New tower ladder for Elmhurst (more)

Updated photos of the new tower ladder for Elmhurst

E-ONE photo

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This entry was posted on April 12, 2016, 3:30 PM and is filed under Fire Department News, Fire truck being built. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

8 Comments (and one trackback)

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#1 by Ryan on April 15, 2016 - 2:05 PM

Elmhurst has an underpass located in the center of town. They have always run with 2 trucks, I think mainly before the underpass was built. Train traffic was an issue. I have heard multiple rumors…nothing factual yet…that vehicle responses may change. As of now, both trucks respond on most ambulance assists. The trucks have higher miles and may make more sense to have the engines respond instead. I also heard they may reduce down to 1 full time truck in the town, but I personally don’t see that happening. Station 2 has a set of railroad tracks behind it, cutting off that side of town from station 1. ISO ratings may benefit from the 2 trucks, rather than 1.
#2 by Brian on April 15, 2016 - 12:02 PM

I forgot they also have the railroad tracks that split the town as well. Good reason to have fully staffed companies on both ends of town
#3 by Mike Mc on April 15, 2016 - 11:07 AM

Thanks for the info Bill. That is an extremely unusual ratio. Doesn’t Elmhurst have some sort of unusual response policy which allows only the first due engine or maybe engine and truck to run with lights and siren on some alarms? Wondering if someone could explain it further. Thanks in advance for any replies.
#4 by MABAS 21 on April 14, 2016 - 8:08 AM

Bill:
Oak Lawn’s situation is caused by careless politicians who believe mutual aid is the fix all band-aid for running with minimum manning and a fire chief with a different opinion of operations. He originally started in the St. Louis area, hence the “quint” concept in both OL and The Ridge. And as proven, the total quint concept doesn’t work, as proven, St. Louis is back to running with traditional engine and truck companies. In addition to losing it’s 110′ true truck, Oak Lawn also lost it’s heavy rescue squad, which used to be on every single box alarm in our division including HAZMAT and TRT responses.
#5 by Bill Post on April 14, 2016 - 1:30 AM

Brian, I stand corrected the fire stations are less then 3 miles apart in Elmhurst however they probably run two trucks because the town is wide and since there is no longer a station in the center of town they have a truck stationed on both ends of town.
#6 by Bill Post on April 14, 2016 - 12:33 AM

Brian at Station 1 which is located on the north end of town, the squad is a jump company. If it is responding, the crew of Truck 1 will respond with the Squad. The engine, trucks, and ambulances each have their own crews. The ambulance crews are hired via contract. Station 1 is also where the tower ladder is assigned. Station 2 is the south side fire station. They are both on York Road. I really haven’t spent much time in Elmhurst however at one time there was a downtown or a central fire station that was torn down probably sometime in the 1980’s. I do know that in the 1970’s there were still three stations in Elmhurst. Elmhurst does have a Class 2 rating however the two stations are over three miles apart which is why they probably run with two truck companies.
It’s ironic that Oak Lawn which used to have a Class 1 fire department now doesn’t even run with it’s own truck company and instead has a neighboring department dispatch a truck even though one of Oak Lawn’s engines is a quint.
#7 by Brian on April 13, 2016 - 11:46 PM

Bill, does Elmhurst fully staff both stations to man the engine, truck and ambo? Or do they use jump companies?
#8 by Bill Post on April 13, 2016 - 10:48 PM

This rig is part of the Elmhurst Fire Department’s gradual change over from yellow to red and white fire apparatus. Their two front line 2009 Pierce engines are red over white and so are the two ambulances, however the two trucks are still yellow. A unique aspect of the Elmhurst FD is that it has a one to one ratio of engines to trucks. It is uncommon to find departments that run an equal number of engines and trucks.
The Skokie Fire Department did have a one to one ratio of engines to trucks from mid 1969 until 1980 when they ran with one engine company and one truck company out of each of their three stations. In 1980, Skokie Truck 2, which ran out of the east side station, was replaced with Rescue Truck 2, an ALS pumper/squad. That station has since been renumbered as 17. The paramedics where taken off of the unit when Ambulance 17 was put in service in 2003 and they were re-designated as Rescue 17. They carry some truck and squad tools however it is for most intents and purposes a fourth front line engine company and not a truck company.