Tri-State Fire Protection Welcomes Firefighter From Croatia

When Kristijan Kovacic stepped off the plane from Croatia at O’Hare International Airport, he accomplished two milestones simultaneously:  his first trip on an airplane and his first journey to the U.S.

Kovacic, an electrician by trade who volunteers as a firefighter, planned to attend his sister Martina’s graduation from Westwood College. In addition to spending time with his sister for the past two weeks, Kovacic has been a visitor to the station in Darien. The staff gave him a warm welcome and spent time showing Kovacic the ropes and even invited him along on calls.

The trip from his hometown of Sveti Durd, Croatia, to Chicago spans more than 4,700 miles, but he said it was well worth the trip. 

Both Kovacic's father and grandfather served at the same station in Croatia, making him a third generation volunteer firefighter.

The Volunteer Fire Committee of Sveti Durd, or Dobrovoljno Vatrogasno Društvo (DVD), was established in 1897 and serves nine villages with a total of 4,000 residents. Five smaller volunteer stations and one professional fire station located in a neighboring village help out if there is a large fire emergency. 

When the outdoor siren sounds, volunteer fire personnel literally drop what they’re doing to get to the emergency. 

Interestingly, there are few house fires, as homes in these villages have cement walls and the roofs are made of clay tiles. 

The villages also adhere to a the time-honored tradition of celebrating St. Florian Day, honoring the Patron Saint of Firefighters, which occurs on May 4. And regularly held competitions encourage participation in the DVD.

“When I was a teenager, I attended the competitions with my father and afterward decided I wanted to train to be a volunteer fireman,” Kovacic said. The word “volunteer” conveys there isn’t a salary earned; however, training and certification courses are mandatory.

During his time with Tri-State, Kovacic has been impressed with the design and cleanliness of the fire trucks, as well as the station.

“Back home,  there is no government funding for our fire house, trucks and equipment,” Kovacic explained. “Everything is donated, so the equipment does not have the same look as American [equipment].

Tri-State Fire Chief Michelle Gibson and Kovacic remarked that they were surprised that both countries use the same hose fittings on the truck. Another similarity is that a three number system is used to call an emergency vehicle—in this case, it’s 112. A dispatch then alerts the nearest fire station.  

Kovacic has also made time for tourism while in Chicago, packing as many activities and sampling as much food as he can.

Among his trips to Millennium Park, Willis Tower, the John Hancock Building, museums and restaurants galore, Kovacic was introduced to football and attended his first Super Bowl party.

 “I am in Chicago, so now I am a Bears fan,” he said.