This is the 4th in the series highlighting the progression of truck companies in Chicago that were delivered with booster tanks and pumps. Previous articles in this series can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE..
IN 1968, CHICAGO RECEIVED ONE SEAGRAVE REAR MOUNTED AERIAL…
Carrying CFD Shop #E-173, this was a 100′ “Rear-Admiral” aerial with a 250-gallon booster tank and a 60-GPM pump. It was assigned to Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport.
Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport received the one Seagrave aerial that was purchased in 1968. It had a 250-gallon water tank and a 60-GPM pump. Bill Friedrich photo
Truck 63 had dual booster reels and a 100-foot rear-mounted ladder. Larry Shapiro photo
#1 by Phil Stenholm on July 13, 2012 - 8:12 PM
Back in the 1960’s (prior to large numbers being added to apparatus in the city), rigs at O’Hare Field had large numbers on the side that did not correspond to their CFD signature.
For example, Truck 63 was designated “3,” Crash Truck 4 (6-5-4) was designated “4,”, Crash Truck 5 (6-5-5) was designated “5,” Crash Truck 2 (6-5-2) was designated “6,” Crash Truck 3 (6-5-3) was designated “7,” the tractor-trailer foam tender (6-3-5) was designated “10,” etc.
These numbers obviously had something to do (in particular) with O’Hare Field operations, and nothing to do with Chicago F. D. field operations in the city.
The USAF also had crash trucks at O’Hare Field, so the large numbers may have been placed on USAF and CFD rigs as a way for personnel in the O’Hare Control Tower to identify crash apparatus from a distance.
#2 by Bill Post on July 12, 2012 - 3:15 AM
Joe, while I really don’t know why there was only a three on Truck 63’s rig, for a while I had thought that perhaps they had given it a new cabinet door and the old one might have on a 6 on it, but just about all of the photos of Truck 63 that I have seen only have the large white 3 on it. As far as Truck 63 being a lone rig, that was not totally correct because 9 additional of those Seagraves were ordered and had been put in service at some our busiest truck companies at the time. The other 9 went in service at Truck 3,10,28,26,48,51,30,11, and 20. Actually the very first of that particular model of Seagrave aerial ladder was ordered about a year before those 10 rigs and was a 1968 model that was put in service at Truck 1. Truck 1’s rig however was ordered with a Four Wheel rear steering option which Seagrave had called their “rear admiral” feature.
#3 by DMc77 on July 11, 2012 - 5:12 PM
Rear Admiral= rear steering
#4 by Joe on July 11, 2012 - 8:20 AM
Why does it have a big ‘3’ instead of a ’63’. Also, in a city the size of Chicago, why was the order limited to one rig?