Posts Tagged Evanston FD Assistant Chief Lester Breitzman

Evanston Fire Department history Part 64

Mar 4

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | Comments off

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, SWIMS LIKE A DUCK, QUACKS LIKE A DUCK…

A 27-year veteran of the Evanston Fire Department and one of only four men hired by the EFD during the height of the Great Depression 1932-39, 49-year old Assistant Chief Lester Breitzman was appointed chief fire marshal on February 10, 1964, following the retirement of Chief James Geishecker. While Chief Henry Dorband’s primary interest was operations and modernization and Chief James Geishecker’s passion was training, Chief Breitzman’s main emphasis was fire prevention.

Capt. Harry Schaeffer Jr was promoted to assistant chief and replaced Chief Breitzman as commander of the Fire Prevention Bureau, and firemen George Strom, Sanders “Sam” Hicks, Len Driskell, Joe Thill and Len Conrad were promoted to captain and assigned as company officers, replacing the five EFD officers who retired after the American Hospital Supply Corporation fire. A future chief of the Evanston Fire Department, Capt. Hicks was the EFD’s first African-American captain.

New firemen hired in the aftermath of the AHSC fire were Michael Lass, Robert Becker, John “Skip” Hrejsa, Roger Pettinger, Tom Fisherkeller, Tony Howson, John Kloiber, Jim Marti, and Jim McIntyre. Michael Lass would later serve as president of IAFF Local 742, and during the early 1970’s, Local 742 grew increasingly militant under Lass’s dynamic leadership. He was promoted to captain in December 1970 with a promising future as an officer in the fire service, but his real talent was union operative. Lass resigned from the EFD in 1971 less than a year after he was promoted to captain, to take a full-time job as IAFF Illinois field representative.

Squad 22 (ex-T1 1924 Seagrave tractor high-pressure turret / hose truck with pumper body salvaged from ex-E4 1917 / 1930 Seagrave Suburbanite pumper in 1953) was taken out of service following the American Hospital Supply Corporation fire, and was dismantled and scrapped in 1964. The 1,750 feet of three-inch “fireboat hose” carried aboard the high-pressure wagon was redistributed to the five front-line pumpers, with 500 feet going to Engine 21. While Squad 21 was equipped with two portable turret monitors that could be set-up at a fire, the EFD no longer had a mounted high pressure deluge nozzle in service once Squad 22 was removed from the fleet.

In 1964, the Evanston Fire Department took possession of a U.S. government surplus WWII-era GMC 6 x 6 DUKW amphibious vehicle from the U. S. Office of Civil Defense. Painted yellow and with a radio call-sign of ”F-7,” the DUKW was housed at Fire Station # 1, and responded on what was known as a “duck call” – an emergency or other less-urgent request for assistance on Lake Michigan — during boating season 1964-74. The DUKW was equipped with a heavy duty winch used for towing disabled boats, life jackets and life preservers, an inhalator, two stokes baskets, hundreds of feet of rope, grappling hooks, body bags, fire extinguishers, axes, and other useful firefighting and rescue gear. It was manned by Squad 21 when needed.

Two major fires occurred in April 1965, the first being an explosion and fire at the Kozlow Brothers Radiator Repair Service garage at 125 Chicago Avenue, and the second one just a few days later at the Dickson Weatherproof Nail Company plant at 1900 Greenwood Street. The two fires were not related.

Three workers were injured by the explosion at the Kozlow garage, and were transported to St. Francis Hospital and Evanston Hospital via Evanston police ambulances. Engine 22, Truck 22, Engine 24, Squad 21, and F-2 were on the scene within five minutes, and the fight went defensive right from the get-go. Engine 22 took the hydrant across the street and led out two 2-1/2 inch lines manned by personnel from Engine 22 and Squad 21, and Engine 24 backed-up Chicago Avenue from Howard Street and dropped a load of 2-1/2 inch hose as well as three-inch hose line, before grabbing the hydrant at the northwest corner of Howard & Chicago and supplying water for Truck 22’s elevated master stream, plus another 2-1/2 inch hand line.

