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HISTORY OF EVANSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT SQUAD 21: 

1. The First Squad was a 1952 Pirsch 1000-GPM / 100-gallon pumper-squad. One of five rigs purchased by Evanston from Pirsch 1951-52, this was the original Squad 21 from 1952-65, and while it had a 1000-GPM pump, it had no hose bed but there was a “red-line” booster hose reel and 100 gallons of water on board that could be used to extinguish a minor fire. This rig was initially staffed by two firefighters and responded to about 100 inhalator calls city-wide per year from 1952-1959 and to working fires and specialized rescue calls when requested. Inhalators were placed into service with all five engine companies in 1959, so Squad 21 was staffed by just one firefighter (usually the shift mechanic) and responded only to working structure fires and specialized rescue calls when requested 1959-62. It was placed back into front-line service in January 1963 as a four-man company when Truck Co. 23 was taken out of service. It ran as a manpower & rescue company from that point onward, responding to all fire calls (not just working fires) and specialized rescue calls city-wide. It was also the primary inhalator company for Station #1 (keeping Engine 21 available for alarms in the downtown high-value district). Without a hose bed, the 1000-GPM pump was essentially wasted. The original squad body was removed and replaced with a new pumper body in 1966, after-which it ran as Engine 22 from 1966-70 and then as Engine 25 from 1970-76. It was retired and gutted for spare parts in 1980 (there were two other 1952 Pirsch pumpers still in reserve through 1983) and then it became playground equipment at Kamen Park at Asbury & South Blvd. 

Bill Friedrich photo

2. The SS-1 of the Evanston Fire Department was a 1965 International / General Body pumper-squad. This rig replaced the 1952 Pirsch pumper-squad so that the Pirsch could be converted into a triple-combination pumper (see above). The work-horse of the Evanston Fire Department between 1966-76, this “Frankenstein” rig was constructed by General Body Co. at their Chicago factory using an International cab & chassis like the ones used by City of Evanston garbage trucks back at that time. General Body (makers of the legendary CFD Autocar squads, the Oscar Mayer “Wienermobile,” bookmobiles, and other specialty vehicles) fabricated the body and put it all together. Included on this rig was a split hose-bed with two leads of pre-connected 1-1/2 hose-lines designed for rapid fire-attack, a heavy-duty front bumper-mounted winch (used mainly to haul vehicles out of Lake Michigan and fire trucks out of snow drifts), extendable quartz lights, and a high-pressure deck gun master-stream nozzle. This version of Squad 21 was staffed by four firefighters and responded to all fire calls (not just working fires) and specialized rescue calls city-wide, as well as to inhalator calls and minor fires (vehicle, trash, prairie, etc) in Station #1’s district.  It was, by far, the busiest company in the EFD the years it was in service, and so new firefighters were often assigned to Squad 21 so they could gain a lot of experience as quickly as possible.    

Bill Friedrich photo

3. The Pie Truck – a 1977 Chevrolet / Penn Versatile Van. Known by Evanston firefighters as the “pie truck,” this third version of Squad 21 replaced the 1965 International / General Body squad, mainly because the amount of specialized HazMat, rescue equipment, and dive-team gear added by the EFD in the 1970s exceeded what could be carried on a pumper-squad. Also, Squad 21’s manpower was reassigned to the two MICU ambulances that were placed into service 1976-77, so Squad 21 became an unmanned “jump rig” that was staffed by manpower from Station #1 only when needed  at a working fire, HazMat incident, specialized rescue, dive team call, etc. Thus Squad 21 was no longer the SS-1 of the EFD. It was later reassigned as the Dive Team support truck.  

Larry Shapiro photo

4. The Gladiator : A 2006 Spartan Gladiator / Marion “walk-in” heavy-rescue squad. Like the Chevrolet / Penn van that came before it, this newer version of Squad 21 is a “jump rig” at Station #1 and is staffed only when needed, but the 2006 version of Squad 21 can carry  much more equipment than could the Chevy. Besides an air cascade, heavy-duty winch, portable power & lights, and lots of room for specialized equipment and gear, the 2006 Squad 21 also features rehab facilities for extended incidents.