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Evanston Fire Department history Part 61

Feb 14

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 12 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

NBFU ’59

The National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) conducted an inspection of the Evanston Fire Department in 1959, the first since 1935. The EFD received a rating of “class 3” from the NBFU, the same grade it received in 1935. Among Chicago-area fire departments, only the Chicago FD was rated higher than “class 3,” having long held an NBFU “class 2” rating. The Evanston FD and the Oak Park FD were the only Chicago-area suburban fire departments rated “class 3” by the NBFU as of 1959. However, by 1971, the Skokie FD had been upgraded to “class 2,” and the Winnetka FD had been upgraded to “class 3.”

Recommendations offered to the Evanston Fire Department by the NBFU in its 1959 inspection report included establishing an additional engine company at Station # 1 to replace the relocated Engine 25, restoring pre-1957 staffing so that five men would be assigned each shift to companies at Station # 1 and four men would be assigned each shift to companies at the other four stations, mandatory annual physical examinations for all firemen over age 55, mandatory retirement at age 62, and making the chief fire marshal a civil service position rather than a political appointment.

The only NBFU recommendation implemented by the EFD was a mandatory annual physical exam for all firemen over age 55. As to placing an additional engine company in service at Station # 1 to replace the relocated Engine Co. 25, Squad 21 was placed back into front-line service and staffed as a company at Station # 1 in 1963, and the squad’s 1952 Pirsch did have a 1,000-GPM pump, a 100-gallon water tank, and a booster line, but it was not considered to be an engine company because the rig had no hosebed and thus could not carry a standard engine company hose load.

The iconic Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph boxes located on many Evanston street corners and in front of schools and hospitals were replaced in 1959 by a network of 80 police / fire emergency telephones manufactured by Western Electric that were connected directly to the city’s police / fire communication center. The Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph system had been in service in Evanston since 1895, but the new emergency telephones would permit an individual to advise the police / fire communication operator of the specific nature of an emergency, so that appropriate assistance could be dispatched without delay.

Each emergency telephone was enclosed in a bright red box with reflective lettering. Once they were placed into service, an EFD engine company would no longer have to respond to “check the box” after a fire alarm box pull. If an emergency telephone was lifted off the hook with no voice on the other end, the closest police officer would be dispatched to check what was called a “cold box.” The EFD would only respond if a citizen reported a fire or needed an inhalator. The telephones also provided police officers and firefighters with a method to call headquarters if a radio transmission was inadvisable or impossible.

Capt. Jim Wheeler (a future chief) and Capt. Willard Thiel (the EFD’s training officer) were promoted to assistant chief and firemen Dan Lorden and Ed Pettinger were promoted to captain in 1959, as Assistant Chief Jim Mersch retired after 23 years of service, and Capt. Joe Schumer resigned. The four new firemen hired in 1958-59 were Edward “Ted” Riley and LeRoy “Charlie” Rohrer (June 1958), Leonard Conrad (September 1958), and Ken Hatfield (March 1959). Len Conrad was promoted to captain in 1964 after only five years on the job, and he would become the EFD’s first “medical officer” in 1978.

Inhalators were assigned to all five EFD engine companies in 1959, so Squad 21 was no longer the city-wide inhalator unit, and now only responded to special rescue calls, and to fires when requested by a chief officer. A fire equipment mechanic normally operated Squad 21 when it was needed. The EFD averaged only about 100 inhalator calls per year (about two per week) throughout the 1950’s, but by 1965 the number of inhalator calls would increase to about one per day, and to two or three per day by the time the EFD’s paramedic MICU ambulance service was established in 1976.

Both F-1 (Chief Geishecker’s 1957 Ford station wagon) and F-2 (the platoon commander’s 1956 Chevrolet station wagon) were equipped with a stretcher and a first-aid kit in 1959, just like the police station-wagon patrol-ambulances. However, the EFD station wagons were strictly back-up ambulances, and were dispatched only if no police ambulances were available. F-1 was replaced with a new Ford station wagon in 1962, and F-2 was replaced with a new Plymouth station wagon in 1963.

