From Chicago Alderman Andrew Napolitano’s Facebook page:
I am excited to announce that yesterday the Chicago Fire Department delivered a brand new fire engine to Engine Company 11 house on Cumberland. This brand new state of the art rig will give our firefighters a more modern approach towards fire suppression on the Northwest side of Chicago. Thank you for all you do CFD Engine 11, Truck 9 and Ambulance 2
thanks Danny
#1 by Danny on October 26, 2019 - 12:51 PM
The firehouse may be bigger but truck 8s still district has some tight streets as well
#2 by Aidan Hughes on October 26, 2019 - 10:34 AM
The new Aerial Tower is likely going to Truck 8 because their firehouse is bigger.
#3 by Mike on October 24, 2019 - 10:59 PM
Did Chicago get rid of the White Coats for Anyone over the rank of Battalion Chief? Saw some pictures and was wondering if anyone had anything?
#4 by John Antkowski on October 24, 2019 - 2:36 PM
I just read through the current issue of Fire Apparatus Journal and the author of the updates for Chicago has the Aerial Tower going to Truck 7. I know that you don’t believe anything until it’s done, but that’s an interesting idea, because of Tower 10. I’m guessing some changes are in air for rig assignments. Anyone hear something else? Just curious? John
#5 by Aidan Hughes on October 21, 2019 - 1:14 PM
The guys at Engine 125’s firehouse said their rig is being repaired after the accident. It’s not totaled. I have been to their firehouse prior to the accident.
#6 by Sebastian on October 21, 2019 - 5:30 AM
I am waiting for it to be reassigned to engine 125 since theirs was wrecked!!
#7 by Bill Post on October 20, 2019 - 9:54 PM
Mike L you were right on target as far as Engine 42 being a super firehouse. At least that’s what I thought. It seems that many people thought that Engines 11, 42, 13, Trucks 3 and 9, Salvage Squad 1, Battalion 2, and Ambulance 21 would be moving into that station. We were wrong.
It made perfect sense as all of those stations were only a few blocks from the new house however Commissioner Robert J Quinn had other plans. Even though Engine 13 and Ambulance 21 were not more than three blocks south of the station, they decided to keep Engine 13 where they were because of the bridges across the Chicago River. It turns out Salvage Squad 1 who was located with Engine 42 was moved to Engine 5’s house a few weeks prior to the opening of Engine 42’s new house. On October 1st 1968, about a month from the time Engine 42’s house opened, Salvage Squads 1 and 2 were both relocated and Salvage Squads 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were put in service as new companies. Each of them was located in a separate divisions.
The only thing that you were off on is that Engine 11 and Truck 9 were in service for about two weeks after Engine 42 and Truck 3’s new house opened. Incidentally, it was Engine 75 and Truck 43 that were recommended to be put into what is now Engine 11 and Truck 9’s house, and it was supposed to be built in the vicinity of Foster and Canfield, almost a mile east of the where it is. As you probably know, Engine 75 is still where they were during the 1960s when it was recommended that they be relocated to the northwest side. In 1986, the CFD did an in-house study which recommended putting Engine 75 into a new station at about 200 E 130th Street off of Indiana.
#8 by Mike L on October 20, 2019 - 11:01 AM
When 42’s house opened, it was supposed to be a super house with 2 or 3 engs and 2 trucks but it never happened. Eng 11 and Trk 9 remained around the corner for a year or so before being disbanded. They did not relocate to Cumberland (Pueblo) but rather reorganized a few years after disbanding. Great company history!!! Also, with Eng 12 reorganizing a few years ago, O’Hare is the only area in the city where a Still and Box will get 4 engines consecutively numbered (9,10,11,12). Ironic that the newest area of the city gets covered by some of the lowest numbered engine companies albeit through reorganizing and relocation.
#9 by PJ on October 20, 2019 - 7:08 AM
My dad was a fireman on Sq-2 in 34’s house at Washington and Aberdeen. He often spoke of E11 and Trk 9. As I’m sure you know they were located at State and Hubbard i am guessing they closed around the time 42’s new house opened. Living on the northwest side in the very early 70’s on Balmoral Avenue I remember them build and opening Engine 11’s house. At the time the area was just beginning to develop. There were still farms and horse stables west of Cumberland. Looking at an old directory Ambulance 2 was in with Engine 24 at Warren and Campbell. They also were in with Engine 103 on Laflin. Around 1974 the became one of the first telemetry ambulances and were moved to Engine 26 as Ambulance 45.
#10 by Bill Post on October 20, 2019 - 2:46 AM
It’s good to see Engine 11 with a rig that is not a hand me down. Their previous rig was originally assigned to Engine 83 for just a few years.
And speaking of their “Cavemen Days” none of those companies were near Cumberland back then. Does anyone else remember when they were downtown and Ambulance 2 was on the west side?