This from Steve Redick:
Here is some great history from October 10, 1980. I was 3 months on the job in the fao and fielded both original calls for Cermak and Hubbard St fires. We also sent a response to a big job in Cicero in the middle of all this. I sure remember Kenny pulling the box that night. This was a typical crazy night in the good ol‘ FAO.
click to download
Here’s another extra alarm list from December 1980. Some great locations. Also interesting to see the info on the ill-fated CAD Center.
click to download
#1 by Bill Post on May 6, 2020 - 7:54 AM
Speaking of the original Snorkel squads, it was a big let down when SS 2 and SS 3 were taken out of service in May of 1969. They were the busiest rigs in the city. Both were busier then Snorkel Squad 1. SS 3 had the most runs in the last year of service, but SS 2 had the most hours worked and the most special duty runs that year. In 1968 Snorkel Squad 3 had 5952 runs, Snorkel Squad 2 had 5117, and Snorkel Squad 1 only had 4673.
Some of you may be asking how is it that two of the three busiest companies were taken out of service. That was because of the 1968 Maatman Report commissioned by the city to justify not hiring more firefighters to adequately staff companies and taking others out of service due to reductions in working hours that the firefighters received in 1967. The report recommended that all three Snorkel squads be taken out of service, however Commissioner Robert J Quinn saved Snorkel Squad 1 which was his baby. During their final months of service, Snorkel Squads 2 and 3 were designated Rescue Squads 2 and 3 because both of their Snorkels were inoperable. Snorkel Squad 2’s Snorkel was taken out of service sometime in 1968 while Snorkel Squad 3’s had been out of service since January 25/26 of 1967. During the blizzard of 1967 the Snorkel got stuck in a massive snow drift and was removed from service.
SS 3 ran for two years and three months without a Snorkel before being taken out of service, but it was only for their final four months that the Snorkel squad designation was dropped.
Even though “Snorkel” Bob Quinn (as the press sometimes called him) was Mayor Daley’s loyal yes man, he was able to save Snorkel Squad 1.
By the way I’m not saying that there was anything wrong with Quinn saving Snorkel Squad 1, but he wasn’t able keep most of his engines and trucks running with 5-man crews when there were still plenty of working fires during the ‘War Years’ of the late 1960s and 1970s.
Not only did he not have any use for paramedics and their meat wagons, but he didn’t have a need for his men to have modern SCBAs unless they were assigned to his babies, the Snorkel squads and the flying squads.
#2 by Mike Mc on May 5, 2020 - 11:25 PM
What do you mean by Ken Little pulled the box using Squad 1’s radio? Would I be correct in assuming that he was fanning on Squad 1 and relayed the request of the company officer or is there more to the story? Curious.
Snorkel Squad 1 was neither famous or infamous but it was legendary.
#3 by Bill Post on May 5, 2020 - 3:10 AM
Michael M, to further clarify your question about Squad 7. The current Squad 7 went in service s a two-piece Snorkel Squad on February 16, 1982 as Squad 6 at O’Hare. It was re-designated as Squad 7 on September 2nd 1982 when a 6th fire district was created in the city. None of the six city squads were taken out of service to create it.
#4 by Bill Post on May 4, 2020 - 10:48 PM
Michael M, the current squads went in service on Sept 19th 1983.
Louis Galante was the fire commissioner at the time and there were six squads and six Snorkel companies in the city. Squad 7 at O’Hare was a separate company which had very little to do with the city squads.
On October 6th 1980, five one-piece squads were put in service with one per fire district, and each was numbered for the district where it was located. At the time there were also four Snorkel companies in the city numbered 3, 4, 5, and 6. There was no squad company at O’Hare.
On May 25th 1981 several of the Snorkel companies were relocated and renumbered for the districts they were being assigned to. A 5th Snorkel company was also put in service as there were five districts in the city.
