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8 Comments

• #1 by Crabby Milton on May 1, 2014 - 6:01 AM

  

  I never worked in the fire service just a many decade fire apparatus/fire service fan. This video ought to be shown to those that think firefighters don’t do much and have a slow and soft job. I’m frankly suprised that there are not more cases of severe frost bite.

• #2 by Jon Newton on April 7, 2014 - 7:17 PM

  

  Love hearing the sounder in the background on this video. Brings back a rush of memories.

  Jon

• #3 by Bill Post on September 8, 2013 - 5:45 PM

  

  Terry, Engine 35’s old station was closed on January 18th 1973 when Engine 35, Truck 28 and old 4th Battalion moved into the new station at 1901 N Damen. Engine 35’s old house was built at 1627 N Damen in 1894 and Truck 28’s old house was built next door as an addition in 1904. When I first visited that station in the mid 60’s there was an interior wall that had separated the two station from the rear of the houses almost to the front where it was opened so the men good move about freely from Engine 35’s side to Truck 28’s side of the “double station”. It was one of the longer stations in the city as that is where the original Snorkel 3 was put in service on May 14th 1959 and almost 2 and a half years later Snorkel 5 replaced Snorkel 3 on Sept 22nd 1961 because they ended up moving Snorkel 3 to the south side to Engine 50’s and then Engine 84’s old quarters because Snorkel 5 which was had an 80-85 foot boom couldn’t fit into Engine 50’s house while Snorkel 5 was able to fit into Engine 35’s station. Snorkel 3 at the time was using a 65 foot Snorkel which was able to fit into Engine 50 and 84’s old stations which is why Snorkel 3 was moved south to make room for Snorkel 5.
  Engine 84 was located at 5721 s Halsted (at the time) and they didn’t move in with Truck 51 until March 1st 1973.

• #4 by Terry on September 8, 2013 - 2:50 PM

  

  Bill: Another question — when did CFD cease operations at 1625 N. Damen (Engine 35)? Thanks!

• #5 by Bill Post on November 12, 2012 - 4:34 PM

  

  Terry I don’t have any photos of Engine 111’s old station. I never visited it myself, however I had visited Engine 35 and Truck 28’s old station back in the mid 1960s when the old 4th Battalion and Snorkel 5 were located with them. Their old house is still at 1625 N Damen and it was converted for other uses of course.

  One of the reasons why Engine 111’s house was closed is because it was so close to three other fire stations. Engine 43 (the nearest fire station) was located little less than a mile north, Engine 35 was located about a mile east, and Engine 57 was just over a mile south/east. Both Engine 111 and Engine 43 were using Pirsch pumpers which were nearly identical, except Engine 43’s rig was a 1953 model and Engine 111 was using a 1950 model.

  Despite the fact that Engine 111 was taken out of service in October of 1967, they really could have used them less then 10 years later when their old area had a tremendously high fire and arson rate. The arson rate was so high that Engine 24 (from the west side) was relocated into Engine 57’s new station, and Engine 51 (from the south side) was relocated to Engine 43’s house. Both houses were “double engine stations” from July 22 1976 until June 14th 1980 when Engines 24 and 51 were taken out of service. Back in those days, the Chicago Fire Deparment only sent one truck company on still alarms (unless it was downtown) along with two engines. In the old 4th Battalion however, (in Engine 111’s old area) three engines were sent to still alarms in those days because of the high fire and arson rate.

• #6 by Terry on November 11, 2012 - 8:56 AM

  

  Bill, thank you for posting the information about Engine 111. I live nearby and I was wondering if you have any pictures or additional information about Engine 111. There is now a house or condo building where Engine 111 used to be and I thought it would be neat to tell the present occupants about the history of their home. Thanks in advance!

  • #7 by Barbara Battaglia née Bruno on April 30, 2014 - 10:35 AM

    

    My dad was at Eng. 111 for years until it closed.I don’t remember what eng co he went to after that but he wound up in Edison Park. He had a slight heart attack and retired out of that one.I would love to find some of the “kids” from 111 s people.Eg:Tom McCarthy,Al Detterman and others

• #8 by Bill Post on February 16, 2012 - 12:05 AM

  

  The irony of both of these extra alarm fires is that they had been less then a block (in fact on the same street) as two former fire stations. They were out of service by then of course. But the fire on Wells and Scott was down the block from the old Chicago Fire Civil Defense Station and Headquarters at 1244 which had been closed on September 30th 1978 and had been the quarters of CFD Engine 27 from August of 1874 until February 2nd 1960 when they had moved into Engine 4’s new quarters along with Ambulance 11.
  As for the fire on Washtenaw and Bloomingdale, Engine 111’s old station had been located at 1701 N Washtenaw (about a block south of there) where they had gone out of service on October 16th 1967, however Snorkel 5 then moved in for 3 months until January 22nd 1968 before the house was finally closed and torn down a few months later.

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