Martin Nowak and Danny Nelms have pointed us to images from the Spartan ERV site with photos of the new CFD Academy engine, the new O’Hare engine, another new CFD engine, plus two trucks in production:
From Danny:
spoke on Facebook to a Spartan ERV rep and he said the dealer took delivery of the new engine for O’Hare on april 24th. Here are some pics from Spartan ERV and also a few pics of the new academy rig as well.
O’Hare – dont know whay it is 12s, heard it was gonna be a spare for squad 7 and now it looks like engine 12 going back to service so i dunnoacademy- FDD656
All photos from the Spartan ERV webpage!
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
The link for the O’Hare engine photos is HERE.
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
Spartan ERV photo
The link for the CFD Academy engine is HERE.
HERE is a link to another Spartan ERV engine recently delivered to Chicago.
HERE is a link to a new 103′ aerial ladder being built for Chicago.
HERE is link to another 103′ aerial ladder being built for Chicago.
#1 by tony on August 12, 2012 - 10:35 PM
ok thanks dennis
#2 by Dan on August 12, 2012 - 12:22 PM
What type of rig is 9-2-4? Is there a pattern for determining the numbers of the specialty units such as 9-2-4?
#3 by Dennis on August 12, 2012 - 11:34 AM
@Tony Squad 7A’s mini pumper was hit by Engine 9 a few weeks back and is out getting repaired so they are running with 9-2-4, also Squad 7’s rig is out getting repaired (different accident) and they are running with Engine 12S until their rig is ready.
#4 by tony on August 11, 2012 - 12:46 PM
i saw that engine 12s with the new mvu from the airport at a pin-in crash, was wondering if they are replaceing squad 7 & 7a, thank you for any information
#5 by Bill S on June 15, 2012 - 2:49 PM
Saw Engine 15 on a change of quarters at 92’s house and they had the new spartan.
#6 by Bill Post on May 25, 2012 - 7:19 PM
Let’s all hope that Local 2 (the Chicago Firefighters Union) is able to keep the clause in the new contract which requires the CFD to maintain the current amount of fire companies in service. There is no question that the negotiations will be tough.
#7 by Dennis on May 25, 2012 - 5:08 PM
Jacob- Ambulance 91 can be parked inside the house, the reason it’s outside most of the time is not because of the joker stand it’s because when the rig is in the house they have to move the couches and have no tv area, when it’s outside the have a a tv area.
#8 by Dennis on May 25, 2012 - 5:05 PM
Fleet Guy- Everything at Ohare and the airport side at Midway are under Federal funds and therefore they can add whatever companies they want. Also the city can add a company anytime and go over but..” The number of fire companies shall be maintained and continue to be maintained at no less than those levels maintained on March 1, 2006 (96 engines, 61 trucks, 4 squads, 2 haz-mat units, fire boat, and no less than 3 command vans as well as the number of Battalions on said date.”
All units at O’hare and the airport side of Midway are paid for with federal money along with the manpower on those units.
#9 by fleet guy on May 25, 2012 - 4:27 PM
Dennis, Which Engine Co. will be taken out of service when Engine 12 goes in service? The local 2 contract states 99 engine cos and in the past when a new Co. went in-service somebody was taken out. EX Engine 77 was taken out of service when 512 was put in service also Engine 61 was put out and Truck 6 or 12 was put in service I cannot recall correctly.
#10 by Mike McAuliffe on May 25, 2012 - 10:32 AM
Does anyone know if a new O’Hare station will be constructed when the airport expands south of Irving Park Road?
#11 by Jacob on May 10, 2012 - 2:45 PM
bill you are correct about 120. they now have a new crimson and had to completely redo there doors just so the rig would be able to get out. also, there is not enough room to park the ambulance inside because of the old telegraph machine that can’t be removed. it is a small station.
#12 by Bill Post on May 9, 2012 - 10:44 PM
DH you are correct about the short wheelbase HME Luvernes, in fact all of them were initially assigned to ALS companies when they were put in service and of the few that remain, the majority of them are assigned to ALS companies.
