Vintage CFD Fire Photos « chicagoareafire.com

Vintage CFD Fire Photos

21 Comments

#1 by glenn cunningham on March 27, 2014 - 7:53 PM

i still remember squad 9 53rd and wood running as a manpower rig
#2 by tom sullivan on February 13, 2014 - 8:33 AM

trying to buy a single old rig from the city was (is) next to impossible. they are put up for bid to scrap metal buyers in lots that usually include all kinds of junk,, garbage trucks, wrecked cars, etc. get one, take them all. not saying it couldn’t be done but very difficult, with out the right “connections”.
for many years an old cfd ’53 mack cab & chassis sat in a construction equipment yard in St. Louis co. ,, then one day it was gone.
#3 by Dennis on February 13, 2014 - 7:54 AM

John, The mack squads and the Auto Car squads were all taken across the street to Bridewell(Cook County Jail) and cut up by the inmates. This is all fact checked. As far as the FWD’s I know of 2 hook & ladders that are around, 1 is being restored and 1 is in a storage yard in Glen Ellyn along with a pirsch engine. The others are out there somewhere. A guy in flordia years and years ago must had bought 5 trucks and 5 engines, not sure whatever happened to them.
#4 by David on February 13, 2014 - 2:35 AM

Pity that none of the Autocar or Mack COE squad trucks were saved, that was an awesome design.
#5 by FFPM571 on February 12, 2014 - 5:47 PM

Like most everything the City does with all their old vehicles.. The old rigs sat behind the shops for years. Got picked apart then finally sent to a junk yard and scrapped. Erickson’s Truck parts in MN used to get alot of them.
#6 by John on February 12, 2014 - 5:23 PM

Now for the question of the century. What happened to all of the old AutoCar Squad rigs, FWD Engines and FWD Hook & Ladders???? Does anyone know of any in existence that may have been refurbished?? I’ve been on/around the job since 1969, as a fan rode on Squad 9 on Wood St, Squad 3 on Wabash, and Squad 5 on South Chicago, as well as the “pie-wagons of Salvage Squad 5 (old Squad 5) and Salvage Squad 7 (old Squad 9, who moved into E 129’s qtrs. Old Squad 12 was orogonally at E-129), as well as FMS 2 (old Squad 13). It seems that the above-mentioned 3 types of apparatus have just vanished, like the dinosaurs. anyone???
#7 by tom sullivan on September 1, 2013 - 9:21 AM

over the years the squads (of all types) were used as manpower pools. in the late 1970’s the flying “manpower” squads (the word “manpower” prominently displayed on the side of the rigs) were empty shells on wheels. with just a driver and officer they would respond in their large districts, not accomplishing much in the way of assisting the undermanned engine & truck cos. every day the members would be detailed out of their house to cover at other houses. flying squad 6 and snorkel 6, in the same house with e-110, were caught in this situation. the snorkel also only had a driver / engr (often acting ff) and officer. when the snorkel was working at a fire they would often draft a ff from another company to help man the basket.
many times the only officer in the house would be on the squad.
the salvage squads were manpower squads in reality, not a lot of special tools / equipment other than some covers and squeegees. (and of course the E & J inhalator box). again they ran with what ever manpower was available, 3 or 4 men
#8 by Bill Post on September 1, 2013 - 3:10 AM

The accident at Foster and Broadway is the one that I distinctly remember reading and hearing about and yes they could have been using some other Squad companies 1954 Autocar as a spare rig.
The 8 1954 Auto cars had been assigned to Squads 1,3,4,5,8,9,10 and 11.
Squad 4’s rig was wrecked on August 25th 1963 and Squad 3’s rig was wrecked on April 17 1967. During 1967 several of the 1954 Squads were shifted around and made into spare rigs as most of the Squads had become light duty companies by the summer of 1967 with only a driver assigned to them and were ordered to respond only to Still and Box alarms within their former ” Still districts” with their driver. By early 1968 the remaining Squads with the exception of Squads 4 and 9 and Salvage Squad 1 and 2 had been officially taken out of service.
#9 by Bill Post on September 1, 2013 - 2:27 AM

