A note to Dave Fornell:
Dave,
A trivia question for the group.
Does anyone know (what year and maybe what size) when the booster tank was added to the Engine Companies of some major cities?
Maybe, FDNY, Chicago, LA and any others that we may be able to get info on.
To my recollection, some of the “city service” rigs tanks were in the 300 gallon version.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Nelson L. Miller
Nelson L. Miller, Staff Instructor
Suppression & Industrial Training
PSFA Point of Contact-Mentoring
County of Allegheny
Fire Academy
700 West Ridge Road
Allison Park, PA 15101
thanks Drew
#1 by Joe Smith on April 7, 2017 - 7:39 PM
Milwaukee, WI purchased it’s last engine without a booster tank in 1954. Prior to this, and continuing through the 1950’s, booster tanks were limited to companies in outlying areas where hydrants might not always be available. Companies in close proximity to the freeways were the next to receive tank equipped apparatus. It took until 1979 for all engine companies to be equipped with tanks, and several years longer for all reserve apparatus.
#2 by Phil Stenholm on April 7, 2017 - 5:11 PM
What I meant to say is…
– UN – like the Seagrave quads (which were assigned to engine companies located in remote & isolated corners of the city), the ALF quads were assigned to combination companies formed in 1932 (during the Great Depression) that saved money by combining a five-man engine company and a five-man truck company into a single eight-man combination company (by cutting two positions – an engineer and an officer).
The six combination companies that were formed in 1932 (the ones that were assigned the ALF quads) ran as both an engine company and a truck company within their own still district, but unlike Combination companies 97 & 119, the six combination companies formed in 1932 were not restricted to responding to incidents within their own still district only. These companies could run as a conventional truck company and follow an engine company from an adjacent district on a still.
#3 by Phil Stenholm on April 7, 2017 - 4:33 PM
DREW: There were a number of horse-drawn chemical engines in service with the CFD in the 19th Century. These rigs has soda-acid chemical tanks which were operated tactically just like a 20th century booster.
Then there were four or five 300 GPM pumpers in service in the late 1920’s and 1930’s that had a Foamite tank (one of them was Engine Co. 92).
But as far as conventional motor-driven automobile apparatus with booster water-tanks are concerned…
1. MARCH 1925 :
CFD Shops installs 200 gallon booster tank on Engine Co. 125 apparatus (ex-E117 1919 White/Pirsch 500/200 D-117) . The “booster” was installed because Engine Co. 125 responded to a lot of prairie fires on the northwest side. This rig becomes Booster 2 at E18/T5 in 1932 and is assigned to the congested Maxwell Street Market during business hours. It was relocated to E108 (where there were also a lot of prairie fires) in 1941, then back to E125 1948-57.
2. AUGUST 1929:
Seagrave 750 GPM quad with 80-gallon booster tank (D-161) was Combination 97 for more than thirty years (1929-1960). It was also equipped with an inhalator. Combination Co. 97 was staffed with an eight-man crew and did not respond to alarms outside its own still district. Located in an isolated corner of the city, Combination Co. 97 was designed to be a fire department unto itself. After it was replaced with a standard pumper with a ladder-rack, this rig was moved to O’Hare Field and ran as Combination 10 for eight more years (1960-68) This was both the oldest CFD quad AND the last one to be removed from front-line service. .
3. OCTOBER 1930:
Duplicate of Combination 97, this Seagrave 750 GPM quad (D-162) also had a 80-gallon booster tank, It was Combination 119 for twenty years (1930-1950). Like Combination 97, the rig was equipped with an inhalator, and (like Combination Co. 97) Combination Co. 119 was staffed with an eight-man crew and did not respond to alarms outside its own still district. It was designed to be a stand-alone fire department unto itself. After Truck Co. 55 was organized at Engine 119 in 1950, the rig was transferred to Combination Co.7 until Truck Co. 58 was organized in 1956, and then it was the first Combination 10 at O’Hare Field (1956-60).
4. DECEMBER 1931:
Ford “AA” 350 GPM pumper with 200 gallon booster tank (D-163) was Booster 1 at E125 where it responded to prairie fires. Rig was removed from front-line service in 1935 and it was converted to a supply truck. .
5-10. APRIL 1932:
Six American-LaFrance 1000 GPM quads with 100-gallon booster tanks (D164-169) initially in service as Combinations 46, 47, 62, 121, 125, and 127 (a couple of them would eventually become Combination 7 and Combination 72 — later Combination 81). Last one removed from front-line service was D-166 (Combination 81) in 1955. Like the Seagrave quads, the ALF quads were assigned to combination companies formed during the Great Depression that allowed a five-man engine company and a five-man truck company to be combined into a single eight-man company that saved money (by cutting two positions – an engineer and an officer), with the company operating as essentially a stand-alone self-contained mini-fire department unto itself.
11. MAY 1934:
Ford “BB” 350 GPM pumper with 200 gallon booster tank (D-170) was the new Booster 1 at E125 in 1935 where it responded primarily to prairie fires, then it was moved to Midway Airport in December 1941 (Foamite tank installed in 1944), then it was relocated to E108 in 1948 and was first-due to Orchard-Douglas Airport (O’Hare Field) 1948-55, then it was assigned to Meigs Field 1957-1959.