oscar received awards nearly every year of his career. He also has had a day dedicated to him by the Village of Roscoe as well as a tree planted in his honor in Leland Park in Roscoe. The department's training facility with state-of-the-art burn tower located at Station three was one of his personal dreams or 'projects' and was dedicated the "Oscar Presley Training Facility" on October 16, 2004. After retiring in 2007 the Village of Roscoe renamed Elm Street to Presley Place and he received the recognition of "Fire Chief Emeritus " from the IFCA in October 2008.

In 1997 he retired as a barber after 35 years to become the department's full-time Chief. He was also Roscoe's Road Commissioner for 10 years. Oscar and his wife Dean have two children, Oscar John Presley and Marcie (Jeff) Ball as well as two grandchildren, Leah & Logan Ball. John is also a Deputy Chief on the department.