The Scott Funeral Home offered to donate a Cadillac ambulance (ex-hearse) to the Evanston Fire Department in 1959, but the city manager politely declined the offer. The police department was providing ambulance service backed-up by two EFD stretcher-equipped station-wagons, and placing a Cadillac ambulance into service would have required either hiring more firemen (definitely not going to happen) or taking Truck Co. 23 out of service (considered inadvisable at the time). Spurned by its hometown fire department, the funeral home donated the ambulance to the Skokie Fire Department instead.

George and Effie Dye were killed in a house fire at 1803 Hartrey Avenue in 1959. Companies from Station # 1 and Station # 5 responded to the alarm and were on the scene within four minutes, but were unable to save the couple. Evanston routinely averaged one or two deaths from fire every year, but this was the first time more than one person died in the same fire in Evanston since firemen George Stiles and William Craig were killed at the Mark Manufacturing Company fire in 1905. The Dye’s residence on Hartrey was located along the imaginary line connecting Church & Fowler to Foster & Grey that was the furthest distance from an Evanston fire station, albeit within the NBFU standards of the day.

In November 1959, the Davis Furniture store at 721 Main Street was gutted by a fire, resulting in a $155,000 loss. Three engine companies, two truck companies, Squad 21, and several cross-trained police officers were on the scene and working within the first few minutes. Engine 25 and Truck 23 transferred to Station # 1, and then Engine 25 and Squad 22 (the high-pressure / hose truck) responded after the fight went defensive. Engine 23 and Engine 28 (ex-E24) were ordered to the fire to pump water for master-streams after off duty firemen arrived and staffed the three reserve engines. Off-duty men not staffing reserve apparatus were shuttled to the fire from their respective stations via CD pick-up truck.

Fire Prevention Bureau Capt. George Croll died after a lengthy illness in January 1960, and Fireman Art Windelborn retired in 1961 after 33 years of service. Fireman William Lapworth was promoted to captain, and Bob Schwarz, Richard Beucus, and William Lemieux were hired. Bob Schwarz was a charter member of the EFD’s elite “arson squad” (the FPB’s fire investigation unit) that was established in 1975.

A mysterious explosion heavily damaged the North Shore Overall uniform store at 1818 Dempster Street in May 1961. It wasn’t a major fire and there were no injuries because it happened when the store was closed, but the blast caused a hefty $107,000 damage to the store. The EFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau did not have the necessary expertise at that time to investigate the incident, so the Illinois State Fire Marshal was requested to conduct the investigation.

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 60

Feb 10

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 10 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

FOSTER, TRAINING, AND FIRE PREVENTION
 
A fire was reported at the Foster Elementary School at 2010 Dewey Avenue in the early-evening hours of Tuesday, October 28, 1958. Engine Co. 23 arrived first and led-out a 1-1/2 inch pre-connect. Engine 25 provided a supply line for Engine 23 and also laid a dry 2-1/2 inch line as a back-up, before grabbing a hydrant. Engine Co. 25 pulled another 1-1/2 inch pre-connect off Engine 23, and Truck Co. 23 assisted the engine companies locating the seat of the blaze. Cross-trained police officers assisted with positioning ladders to the second floor and dragging hose lines, and prepared to man Engine 25’s back-up 2-1/2 inch hand-line.

The fire was located in the attic in the school’s older section, and crews from Engine 23, Engine 25, and Truck 23 unsuccessfully attacked the fire from below. A second alarm was ordered by F-2, followed quickly by a third alarm. Engine 21, Truck 21, and Squad 21 (driven by the mechanic) responded on the second alarm, and Engine 24 and Truck 22 responded on the third alarm. Engine 22 transferred (changed quarters) to Station # 1. 

Engine 21 and Truck 21 pulled into the west alley, and Engine 24 laid a supply line for Engine 21 and a dry 2-1/2 inch line as a back-up, before taking a hydrant. Crews from Engine  Co. 21 and Engine Co. 24 pulled hand lines off Engine 21 on the west side (rear) of the school. Truck Co. 22 assisted Engine 21 and Engine 24 and did some salvage work. Truck 21’s main was extended to the roof immediately upon arrival, and the company initiated vertical ventilation.

Dewey Avenue was a through-street at that time, so Squad 21 was parked on Dewey north of Foster, with the mechanic preparing the squad’s four “night sun” floodlights for operation. Chief Geishecker (F-1) arrived from home and immediately ordered a full Code 10 (call-back of both of the off-duty platoons). As soon as the first reserve engine was placed in service, Engine Co. 22 was ordered to the fire to supply an elevated master stream atop Truck 21 on the west side of the school. Squad 22 was driven to the scene in case its high-pressure turret was needed.