Yes Tom by then there were plenty of spare Auto Cars to go around as by the Spring of 1968 only Squads 4, 9 and Salvage Squads 1 and 2 were still in service. Not to mention the Snorkel Squads even though Snorkel Squad 3 really wasn’t running with a Snorkel for well over a year.
Yes I remember the “Duravan” bread truck and you were spot on about Salvage Squad 3 being moved to Engine 22’s new station (just to make the house look full) as Engine 83’s house was much more centrally located in the old 3rd Division and Engine 83 was also busier. I’m sure that you remember that Salvage Squad 3 still ran with an “inhalator” aboard and was still sent on Inhalator runs just like the old Squad companies were sent when the nearest ambulance wasn’t available.
The running districts of the Salvage Squads were based strictly on the old Division boundary lines and not based on the distance of the nearest Salvage Squad to the fire.
A good example was Salvage Squad 6 which was only located about half a mile west of the Old 6th Division boarder line which was the Chicago river.
If the Still and Box was on Western avenue north of Belmont even though Salvage Squad 6 was much closer , Salvage Squad 3 would be dispatched there as Western avenue (north of the river) was officially located in the 3rd Division it was considered to be Salvage Squad 3’s box.
The CFD followed the same foolish rules when it came to the running districts of the new “District” Squad companies from 1980 to 1983 when the Squads running districts were the same as the Districts that they were located in.
An example of that was that in the fall of 1982 after the Battalions were renumbered and realigned within the 6 new Districts Squad 2 (at Engine 68’s house) would respond to the Lakefront as far as about Irving Park because that was located in the 5th Battalion which was assigned to the 2nd District at the time and even though Squad 3 was located much closer at Engine 110 (at Foster and Western) and even Squad 1 at Engine 42’s house (at the time) was closer then Squad 2 to Irving Park and the Lakefront.
#10 by grumpy grizzly on August 31, 2013 - 6:12 PM

Several guys from New York looking for Chicago runs and fire info. Any help
#11 by Chris on August 31, 2013 - 2:32 PM

More Squad 4 detective work??:

“accident on August 25th 1963. After the wreck they were assigned rig C 47 a 1949 Mack Squad.”

and most likely the ’49 was heavily damaged, if not totaled, in the 05.29.1965 accident at Foster & Broadway ( Squad broadsided a wedding party car while responding to a still alarm ) and (the photo of the rig sure resembles a ’49 Mack Sq. & I may be wrong but I don’t think it was a COQ squad ) – which is how they might have ended up with the IH.

So its very plausible that Sq.4 may have been using (at any given time) ‘tween 05.29.1965 accident and 1968 someone’s ’54 Autocar as a spare AND with the ’65 accident the photo must have been taken at least sometime after June 1965 ( da’ Mustang is a key clue )

I obviously didn’t have much to do today
#12 by DMc77 on August 30, 2013 - 2:41 PM

Lincoln Building fire pic: April 7, 1957 there was a 2-11 alarm at 2416-18 W. Cermak for a fire in a 1-story factory (pic looks like more but my records show it as a 1-sty), 50×115. Box 576 at 0746 hrs.

Swift and Co. pic: August 1, 1958, there was a 4-11 at 4100 S. Racine for a fire in an 8-story, vacant warehouse, 150×150. Box 2165 at 1053 hrs.

Hubbard fire pic: On January 1, 1958, there was a 5-11 at 54 E. Hubbard for a fire in a vacant, 7-story cold storage warehouse, 75×125. Box 815 at 0719 hrs.
#13 by tom sullivan on August 30, 2013 - 5:43 AM

not to contradict anything said about sqd 4’s use of a spare / non auto car rig , but I can say for a fact that on the night of the king riots in april 1968, they were running with an auto car rig.
salvage sqd 3’s pie wagon was great fun to ride in, the back doors were left open and you could sit there watching the world go by backwards ! they were moved to e-22’s new quarters, to fill a lot of empty space there. they still responded all the way to north city limits on S&B. nice view of the lakefront going up LSD !
#14 by Mike Mc on August 30, 2013 - 12:11 AM

The water tower may be at a fire on Hubbard Street but it is not “the Hubbard Street fire” with nine LODD’s. That fire was in January, 1961.
#15 by Bill Post on August 29, 2013 - 10:49 PM

