This from Brian Murphy:
The following pictures were taken in the early and mid-1990s, and show various EMA and ESDA support vehicles. Most were either ‘home built’ by volunteers using part or whole former fire apparatus, or were donated former fire apparatus. Many of these rigs had long second lives supporting FD and PD operations (and some are most likely still in service). All pictures were taken with various small 35mm cameras (no digital, just old-fashioned photographs).
Comments and details on missing info are welcomed- enjoy!
Brian Murphy
- P1- Bellwood ESDA 1960s (?) Mack light/power squad (exact details NA, most likely x-Bellwood FD)
- P2- Naperville EMA Truck 357 (x-NFD late 70’s Chevy ambo chassis built into lighting/power unit) and Truck 352 (x-NFD/Civil Defense late 60’s GMC Step Van rescue unit)
- P3- Naperville EMA Truck 351 (late 80’s or early 90’s Dodge Ram Van, x-Naperville Public Works truck)
- P4- Naperville EMA Truck 357, Lighting and Power Unit
- P5- Wood Dale ESDA Squad 3 (x-WFD Rescue Squad, details NA)
- P6- Buffalo Grove ESDA IC&C Unit (probably x-BGFD Ambo, details NA)
- P7- DuPage County EMA IC&C Unit (details NA)
- P8- DuPage County EMA Power and Lighting Unit (details NA)
- P9- DuPage County EMA Power and Lighting Unit, side/rear view
- P10- Rolling Meadows ESDA Rescue Squad (details NA, probably x-RMFD Rescue Squad)
- P11- McHenry County ESDA ESDA-52, IC&C Unit (details NA)
- P12- Kane County OEM Light/Power Unit (details NA)
Bellwood ESDA 1960s (?) Mack light/power squad (exact details NA, most likely x-Bellwood FD). Brian Murphy photo
Naperville EMA Truck 357 (x-NFD late 70’s Chevy ambo chassis built into lighting/power unit) and Truck 352 (x-NFD/Civil Defense late 60’s GMC Step Van rescue unit) Brian Murphy photo
Naperville EMA Truck 351 (late 80’s or early 90’s Dodge Ram Van, x-Naperville Public Works truck). Brian Murphy photo
Naperville EMA Truck 357, Lighting and Power Unit. Brian Murphy photo
Wood Dale ESDA Squad 3 (x-WFD Rescue Squad, details NA). Brian Murphy photo
Buffalo Grove ESDA IC&C Unit (probably x-BGFD Ambo, details NA). Brian Murphy photo
DuPage County EMA IC&C Unit (details NA). Brian Murphy photo
DuPage County EMA Power and Lighting Unit (details NA). Brian Murphy photo
DuPage County EMA Power and Lighting Unit, side/rear view. Brian Murphy photo
Rolling Meadows ESDA Rescue Squad (details NA, probably x-RMFD Rescue Squad). Brian Murphy photo
McHenry County ESDA ESDA-52, IC&C Unit (details NA). Brian Murphy photo
Kane County OEM Light/Power Unit (details NA). Brian Murphy photo
#1 by Dennis on October 21, 2014 - 10:14 PM
Found a vehicle today that might be a old ESDA vehicle in lot near 31st and Kedzie. It’s being used as a food delivery vehicle but you can still see signs of it being an old emergency vehicle. Ill get a picture on here soon.
#2 by Dennis Metzger on October 20, 2014 - 11:40 PM
The Bellwood light wagon was bought from Bayshore, L.I. NY
#3 by Randy Buttliere on October 20, 2014 - 11:39 AM
The Buffalo Grove unit was our 1984 Ambulance handed over to ESDA. They have had 3 vehicles total and currently have a 2012 Ford/ Medtec purchased new for them.
#4 by Dennis on October 20, 2014 - 9:19 AM
The Bellwood Mack pumper was bought from Homewood FD(Illinois)
#5 by Scott on October 19, 2014 - 4:32 PM
Some of the Bellwood ESDA vehicles (the Engines) they had bought from the east coast.
#6 by Ira Goode on October 19, 2014 - 4:01 PM
This is the image of the Skokie Civil Defense rigs circa 1974
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/268414_2078562439002_3618580_n.jpg?oh=710cd1d8e1ab7a6f701e9e355ead74e1&oe=54EDF81C
#7 by Drew Smith on October 19, 2014 - 2:55 PM
BTW Brian, thanks for sharing those photos. I always enjoy seeing the ingenuity of the CD/ESDA volunteers.
#8 by Drew Smith on October 19, 2014 - 2:54 PM
The Rolling Meadows ESDA truck was purchased new for the ESDA. It did serve the RMFD but that was after the ESDA was reorganized/disbanded.
Skokie ESDA had two very nice trucks, one a Welch heavy rescue with a white over blue paint scheme and one was a Chevy step van with a lime yellow paint scheme. Skokie Civil Defense (the renamed ESDA) was an active unit in the 1970s, perhaps even earlier, responding on many MABAS alarms in the northern suburbs.
DuPage County Civil Defense/ESDA had several of the federally-issued 1950s-era International Harvester light- and heavy squads identical to these http://civildefensemuseum.com/rescueserv/index.html