Ultimately, all three reserve engines were placed into service. Two of the pumpers were sent to Station # 1 to provide coverage for the rest of the city, while Engine 27 (ex-E23) responded to the fire directly from Station # 3 and supplied Truck 23’s elevated master stream on the east side of the school. Additional firemen arriving from home were picked-up at their respective stations and shuttled to the scene in the CD pick-up truck. About 90 men were eventually put to work at the fire, allowing crews to rotate periodically.              

The flames had gained considerable headway by the time Chief Geishecker arrived, and not wanting to see a repeat of the Boltwood School fire debacle of 1927, he requested mutual aid from the Chicago Fire Department. Something may have been lost in the translation, however, because six Chicago FD engine companies and the Chicago Civil Defense Fire & Rescue Service were dispatched, only to find out once they arrived that they were requested as a precaution, and actually weren’t immediately needed. The Chicago FD companies returned to quarters, but the CCDFRS crews remained on the scene for a while.     

Foster School sustained significant fire damage to its roof and attic, some fire and smoke damage on the second floor, and extensive water damage on the first and second floors and basement, but it was not destroyed. This was NOT another Boltwood School fire! Students were temporarily transferred to other Evanston elementary schools for the balance of the school year, but the damage was repaired in time for the start of school the following September. However, the $325,000 loss resulting from this blaze was the second-highest dollar-loss resulting from a fire in Evanston’s history up to that point in time, second only to the Northwestern University Technological Institute fire in 1940.

The Foster School fire was the last time the Chicago FD responded on a mutual-aid mission into Evanston. The EFD would henceforth call upon suburban fire departments – usually Wilmette and/or Skokie — when assistance was needed, as the Wilmette FD became a 100% professional fire department in 1958, and new Skokie FD Chief Raymond Redick came over from the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol in 1959 and transformed what had been a somewhat disorganized outfit into a first-rate fire department. The Skokie Civil Defense Fire & Rescue corps (using the radio call-sign “Squad 26” when responding into Evanston) provided valuable manpower and fireground support at many Evanston fires post-1959 as well.   

While the Chicago Fire Department did not respond into Evanston again after the Foster School fire, the Chicago Civil Defense Fire & Rescue Service did respond into Evanston one more time, in September 1959, after a number of trees were blown down in a late-night microburst that also knocked-out power across the city. Three squads from the CCDFRS assisted the EFD throughout the night and into the next morning, using  winches and chain saws to remove and then cut-up dozens of downed trees that were blocking Evanston streets.

The EFD’s Training Bureau was officially established on November 1, 1958, three days after the Foster School fire. Capt. Willard Thiel was appointed the first “training officer.” Previously, each platoon had its own drillmaster who was responsible for supervising the training of members of that platoon, but Capt. Thiel would be responsible for training all three platoons, as well as police officers. The Training Bureau was based at Station # 1, and besides being in charge of training, Capt. Thiel also was responsible for supervising the EFD repair shop and the fire equipment mechanics.

Creating the training officer position and transferring the fire equipment mechanics to the Training Bureau cut maximum shift staffing on each platoon from 32 to 31 and minimum shift staffing from 29 to 28, as Engine 21 was no longer staffed with a four-man crew each shift. Truck Co. 21 (the “high-value district” truck) still operated at all times with four men, but the other seven companies were usually staffed with three men. The three extra men on each shift were assigned to Engine 21, Truck 22, and/or Engine 25 when they weren’t covering for a fireman absent due to vacation, sick call, or a work-related injury, but it was rare when one of the extra men was actually available to ride as the fourth man on a rig.   

In addition to the establishment of the Training Bureau, the EFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau was upgraded in 1958, as captains replaced firemen as FPB inspectors, and a civilian clerk-typist / administrative assistant was hired (Catherine Leahy the first year, then Margaret Wood, and then Eleanor Franzen). Capt. Ed Fahrbach was promoted to assistant chief and replaced Chief Geishecker as a platoon commander, and firemen John Becker, George Croll, George Neuhaus, and Lou Peters were promoted to captain.
 