F-2 immediately ordered a second alarm upon arrival, with Engine Co. 21 assigned to take the hydrant on the west side of Chicago Avenue north of the gas station, and lead-out two three-inch lines to supply water for Squad 21’s monitor operating on the north side of the fire. Engine 23 and Truck 21 were assigned to cover exposures to the east, behind the stores and apartments located on the north side of Howard Street west of the Howard CTA station. Engine 25 changed quarters to Station # 1, and one off-duty platoon was called-in to man the reserve engines and the reserve truck.

Companies from the Chicago Fire Department’s 27th Battalion had responded on a still alarm for a report of an explosion at Howard & Clark and arrived at the same time as companies from EFD Station # 2, and although they did not go to work, the chief, an engine company, and a truck company from the CFD kept an eye on the eastern exposures (including the Howard Street CTA station) until the arrival of Engine 23 and Truck 21. The EFD successfully surrounded and drowned the ruins without any extension to nearby structures. The loss from the explosion and fire was estimated at $93,000.

The Dickson Weatherproof Nail Company was located at the southwest corner of Greenwood & Dodge, on the east side of the C&NW RR Mayfair Division freight tracks. Engine 24 was first on scene and reported smoke showing. Companies from Station # 1 arrived about 30 seconds later, with Engine 24 and Engine 21 leading out and taking hydrants, while Truck 21 laddered the roof and Squad 21 began salvage work.

With the American Hospital Supply Corporation conflagration still a fresh memory, F-2 ordered a second alarm, bringing Engine 22, Truck 22, and Engine 25 to the scene. The two truck companies ventilated the roof and then performed salvage work with Squad 21, while the four engine companies attacked the seat of the blaze. Engine 23 transferred (changed quarters) to Station # 1, and one off-duty platoon was called-in to man the reserve engines and the reserve truck. Loss from the fire was estimated at $100,000.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Chicagoareafire.com/blog, Dickson Weatherproof Nail Company, Evanston FD Assistant Chief Lester Breitzman, Evanston Fire Chief Henry Dorband, Evanston Fire Department Chief James Geishecker, Evanston Fire Department history, History of Evanston Fire Department, Jim Marti, Jim McIntyre, John Kloiber, John “Skip” Hrejsa, Kozlow Brothers Radiator Repair Service, Michael Lass, Phil Stenholm, Robert Becker, Roger Pettinger, Tom Fisherkeller, Tony Howson, U.S. government surplus WWII-era GMC 6 x 6 DUKW amphibious vehicle

Evanston Fire Department history Part 58

Jan 31

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 2 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

TWO DIVIDED BY THREE

Thanks to relentless lobbying efforts by IAFF locals like Chicago’s Local 2 and Evanston’s Local 742, a bill was passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by Gov.William Stratton in 1957 that mandated a 56-hour work-week for full-time Illinois firefighters. Henceforth, three platoons would be required to staff shifts, instead of the two platoon schedule that had been the operating standard since October 1920, when Evanston became the 387th community in the U. S. to implement an “enlightened” two-platoon schedule and an 84-hour work-week for its firefighters.

Although they worked a two platoon / 84-hour work week in the years 1920-42, Evanston firemen were working a 67.5 hour work-week prior to the implementation of the 56-hour work-week in 1957. An earlier bill signed into law in 1942 had mandated an extra day off (known as a “Kelly Day”) for full-time Illinois firemen after every seven days worked, which cut the average work-week from 84 hours to 73.5 hours. Then after extensive lobbying by Local 742, the Evanston City Council in 1948 granted Evanston firemen an extra day off after every four days worked (matching Chicago’s schedule), which cut the average work-week from 73.5 hours to 67.5 hours.

Prior to 1957, 48 Evanston firemen had been assigned to each of the two platoons, and with nine men from each platoon on a Kelly Day every shift, the maximum shift staffing was 39 if all companies were running at full strength, or a minimum of 31 if all companies were running a man short. With a third platoon added, Kelly Days were no longer needed, so that freed-up 18 slots for the new platoon, but 21 additional men would be needed to maintain company and shift staffing at pre-1957 levels.

It was a state law, so the city council had no choice but to accept the 56-hour work-week for Evanston firemen. However, the aldermen refused to add any additional manpower to the EFD. Therefore, beginning on April 1, 1957, the 96 men that had been assigned to two platoons were spread over three platoons, with 32 men assigned to each of the three platoons instead of 48 assigned to each of two platoons, and with maximum shift staffing cut from 39 to 32, and minimum shift staffing cut from 31 to 29. This left just three men to cover for absences on each shift, instead of the eight extra men (one on each company) under the two-platoon system. It would be left up to EFD Chief Henry Dorband to decide how the 32 men would be deployed each shift.