The six 1998 models were originally assigned to Engines 71, 83, 1, 95, 46, and 88 which either were or had become ALS Engines shortly after they received the rigs. The same was true for the four 1999 models which were originally assigned to Engines 102, 125, 123, and 115 which also were ALS companies.
Engine 1’s rig was reassigned to Engine 120, Engine 83’s rig went to Engine 11, Engine 46’s rig went to Engine 74, Engine 71’s rig went to Engine 103, Engine 88’s rig went to Engine 50, and Engine 95’s rig went to Engine 59. Engine 125’s rig was eventually reassigned to Engine 120, and the last that I heard it was a spare rig. Engine 123’s rig went to Engine 39, and 115’s rig went to Engine 15.
Currently the only companies that are using those rigs which are not ALS are Engine 103 and Engine 15. It is also true that some of the rigs were originally assigned or later reassigned to smaller stations since these had a short wheelbase and were more compact. A good example of this was when Engine 95’s HME was reassigned to Engine 59, largely because it had to park behind Truck 47 in a long single bay station. Truck 47 had just received their new Pierce with tandem rear axles. I understand that the clearance was also tight for Engine 120 as well as at 88’s old house.
#13 by DH on May 7, 2012 - 9:52 PM
Dennis and Bill,
I believe both of you are correct. I am not sure that the HMEs were ever designed for ALS equipment, however, several of them were actually assigned to ALS companies. The first one that comes to mind is Engine 120. They had one until this year and they were ALS. I can’t think of others at the moment though.
#14 by Bill Post on May 7, 2012 - 7:42 PM
Thanks for the information on the short wheelbase HME/Luvernes, because the information that I had on them being built for ALS companies was based on an article that I had read in Fire Apparatus Journal when they were first delivered. Being that the companies which both the 1998 and 1999 models were first assigned to had become ALS engines shortly after they had put the HMEs in service had given me the impression that the information in the article was correct.
#15 by Dennis on May 7, 2012 - 4:53 PM
ok first, about the new rig at O’Hare, Engine 12S. This is only a temporary decal. It will become Engine Co. 12 and be assigned to Rescue Station 4 on the west side of O’Hare. The “S” is only on there because everything at O’Hare/Midway must be numbered, and since there is not an Engine Company 12 which has been organized yet, they have to make it a spare rig.
Second, the new academy engine is just replacing shop #D-559, which was unoffically assigned to the academy along with the assigned Luverne engine 2-8-6 (shop #D-599). Therefore, this new engine will be the 2nd assigned engine to the academy making it 2-8-6A. The Pirsch truck (2-8-7A) at the academy is still being used but on a limited basis. It is sometimes kept at the warehouse on Roosevelt Rd.
Lastly, as for comment about Engine 50, they became ALS which is the reason they were assigned the 1995 Spartan/Luverne rig. The smaller HME/Luverne engines DO NOT have an ALS compartment, nor do they have much room for the monitor. The first CFD rigs ever built with ALS equipment in mind were the 2002 Pierce trucks, the 2001 & 2002 Spartan/Luverne engines, and the 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Spartan/Crimson engines.
#16 by Sebastian on May 7, 2012 - 4:00 PM
so what’s with the 12s?????
#17 by David on May 7, 2012 - 3:28 PM
So the talk of a new Academy engine has me wondering about a few things:
Is the current Academy engine being re-assigned or replaced/disposed of altogether? Has it seen that much use already or is it much older than I remember?
Also is the second ladder truck, the Pirsch still being used at the Academy? If so, what are the current replacement plans for it?
If not, when was it disposed of and what is its current fate?
Thanks – David
#18 by Bill Post on May 7, 2012 - 2:20 PM
Eugene do you mean “upgrade” or do you really mean to replace the HME/Luverne engines?
After the 1995 Spartan/Luverne at Engine 50, according to age, the next ones on the list to be replaced are the five 1997 HME/Luverne engines, however you can’t always go by the age of the rig. The 1995 Spartan/Luverne had replaced one of the short wheelbase 1998 HME/Luverne engines within the last 2 years.
The HME/Luvernes are not very popular with the firefighters as their crew cabs are quite cramped compared to the engines with the Spartan cabs. For example, Engine 50’s 1998 model HME/Luverne was a hand-me-down rig which had been initially assigned to another company. Yet within the last two years it was replaced with a 1995 Spartan/Luverne engine that was three years older.