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 59

Feb 6

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 3 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 
INVOLUNTARY COOPERATION
 
Prior to 1953, Evanston operated with a mayor / city council form of government that had been established after the Village of Evanston annexed the Village of South Evanston and formed the greater City of Evanston in 1892. Under this form of governance, the chief fire marshal, the police chief, the superintendent of streets, and all other city department heads ran their respective departments as they saw fit (albeit within the confines and restrictions of the civil service system), reporting only to the city council and the mayor.

However, beginning in 1953, Evanston transitioned to a so-called “weak mayor” / council / city manager form of government, in which a city manager was appointed by the city council to run the city like a CEO would run a Fortune 500 company  The city manager was seen as an apolitical technocrat whose main task was efficiency. He or she was expected to “cut fat” and “do more with less.” The city manager established the annual budget for each city department, and then the department head would run the department with the city manager’s oversight. Evanston’s first full-time city manager was Bert Johnson.

In 1956, EFD Chief Henry Dorband recommended the acquisition of two new 1,000-GPM / 300-gallon triple-combination pumpers to replace the two aging 1937 Seagrave 750 / 80 TCPs that were in service as Engine 23 and Engine 24, and a new 85-foot tractor-drawn aerial ladder truck to replace the 1937 Seagrave 65-foot aerial ladder truck running as Truck 23. The city manager and city council agreed with Chief Dorband’s recommendation for the two new pumpers, but not for the new TDA. The city council authorized a budget appropriation for two new pumpers, and the city advertised for bids.

Seagrave was awarded the contract in July 1957, agreeing to supply two 70th Anniversary Series 1,000-GPM pumpers, each to be equipped with a 300-gallon water tank and an extra-large hose-bed, and powered by a V-12 engine. Seagrave’s winning bid was $43,900 ($21,950 per pumper), and while Seagrave did get the contract, both Pirsch ($44,900) and American LaFrance ($45,150) came very close. Mack’s bid was $10,000 less than Seagrave’s, but it did not meet specifications.

Unlike the six pumpers acquired by the EFD 1937-52, the new rigs were specified to have an open cab, with no rear-facing bench seating and no booster hose-line. While they had no booster line, the new Seagrave pumpers did have considerably more room in their hose beds than did the EFD’s older front-line pumpers, allowing the new rigs to carry twice as much 1-1/2 inch hose, but with the same 2-1/2 inch hose-load carried on the older pumpers.

There were two rear outlet ports on the new pumpers for pre-connecting leads of 1-1/2 inch hose line that allowed for a faster fire attack, plus room on the front bumper for a lead of soft suction supply hose pre-connected to a front intake port that could be rapidly hooked up to a hydrant. Also, the 300-gallon water tanks on the new Seagrave pumpers had significantly more capacity than did the 80 and 100-gallon tanks on the older Seagrave and Pirsch front-line pumpers and the 50-gallon tanks on the reserve 1927 Seagrave pumpers.  

The new Seagrave pumpers arrived in February 1958, and were placed into service as Engine 23 and Engine 24. The two 1937 Seagrave pumpers that had been running as Engine 23 and Engine 24 were placed into reserve at Station # 3 (Engine 27 – ex-E23) and at Station # 4 (Engine 28 – ex-E24). The 1927 Seagrave Standard pumper (Engine 27 – ex-E5) that had been in reserve at Station # 4 since 1952 did not pass its pump test in 1957, and so it was dismantled for spare parts to keep the other 1927 Seagrave pumper (Engine 26 – ex-E2) that was in reserve at Station # 5 running for a few more years.

There was no increase in the EFD’s firefighting force when the 56-hour work-week was implemented in April 1957, so a Police – Fire Cooperative Plan was concocted by City Manager Johnson in 1958 that would cross-train police officers as auxiliary firefighters. The cross-trained police officers would patrol in three station-wagon ambulances, and would respond to inhalator calls, ambulance runs, and fires, in addition to their more-traditional policing duties, like issuing parking tickets and traffic citations.

The police department had provided ambulance service in Evanston since 1897, first with a horse-drawn wagon, and then with an automobile truck beginning in 1916  The fire department provided inhalator service beginning in 1913, with Engine Co. 1 and then later Squad 21 responding to inhalator calls with the police ambulance. Prior to 1958, there was just the one ambulance, and it was parked in the police station garage and staffed when needed by two station officers. Having three police station-wagon ambulances on patrol 24/7 was definitely something new!   