Snorkel 5 became Snorkel 1 at Engine 18
Snorkel 4 became Snorkel 2 at Engine 76
Snorkel 6 became Snorkel 3 at Engine 83
Snorkel 4 was the new company using Snorkel Squad 1’s 1975 Hendrickson/Pierce 55-foot Snorkel at Engine 123
Snorkel 3 became Snorkel 5 at Engine 72
On February 16th Squad 6 was put in service at O’Hare. It was a two-piece Snorkel squad. The first piece was a 1975 Oshkosh/Bean/FMC pumper that was retrofitted with 55-foot Snorkel in 1980, and the second piece was a 1979 Chevy/E-ONE mini-pumper.
On September 2, 1982 a 6th fire district was created in the city. Squad 4 at Engine 116 became Squad 5, Squad 5 at Engine 47 was relocated to Engine 93, and Squad 6 at O’Hare became Squad 7. The new Squad 4 was put in service at Engine 95. Squad 1 relocated from Engine 5 to Engine 42, Squad 2 had already been moved to Engine 68, and Squad 3 was already at Engine 110.
As far as the Snorkel companies went, Snorkel 2 went from Engine 76 to Engine 55, Snorkel 3 from Engine 83 to Engine 124, Snorkel 4 became Snorkel 5, Snorkel 5 became Snorkel 6, and the new Snorkel 4 was put in service at Engine 107’s house.
The squad companies only responded on confirmed working fires in addition to special duty calls like pin-ins, haz mats, drownings, and other rescues, and their run numbers dropped. On September 19th 1983 Fire Commissioner Louis Galante took three Snorkel companies and three squad companies out of service. The other three became two-piece Squad/Snorkel companies. Squad/Snorkel 7 was not included in that consolidation as they had been a Squad/Snorkel company since 1981. Squads and Snorkels 3, 4, and 5 were taken out of service. Squads 1, 2, and 6 were combined with their corresponding Snorkels to create the three Squad/Snorkel companies in the city.
Squad/Snorkel 1 was put in service at Engine 5, Squad/Snorkel 2 at Engine 106, and Squad/Snorkel 6 at Engine 122. Squad/Snorkel 6 was changed to 5 on December 18th 1987 when they were relocated from Engine 122 to Engine 116. All three of the city Squad/Snorkel companies were put in service with Oshkosh/Pierce 75-foot Snorkels as their second pieces. They weren’t replaced with smaller 55-foot Snorkels until 1987 and 1988.
Squad/Snorkel 7 was converted into a one-piece heavy rescue squad on October 8, 1988. On February 14, 2017 Squad 7 became a Squad/Snorkel company again. Squad/Snorkel 1 became a one-piece heavy rescue squad on December 26th 1996 and went back to being a two-piece company during the summer of 2000 when they were located at Engine 13’s house.
#5 by Michael m on May 4, 2020 - 4:49 PM
What year were the current squads placed in service? Was it 1988?
I am guessing one of those original 5 squads became Squad 7 at O-Hare rescue 3. Which one was it, was it Squad 3 or Squad 4? Which one of those two squads was taken out of service totally?
#6 by Chris on May 4, 2020 - 3:14 PM
very cool behind-the-scenes information
#7 by Bill Post on May 4, 2020 - 2:40 PM
Thanks for sharing these old extra alarm reports from the 5-11 club Steve they are very interesting.
I want to point out that in the notes on the bottom of Page 1 it states that on October 6th 1980 the remaining Flying Squads 2 though 6 were taken out of service as well as Snorkel Squad 1. On the same day the new Squads 1 through 5 were put in service. It goes on to list the quarters where the new squads were assigned. Four of the five locations were correct however Squad 4 wasn’t at Engine 49’s quarters, they were put in service with Engine 116 which is where Flying Manpower Squad 3 was. It was either a misprint or the editor confused Engine 116’s quarters with Engine 49’s, both of which are located on south Ashland Avenue.