Photos by Gordon Nord from the 5-11 Alarm fire + 1 Special Alarm at 2510 W. 26th Street 10/21/16
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
#1 by Bill Post on October 25, 2016 - 3:23 AM
This is a correction for the second sentence in my previous comments. It should be that many Special Purpose units are on call brought to the scene of extra alarm fires and other emergencies when needed by the company or companies that they are located with. Many of those units are attached to the Special Operations section such as the Collapse and Tunnel Rescue Units.
#2 by Bill Post on October 25, 2016 - 12:24 AM
The last that I heard 661 was still located with Engine 35 and would qualify as a special duty rig that is on call whenever it’s needed. All Special Operations units are on-call and brought to the scene of extra alarm fires or other emergencies when they are needed. This includes the light wagons, smoke ejectors, hose wagons, rehab units, the high-rise unit (6116) plus several others. Snorkel 1 is a ready reserve unit and the key word is ready. It gets called several times a year so technically speaking it is in limited service. Until the early 1980’s most of Chicago’s special purpose companies were manned. Some of the manpower was considered to be light-duty, but they did have dedicated manning. During the 1970s all of the deluge units, the light wagons, and the smoke ejectors were staffed. The Snorkels were regularly manned companies until Sept 19, 1983 when three of the six Snorkel companies were taken out of service. They became reserve units located at different stations around the city and when needed were dispatched with either the engine or the truck company that they were housed with. The remaining three Snorkels were combined into the two-piece Snorkel squads that are still in service to this day. The only difference is that from September 1983 until late 1986/early 1987 they were running with 75-foot Snorkels.
Don’t mistake the squad companies that were created in September 1983 with the original Snorkel squads. The original Snorkel Squad 1 was put in service on October 1st 1962 using a small 40-foot Snorkel and a high pressure fog unit equipped with a 300-gallon booster tank. A second Snorkel squad was put in service on September 4th 1962 and a 3rd on May 16 1965. They were both taken out of service during May of 1969. The original Snorkel Squad 1 was taken out of service on October 3rd 1980, along with five flying manpower squads. They were replaced on the same day with five one-piece squad companies. The three new squad/Snorkel companies created on September 19, 1983 were an economic measure of Fire Commissioner Louis Galante. The fire duty rate had gone down for Chicago’s six Snorkel companies and squad companies so half of the squads and Snorkels were taken out of service. The other half were combined into the squad companies that we have today. Squad 7 at the airport remained in service however.
The current Seagrave/Pierce 85-foot Snorkel was only in service as a fully manned Snorkel company for about a year as Snorkel Company 1 on May 7th 1982. After September 19, 1983, it occasionally was used as a Snorkel for the new squads but it was usually used in reserve. It was first located at Engine 112’s current station and then a few years later it was relocated to Engine 42’s house and then finally with Engine 35. The 1975 Oshkosh/Pierce Snorkel was usually assigned with a squad however it also went into reserve for a few years after the Spartan/E-One Snorkels were delivered in 1987.
I tend to agree with Mike that as long as the Snorkel is operable it should be used as it still gets called out quite a bit. I recall that it was used at the extra alarm fire at a strip mall at Kedzie and Vanburen this summer. I really wouldn’t upgrade it since money is tight and the CFD really needs to concentrate it’s limited funding on purchasing engines, trucks and tower ladders.
Down the road I would eventually like to see Aerial Tower 1 and possibly Truck 3 or Truck 6 get 134-foot Bronto Skylifts which are similar to Snorkels. I’d like to see this because Aerial Tower 1 used a 135-foot aerial until the current 105-foot unit was delivered in 2006. Truck 3 was also using a 135-foot aerial until 1995 when the ladder was permanently damaged after crashing into a building while avoiding a car in the north Loop. It would make sense for Chicago to have a few 134-foot aerials as they were using a longer ladders as early as 1960 when two 144-foot Mack/Magirus ladders were put in service near the Loop at Truck 3 and Truck 39. Later they were moved to Truck 2 and Truck 8 before being taken out of service. Truck 39 was located in what is now Engine 103’s current house at the time. From 1975 until 1988 Truck 1 was using a 135-foot Morita-Lift on a Hendrickson chassis. So Chicago had been using a few taller aerial devices from 1960 until 2006 or 46 years. The 134-foot Bronto Skylifts are the tallest sold in America by E-One.
This would have to done several years down the road as right now Chicago needs to concentrate on getting engines, trucks and tower ladders up to date.
#3 by Brian on October 24, 2016 - 4:31 PM
6-6-1 is not on the streets, it is a reserve rig called out a handful of times a year. Upgrading make sense but in tight financial times, upgrading would put it into front line status (my opinion)
#4 by Mike on October 24, 2016 - 5:28 PM
6-6-1 is actually in pretty decent condition. It’s in service but not manned and only respondes when special called. All it’s used for is just the snorkel. The pump doesn’t work so an engine feeds them and with no computers controlling anything it’s pretty simple and not much to break.
#5 by David on October 24, 2016 - 11:35 AM
KNWster: thanks for the info.
I’m wondering how long they’re gonna keep 6-6-1 on the streets, looks like it’ll make some sense to get a replacement for that rig after 34 years.
#6 by KNWster on October 24, 2016 - 9:16 AM
No deluge rigs called AFAIK. The only special was for 6-6-1, the reserve Snorkel, but an EMS Plan I was called when two firefighters were hurt I believe (minor injuries I think).
The rundown, taken from Chicago Fire Department Incidents’ Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-Fire-Department-Incidents-158664260936239/
Companies assigned to The 5-11 Alarm Fire at 2510 W 26TH St on 10-21-2016
Engine Companies : 109, 23, 39, 107, 65, 18, 99, 38, 19, 49, 26, 103, 14, 8, 29, 5, 123, 44, 34, 15, 76 (w/572), 28 (w/ 915)
Truck Companies : 32, TL5, 52, SQD1, 8, 48, 7, TL39, TL54, 28 (w/ 661)
Ambulance Companies : 33, 19, 69, 45, 24, 62, 8, 67
And much more
#7 by David on October 22, 2016 - 12:49 PM
Anybody knows if they used any of the two deluge rigs (6-7-3, 6-7-6)?? Looks like there were some issues with water as from what I’ve seen on the ABC7 news or on the web.
#8 by Michael M on October 22, 2016 - 11:56 AM
Really nice shot of Tower ladder 39!
#9 by Evan Davis on October 22, 2016 - 11:13 AM
How is Chicago liking the E-One’s so far? Any major issues with them at all?