This from Eric Haak:
They got this one out very quickly and with the temps being what they were, I didn’t hang around to get too many additional shots.Shortly before 1400hrs on Saturday afternoon, Chicago’s 17th Battalion Chief was dispatched to the report of a fire on the 5700 block of South Indiana. While en route, the Englewood Fire Alarm Office received reports that there were occupants trapped on the second floor and the fire response was elevated to a Still and Box. The first due engine’s house was only 5 blocks away from the incident and Engine 84 was on scene in less than 2 minutes reporting a fire on the second floor of a 3-story, 30×70 ordinary, occupied apartment building. If you weren’t within a couple miles of this one, there wasn’t much to see as the fire was contained to one unit of the six-unit building.I arrived as Truck 51 was just raising their main to the roof and within a few minutes, the fire was out. All searches proved to be negative. Seven adults and six children were displaced by the fire but a family cat miraculously survived. As I was leaving, the soot and water drenched pet was returned to it’s grateful owner. It initially looked DOA but then it started moving and seemed to be fine. Still companies were Engine 84, Engine 47, Truck 51, Truck 30. I believe the box engines were 50 and 16. I have included a shot of Engine 50 seeing that it is the oldest active engine in the fleet.
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
#1 by Bill Post on December 17, 2013 - 12:15 AM
Danny until around mid 2010 Engine 50 was using a 1998 short wheel base HME/Luverne rig which was a hand me down and was originally assigned to Engine 88 when it was delivered. All of the 1998 model and 1999 model shortwheel base HME/Luverne Engines when they were originally assigned were put in service with new ALS (Advance Life Support) Engine companies. About 3 to 4 years later when newer Spartan Luverne Engines were delivered in late 2001 and in 2002 most of the 1998 HME/Luvernes were reassigned. Some of them went to ALS companies and some went to BLS companies, several which eventually would become an ALS company. When Engine 88 received their new 2002 model Spartan Luverne Engine their HME Luverne went to Engine 50. Eventually Engine 50 also became an ALS Engine however the reason that Engine 50 was assigned the 1995 Spartan Luverne that it is currently using is that the HME/Luverne Engine have smaller and more cramped up crew cabs and are not very popular amongst their crews so since Engine 89’s old 1995 Spartan Luverne was just replaced with a newer hand me down and was in pretty good shape for it’s age it was reassigned to Engine 50. Engine 89 is one of the slowest Engines in the city in terms of runs. While I don’t have the statistics for the last 2 years I can tell you that for 2008,2009 and 2010 , Engine 89 had ranked (coincidentally) 89,91 and once again 89 in terms of runs out of 95 land based Engine companies.
So the crew understandably preferred a rig with a Spartan cab which is roomier than an HME cab. Most of the HME/short wheel based Engines are now assigned to or were reassigned to smaller fire stations or to areas with narrow streets however there are some exceptions such as the ones that are assigned to Engine 102, Engine 59 and Engine 11. In the case of Engine 59 and 102 both of those companies were in tighter and narrower quarters when they were originally given their rigs. The 1997 HME/Luvernes are not short wheel based as they have longer bodies then the 1998 and 1999 models however most of them are assigned to slower companies also.
What I don’t understand is the fact that there are about 2 newer Spartan Luverne Engines (2002) models that were being used as spare rigs that could be reassigned to Engine 50 now. Either way their current rig didn’t have that much wear and tear on it when they were reassigned it about 3 years ago.
#2 by danny on December 16, 2013 - 1:46 AM
anyone know why 50 has that old rig?
#3 by Robert on December 13, 2013 - 3:58 PM
Good to see the old Spartan Engine and newer Spartan Truck