Squad 4’s Autocar was shop number C54 a 1954 Autocar Squad which was one of 8 such units delivered in 1954. They were put in service on May 21st 1954 at Squad 4 and according to my information they were wtecked in an accident on August 25th 1963. After the wreck they were assigned rig C 47 a 1949 Mack Squad. By mid 1966 Squad 4’s regular rig was a 1956 International Harvester former High Pressure Hose Wagon which was never officially lettered at the shops for Squad 4 but had been stenciled in as Squad 4 on one of the doors and that was Squad 4’s last official rig before they had become Salvage Squad 3 on October 1st 1968.
Now I didn’t hang out at Engine 83 and Squad 4’s quarters back then but I do recall that their Squad was wrecked in 1963 and when I moved to Squad 4’s district in the spring of 1966 they were already using a 1956 International Harvester former High Pressure Wagon as their rig.
#16 by Chris on August 29, 2013 - 7:21 PM

” In the second photo featuring Squad 4 in front of Engine 83?s old house, there is a serious question as to if the shot was taken in 1968. Squad 4?s 1954 Autocar was totaled on August 25th 1963 ”

The Squad 4 shot must have been taken in at least LATE 1964 OR LATER – The front bumper of the Squad is labelled Squad 4
and to the left of the rear of the fuel truck is the front-end of a Ford Mustang originally produced in 1964 as a 1964 1/2 model year
#17 by Bill Post on January 27, 2013 - 4:34 AM

In the second photo featuring Squad 4 in front of Engine 83’s old house, there is a serious question as to if the shot was taken in 1968. Squad 4’s 1954 Autocar was totaled on August 25th 1963, and after that for about two to two and a half years Squad 4 was using a 1949 Mack Squad. After that from 1966 through October of 1968, Squad 4 was using a 1956 International Harvester high-pressure wagon as their regular apparatus.

In October of 1968 when Squad 4 became Salvage Squad 3, they were given a Dodge Duravan bread truck, which wasn’t even a traditional squad type apparatus.

By 1968 there were only four squads still in service, and that is if you include Salvage Squads 1 and 2. The fourth squad that was in service was Squad 9.

I moved to the far northwest end of Squad 4’s still district in April or May of 1966, and Squad 4 was already using the International Harvester high-pressure wagon. I had never seen them using an Auto Car Squad. The only other possibility would be if they were using an Autocar squad as a spare or a reassigned unit, as 7 squads were taken out of service during the previous year (1967).

At the time, Salvage Squad 1 was still using their 1954 Autocar, but it was equipped with an Aurora Borealis light on the top. Salvage Squad 2 was using another 1956 International high-pressure wagon as their regular rig. Squad 9 may still have been using their 1956 Auto Car, but they were located on the south west side at Engine 116’s old house at 5259 S Wood Street.

While they could have been using a reassigned Autocar, the probability was unlikely as the Autocar in the photo still looked pretty good, and by 1968 the Autocar squads that were still around at the time were pretty well worn. That was probably Squad 4’s original 1954 Autocar that was wrecked in 1963. Perhaps if the picture was enlarged we would be able to read the small number on the door of the squad.
#18 by DMc77 on January 14, 2013 - 6:49 PM

On August 8, 1968 a 2-11 alarm from box 1498 at 1544hrs for a fire in a 3 story apartments above stores at 9137 S. Commercial.
#19 by David on January 12, 2013 - 7:05 AM

Great set. Anybody knows the year they purchased the IHC fuel truck refuelling Sq. 4 on the 2nd photo?! Quite rare to see a CFD shop rig from that era.
#20 by Jim Johnson on January 12, 2013 - 6:44 AM

Like the shot of sqaud 4 showing the fuel truck simalar to first gear 1/34 diecast model,
#21 by Henry on January 11, 2013 - 8:32 AM

“Can’t really find any info on the one labeled Catholic Storage Bureau”

Sign sez “Catholic Salvage Bureau”. Searching for that will provide many results, including that the photo was probably taken by Harold Ansell on 07/31/1968 when he worked for Field Enterprises.