Because they were first-due to the downtown “high value district,” Truck Co. 21 and Engine Co. 21 were always staffed with a minimum of four men, but if a shift was at minimum staffing (29) because of absences due to vacations, overtime comp payback, injuries, and/or illnesses, the other six companies could operate with a three-man crew. With only three extra men instead of eight assigned to each shift to cover for absences, three-man crews on the engines and trucks located in stations outside the “high-value district” would now be the norm rather than the exception.

Squad 21 – the busiest company in the EFD in 1956 — was taken out of front-line service and placed into unmanned ready-reserve status at Station # 1 when the three-platoon system was implemented. Ten of the 14 men that had been assigned to Squad 21 were reassigned to Truck Co. 23 as Engine 23 and Truck 23 became separate companies at Station # 3, and the other four men from the squad were reassigned to Truck Co. 21 and Engine Co. 21, as the platoon commanders’ drivers were now assigned administratively to Truck Co. 21, and the fire equipment mechanics were assigned to Engine Co. 21.

Squad 21 was now staffed by personnel from Engine Co. 21 or Truck Co. 21 when needed for inhalator calls, and by a fire equipment mechanic when dispatched to a special rescue or a working fire. If both Engine Co. 21 and Truck Co. 21 were out of quarters and the fire equipment mechanic was not available, an engine or truck company from one of the other stations would be directed to transfer (change quarters) to Station # 1, and be ready to man Squad 21 if needed.

The truck company districts were also changed at this time, as Truck Co. 23 was now first-due north of Foster Street, Truck Co. 22 was first-due south of Greenleaf Street, and Truck Co. 21 was first-due between Greenleaf and Foster (including the downtown “high-value district” and Northwestern University’s south campus area).

One additional assistant chief and eleven additional captains were required to staff three platoons, so there was a mass promotion on April 1, 1957, as Capt. Jim Mersch was promoted to assistant chief (platoon commander), and firemen Ted Bierchen, Robert Brandt, Harold Cowell, Roy Decker, Harold Dorband, Tom Hanson, Harry Meginnis, Victor Majewski, Hjalmar Okerwall, Joe Schumer, and Dave Tesnow were promoted to captain. The new captains were assigned to various companies, with no more than four assigned to any one platoon. Capt. Lester Breitzman (commander of the Fire Prevention Bureau) was also promoted to assistant chief at this time.

The EFD now had a chief, four assistant chiefs, 24 captains, and 71 firemen, with eight captains and 21 firemen staffing five engine companies and three truck companies on each platoon, plus the three platoon commanders and their drivers, the chief and his three drivers, and an assistant chief and two firemen (inspectors) assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau.

For the first year of the 56-hour work-week, Evanston firemen on the three platoons worked a schedule of two 10-hour shifts (8 AM to 6 PM), followed by two 14-hour shifts (6 PM to 8 AM), followed by two days off. Then beginning in 1958, the “10-10-14-14-OFF-OFF” schedule was replaced with the more-familiar “24 ON / 48 OFF” schedule (24 hours on duty, followed by 48 hours off duty) that still remains in effect today. Evanston firemen would also now receive a three-week annual paid vacation instead of two weeks.

Firefighters battled a blaze at The Orrington Hotel in January 1958, the first significant hotel fire in Evanston’s history, and the first major fire since the implementation of the three platoon schedule. The alarm was answered with a ”high value district” response of three engine companies and one truck company, with two additional trucks, a fourth engine, and Squad 21 (manned by the platoon mechanic) responding on the second alarm. While crews from Engine 21, Engine 22, and Engine 23 attacked the blaze “surgically” with 1-1/2 inch hand lines, the truck companies evacuated guests, ventilated heat and smoke, and performed salvage duties.

The nine-story hotel sustained $75,000 in damage, but all guests were evacuated safely, the fire was knocked-down quickly, and as much property as possible was protected from smoke and water. It was a textbook performance by the EFD. Chief Dorband’s decision to transfer manpower from Squad 21 to Truck 23 when the three platoon schedule was implemented in April 1957 was controversial at the time, but clearly having three truck companies at the fire within ten minutes helped mitigate what could have been a disaster.