This from Mike Summa:
Found this neat picture on the Midlothian FD facebook page. A great picture of their department from the 1960’s. I do think the Ford sitting there is an old Chicago Fire Patrol truck from the 50’s. Please comment and enjoy.
Midlothian Fire Department history
#1 by Bill Post on April 14, 2017 - 12:42 AM
Thanks for the interesting information, Phil.
By the way Patrol 7 was the first firehouse that I ever visited. I remember going in there with my mother. I only lived about 3 and half blocks away from them, but I was so young that my mother had to take me there to visit. My first school was right behind the station. Where I lived at the time I was actually only about 3/4s of a mile from Engines 76, 43, and 114’s houses. Of those three stations (not including Patrol 7) the only one that knew of when I lived there was Engine 114 and Ambulance 3’s station. I remember visiting them once. Even though I didn’t know where Engine 76 and Engine 43 were at the time, I do remember seeing Engine 76, Engine 43 as well as Squad 6’s apparatus in the neighborhood from time to time. Engine 76 was using a 1954 Mack and Engine 43 was using a 1953 Pirsch. I also remember seeing what was probably Truck 35’s rig and I saw Truck 13’s rig once. Truck 35 was using one of the old Mack tractors built during the 1940’s and they were pulling an even older trailer with a wooden aerial ladder on it. Those trailers were so old that the ground ladders hung from the sides. Truck 36 also had a similar rig to Truck 35 and they both had the old trailers like I just described. Truck 13 was using a much newer 1949 FWD tillered aerial with a wood ladder.
#2 by Phil Stenholm on April 13, 2017 - 10:55 PM
Patrol No. 4 was a 1952 Ford/General (B-47)
#3 by Phil Stenholm on April 13, 2017 - 10:53 PM
Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol (founded 9-30-1871) was disbanded on June 29, 1959, after 87 years of service.
Patrol No. 1 (1958 Ford/General B-50) & Patrol No. 2 (1954 Ford/General B-48) at 100 S. Des Plaines
Patrol No. 3 (1949 Ford/General B-45) & Patrol No. 4 at 5004 S. Union
Patrol No. 5 (1951 Ford/General B-46 & 1957 Ford pick-up truck B-49) at 1044 N. Orleans
Patrol No. 7 (1950 Ford/General B-44) at 3107 W. Fullerton
The six Ford/General salvage trucks were sold to Lombard, Markham, Midlothian, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, & Villa Park F. D.
Skokie F. D. got the newest one (B-50) and it ran as Salvage Squad 3 (radio call-sign “206”) at Station #3 (now Station #18) on Gross Point Road for about five years before going into reserve at Station #2 (now Station #17) in 1965.
And the Chicago F. D. acquired two of the four CFIP firehouses:
The ex-Patrol 3/Patrol 4 firehouse on Union became the new Engine Co.; 50/Truck Co. 18/Battalion 11 house in July 1960, and the ex-Patrol 5 firehouse on Orleans Street became home to CFD Special Services in 1960 and Snorkel Squad 1 in 1962.
The CFD declined to acquire the Patrol 1/Patrol 2 and Patrol 7 firehouses, Patrol 1/Patrol 2 because it was just two blocks from Engine 5, and Patrol 7 because it was only a 1/2-mile from Engine 43 and Engine 114. So both facilities were sold to private interests, with the old Patrol 7 house on Fullerton becoming a church.
Pingback: Glenview Fire Department history | chicagoareafire.com
#4 by Matt on April 13, 2017 - 8:50 AM
Merrionette Park had one of the former FIP White pie wagon style rigs that was retrofitted with a front-mount pump.
I also think that Skokie had a x patrol rig as well.
#5 by Bill Post on April 12, 2017 - 5:32 PM
What a great shot of the those Seagrave rigs. Being a north sider, the Evanston Fire Department was running two Seagrave pumpers using the same engine ahead of cab design for Engines 23 and 24. I also understand that Glenview ran with a similar type of Seagrave mid-mounted adder truck with a pump which technically made it a quint.
#6 by MABAS 21 on April 12, 2017 - 5:27 PM
Bedford Park used to have an exclusive line of various Seagrave apparatus up until the mid or late 90’s, including a beautiful 70th anniversary sedan cab pumper. Off the top of my head, Lombard also had a former Fire Patrol unit which they retrofitted with a small aerial ladder.
#7 by mike mc on April 12, 2017 - 1:33 PM
That is almost certainly an old fire insurance patrol rig: 1950’s Ford, four door cab, black over red, lettering on the front cab above the windshield, fixed lights on the rear of cab, and front mounted bell. I know at least one other suburb used one as a squad.
The engine forward Seagraves were something special. Almost a shame that cab over engine technology became the norm.
#8 by LT501 on April 12, 2017 - 12:42 PM
Note that all of their apparatus except for the patrol vehicle and the International first aid squad are totally-open (roof-less) Seagraves. I believe Midlothian and Summit were the last South suburban departments to run with these type of open vehicles. Also, MFD protected much of Crestwood until the start-up of that department in the 60’s…which eventually became a loyal Seagrave customer (2 engines and a truck) just like Midlo.