This from Danny Richardson:
Hello does anyone know these Chicago Firefighters from 1982? I was at Engine 50 truck 18 visiting from London (ex London Fire Brigade) and spent some time at what they called the Snake Pit! going on calls . If you can help or put me in touch with anyone that can I would appreciate it.
Kind Regards Danny Richardson
The young buck in the pic is me. Good memories.
#1 by Bill Post on April 23, 2022 - 1:31 PM
Tim thanks for mentioning about you Grandfather. Even though I had never personally met him I do remember very well when he was the Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department. I also remember watching him one evening on an Interview on Live Television on Channel 11 one night.
I happen to be a Fan of the LAFD City fire department and I follow them quite a bit considering that I am from Chicago. When he was the Fire Commissioner it was one of few if only times that the City Hired a Fire Commissioner from out of town. While hiring”out of towners” to Lead the Chicago Police has been a pretty common practice, when it comes to hiring out of towners to the Lead the Chicago Fire Department is a real rarity.
Being that there are quite a few geographical and conditional differences between Chicago and Los Angeles you probably know that some Chicago Fire Fighters used to Joke about him and they called him “Brush Fire Billy” however I have been following the LAFD for a very long time and back in the 1960s and 1970s I had been impressed by them.
I was wondering what your grandfathers position was as a Chief on the LAFD before coming to Chicago and what Division and Battalion’s he had been assigned to.
You would probably know that there is a very big difference between the way that the LAFD operates and how many other Fire Departments operate. A good example is that while the Commander of the Chicago Fire Department is the Commissioner, the Commander of the LA City Fire Department was known as the Chief Engineer which is at least different in terms of title.
The City of Los Angeles instead has Board of Fire Commissioners which is made of 5 Appointees and they have a Chairman of the Board. There is also a fairly large difference between the LA City and the LA County Fire Departments if you consider that the operate next to each other. So there is a fairly large difference between the Fire Departments.
Since you were talking about your late Grandfather I was wondering if your father was also on the LAFD?
#2 by Tim on April 22, 2022 - 9:17 PM
That’s my grandpa William Blair in the last photo! Sadly he passed in ‘09 and my Grandma Jeanne last year. They were happy in retirement! Only time I knew them. Cool to see this picture I haven’t seen before
#3 by RJ.Quinn on March 3, 2022 - 12:15 PM
.Lt. Tom Ruane
#4 by Mike Mc on March 3, 2022 - 8:05 AM
I suppose someone had to have his photo taken with Blair.
#5 by Richard Mikel on March 2, 2022 - 5:06 PM
Danny:
Good to hear from you. I work in the suburbs, but I remember you being here to visit…I believe with your girlfriend. I know that someplace I have some group photos we took at the lakefront. I can’t help with the CFD names, but I remember your name and your visit from 40-years ago!
Take good care,
Richard Mikel