Under City Manager Johnson’s plan, 17 police officers would be hired and then cross-trained as firefighters, with five or six assigned to each police patrol shift, and with at least three on duty at all times. At a fire, the police officers would help carry and position ladders, lead-out hose lines, open up hydrants, and occasionally man a 2-1/2 inch line on the exterior. Police officers would usually not be involved with roof ventilation or an interior fire-attack, because they were supposed to remain available to provide first aid and transport injured firemen to the hospital.  
 
Johnson maintained that hiring police officers instead of firemen and then cross-training the police officers as firefighters would more than make up for the cuts in fire department staffing that resulted from implementation of the 56-hour work-week, while also increasing revenue for the city, because the cross-trained police officers could issue parking tickets and traffic citations when they weren’t at a fire. However, unlike some municipalities that combined police and fire departments together as a single public safety department, Evanston’s firemen would NOT be cross-trained as police officers.

As one might expect, IAFF Local 742 was vehemently opposed to a plan that hired police officers to work as auxiliary firefighters instead of just hiring more firemen, but there was nothing the union could do to stop it from happening. Chief Dorband hated the plan so much he refused to implement it and abruptly retired (in lieu of being fired). 64-year old Assistant Chief James Geishecker replaced Dorband as chief fire marshal on March 31, 1958, and he did implement the plan. Chief Geishecker was a 38-year veteran of the EFD, and had been a platoon commander since being promoted to assistant chief in 1948.   

Geishecker and Dorband had joined the EFD at about the same time (Dorband in 1919, and Geishecker in 1920), and they were good friends. However, they had different priorities as chiefs. Chief Dorband had been committed to an increase in shift staffing and upgrading apparatus, equipment, and facilities, but Chief Geishecker’s passion was training, which made him the perfect choice to oversee the training of police officers as firefighters. Geishecker also had some familiarity with police operations, because his older brother Peter had been Evanston Police chief prior to his death in 1953.   

Once they were trained as firefighters, the police officers were assigned to three 1958 Chevrolet station-wagon ambulances (Car 31, Car 32, and Car 33), equipped with a stretcher, a first-aid kit, and a fire extinguisher. A fourth station-wagon ambulance (Car 34) was kept as a spare. A 1958 GMC panel truck (Squad 17) was parked in the police station garage, and was staffed by a police desk sergeant who responded to fire calls with turnout gear, barricades, rope for crowd control, and other equipment and supplies for the police officers working at the fire. 

The Chevrolet station-wagon ambulances were replaced by International-Harvester Series-C Travelall ambulances in 1961, and new Chevy, Ford, Rambler, Dodge, or Plymouth station-wagon ambulances were placed into service every two or three years after that, until the EFD took-over ambulance service in 1976.

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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.

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 57

Jan 28

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | Comments off

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

DUCK AND COVER


The Evanston Fire Department battled two major fires just north of the downtown “high value district” in 1956. The first blaze gutted Orchid Cleaners at 1811 Benson Avenue in January, and the second swept through the Motoport garage at 1851 Benson Avenue in September. Although the two fires occurred a block apart and within eight months of each other, they were not related.

Evanston firefighters worked for the better part of a day to extinguish the stubborn fire at Orchid Cleaners. Companies from Station # 1 were on the scene within three minutes, but could not knock the blaze down. A second alarm was struck bringing in additional companies, and the off-duty platoon was eventually called-in to provide relief for the men working at the fire, and to staff reserve apparatus. Damage was estimated at $75,000.

A combination parking garage and service station, the Motoport was located on the site of what had previously been the Flossy Dental Supply Company (destroyed by a fire in 1926), at the southeast corner of Benson & Emerson. Downtown Evanston merchants and their employees could park at the Motoport while at work, and residents living in the area who wanted a secure place to park could leave their vehicles in the garage overnight. Attendants were on duty 24/7, and could service a vehicle while it was there.