The ’98 and ’99 (short wheelbase) HME/Luvernes were the first engines that were specifically equipped with a paramedic supply and drug compartment. They were initially all assigned to ALS engine companies. Of the six 1998 models, only four are still in frontline service. Most of them had become hand-me-down rigs which had been reassigned from other companies that received newer (and larger) Spartan/Luverne rigs only a few years later.
While three of the four 1999 models are still in service, only the one assigned to Engine 102 is not a hand-me-down rig. That is largely due to the fact that when they received the rig, they were in their old fire station (built in 1916) that didn’t have as much floor space in it.
#19 by Keith Grzadziel on May 7, 2012 - 1:16 PM
If CFD has plans of building a new firehouse at O’Hare, I wonder if that will replace the current Rescue Station 4? Also I had read in Fire Apparatus Journal – Jim Regan that a new Command Van for 2-7-8 is under construction and specs are being written for two 2000 GPM foam pumpers and two new crash trucks for O’Hare.
#20 by eugene O on May 7, 2012 - 11:54 AM
Does the CFD have a plan to upgrade the remaining HME/Luverne engines still in the frontline?
#21 by Bill Post on May 6, 2012 - 11:07 PM
Sebastian it is my understanding that the CFD will be getting new engines to replace the current Engines 9 and 10 within about a year or two. Whether this is still true I am not sure of but I know that the equipment for O’Hare Field and Midway that is required for aircraft and airport safety was at least partially funded under a special federal safety fund administrated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
By the way, the Chicago Fire Department is running with several engines in the city proper that are older or just as old as Engines 9 and 10. The oldest frontline is a 1995 Spartan/Luverne that is 17 years old and is currently assigned to Engine 50. The CFD also has five 1997 model HME/Luverne Engines that are still in frontline service which are 15 years old, and four out of six 1998 (short wheelbase) HME/Luverne engines still in service. There also are three 1999 model (short wheelbase) HME/Luverne engines that still in service.
#22 by Sebastian on May 6, 2012 - 5:59 PM
Having a hard time understanding why CFD is not replacing either engines 9 or 10 which are 14 years old if I am not mistaken????
#23 by Scott on May 5, 2012 - 12:31 PM
Just as an FYI at O’hare, engines can not replace or substitute for crash trucks. They support them but do not take their place at all and can not because of FAA regs.
#24 by Tod on May 5, 2012 - 12:31 PM
I heard that engine 12 is supposed to be reorganized at O’hare when they build a new fire station on the west side of the airfield somewhere near wolf rd. I also was told that the FAA requires all trucks to have numbers, so they put the s on the engine temporarily until engine 12 is formed.
#25 by danny on May 5, 2012 - 1:39 AM
i read somewhere that the city initially bought this rig as a spare for squad 7 till it got replaced … 7’s rig is a 2000 and faa regs i think make u have front line rigs no more the 12 years old, not too sure
#26 by chris on May 4, 2012 - 8:23 PM
who knows, all spare rigs at ohare have an r after the # to designate reserve unit, also nothing at ohare is 12, eng 12 was disbanded years ago when they tore down the old military house
#27 by Bill Post on May 4, 2012 - 7:18 PM
That’s a very good question.
I was wondering if this engine will go in service or if it is going to be strictly for training and being used as a spare rig? I personally think that it would make sense to put it in service at Station 3 and move Engine 9 to Station 1 on the south end of the field.
Since Engine 12 is really a conventional size engine as opposed to Engines 9 and 10, it’s much more maneuverable. It would be perfect at station 3 since that station covers the expressway approaches to the airport as well as the terminals and therefore the smaller unit would be better suited for that area. At the same time, while having Engine 9 out near the runways and the cargo areas is more logical as both Engines 9 and 10 are really ARFF/Engines and could be better used as back up Crash Engines out in the Field.
#28 by josh b on May 4, 2012 - 4:48 PM
I’m wondering what the “S” stands for? And which rescue station
#29 by R on May 4, 2012 - 12:31 PM
What does the “S” on the Ohare rig stand for?