Images from Dave Fornell’s collection illustrating Chicago’s Ford C-Series Ward LaFrance engines.

The Ward/Ford canopy pumpers were delivered near the end of 1969. There were 10 units in the order and were the only WardLaFrance/Ford canopy pumpers delivered to the CFD. There were a number of non canopy Ward/Fords delivered, and quite a few of Pierce/Ford, E-One/Ford and even a set of Seagrave/Ford canopy pumpers supplied.

The WardLaFrance/Fords went to extremely busy companies, who beat the stuffing out of them. They all had rear compartment mounted winches and were built on Ford C-8000 chassis with 175′ wheelbases. Later E-One and Pierce rigs had 153′ wheelbases largely because the size of the canopy seating area was much smaller.

In those days, the yearly apparatus orders were distributed among politically connected vendors. So, when these were delivered, Schuster equipment was the designated vendor. Pierces (and Seagraves) came from Illinois FWD Truck and Equipment in Rosemont, owned by Ray Schuster, yes a brother to the owner of Schuster Equipment, and the later E-Ones from Able Fire and Safety.

The photos show the following:

The side view is of one of the rigs being acceptance tested on the lake near McCormick place.

Engine 19’s rig is shown right after delivery in front of its quarters.

As the years wore on, Engine 95 and Engine 61 are shown in front of quarters.

Note that Engine 95 was running with 150′ of 3″ supply line, 100′ of which was carried on top of the driver’s side compartments, and the rest in the hose bed. This was a precursor of the 150′ of 4″ line carried on the front bumpers of Chicago rigs today.

One photo shows this evoloution-not standard in the CFD at that time-in use at a junk yard fire on the West Side in the late 70s.

The photo of Engine 19, shown operating at a fire in 1977, with the three-compartment driver’s side body. The story goes that a well-heeled lawyer slammed into the rig and the resulting insurance settlement was enough to allow 3D Metals in Wisconsin to replace the original body.

All of the 1969 Ward/Fords had the same 2-compartments each side body. The later E-One, Seagrave and Pierce bodies had half/height compartments on top of the lower compartments.

These rigs were the last Ward/Ford rigs delivered to the CFD.

Capt. Dave

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Dave Fornell collection

Tags: Chicago FD Engine 19, Chicago FD Engine 61, Chicago FD Engine 95, Chicago Fire Department history, Dave Fornell, Ward LaFrance fire engine in Chicago, Ward laFrance fire engine photos