The blaze began as a vehicle fire inside the garage, before communicating to the structure itself. At the height of the blaze, thick black smoke poured from the building, as the gasoline pumps, the service bay, and one car after another caught fire. Because of the threat of explosion, the vehicles parked inside could not be saved. Train service on the nearby CTA Evanston line had to be temporarily halted because motormen could not see past the smoke. Damage to the Motoport and the vehicles parked inside was estimated at $150,000, making it the fourth highest loss from a fire in Evanston’s history up until that time.

Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Mullaney saw the Motoport fire on the local TV news, and offered to send the CFD’s two chemical rigs that were designed to extinguish gasoline fires to help quell the blaze. EFD Chief Dorband declined the offer, however, because by the time it was received the fight had already gone defensive, and nothing could be saved.

The Chicago FD had provided assistance to Evanston on numerous occasions going back to 1883, but as of 1956, the CFD had not been requested / invited to respond into Evanston since the N. U. Technological Institute conflagration in 1940, when three CFD engine companies assisted the EFD.

While the Evanston Fire Department had provided assistance to Wilmette, Skokie, Winnetka, Morton Grove, and Lincolnwood on many occasions over the years, EFD chief officers held a low opinion of the neighboring suburban fire departments, and had not requested mutual aid from any fire department other than Chicago’s since 1906.

“Civil Defense” became a part of many U. S. fire departments in the 1950’s, and to that end, the Evanston Fire Department took delivery of a fully-stocked rescue trailer and a U. S. government-surplus WWII-era Willys MB Jeep from the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA)  in 1954.

Painted white with a blue roof, the rescue trailer was equipped with sophisticated radiation detection equipment, radiation proximity suits, gas masks, dozens of fully-stocked first-aid kits, collapsible canvas gurneys, asbestos blankets, body bags, sand bags, shovels, hand tools, flashlights, a battery-powered two-way short-wave radio, and other gear that might be useful if a nuclear bomb was dropped on Chicago. The equipment carried in the trailer could also be useful in response to a mass casualty event like a tornado. The trailer was kept in ready-reserve at Fire Station # 1 for twenty years, but fortunately it was never needed.

Painted “CD blue,” the jeep was equipped with a trailer hitch and was supposed to pull the rescue trailer, but the trailer and its contents proved too heavy for the little jeep to pull. The jeep was used for a couple of years as a utility vehicle by the EFD mechanics, and then was transferred to the Evanston Community Golf Course in 1957, where it was used for several years by the golf course ranger.

Needing a more-powerful vehicle to pull the rescue trailer, the City of Evanston received a grant from the FCDA and purchased an International-Harvester R-140 pick-up truck in 1956. The pick-up was painted fire engine red, with red & green warning lights salvaged from one of the old dismantled Seagrave rigs. The only identification on the vehicle were the iconic CD stickers on the doors and tail-gate. It was not equipped with a siren or a radio, so it did not have a radio call-sign. 

Because the rescue trailer was in actuality pulled only once a year when it was part of the North Evanston Fourth of July parade, the pick-up truck was mainly used by EFD mechanics to run errands, by the drillmaster when conducting training exercises, and to transport firefighters, air bottles, gasoline cans, rock salt, sand bags, barricades, beverages, sandwiches, and other supplies from Fire Station # 1 to the scene of a fire or other major incident. It served as the EFD’s utility vehicle for 18 years.

In addition to the Civil Defense vehicles received in 1954-56, the EFD also took delivery of four new staff cars, including a Chevrolet Nomad station wagon and a Chevrolet Bel-Air sedan in 1955, a Chevrolet 210 station-wagon in 1956, and a Ford Fairlane station-wagon in 1957. One of the Chevy station wagons (F-2) was assigned to the platoon commanders, the other Chevy wagon (F-3) and the Chevy sedan (F-4) were assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau, and the Ford station-wagon (F-1) was assigned to Chief Dorband.

Assistant Chief William Murphy retired in November 1956, after 29 years of service with the Evanston Fire Department. Capt. Lester Breitzman replaced Chief Murphy as commander of the Fire Prevention Bureau, and Fireman George Beattie was promoted to captain, replacing Capt. Breitzman as a company officer. New firemen hired in the latter half of 1955 and through the conclusion of 1956 included Richard Brunk and Donald Melzer (August 1955), LeRoy Dullin (September 1955), James Marsh (March 1956), Frederick Nelson (November 1956), and Howard Lindeman (December 1956).

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 56

Jan 23

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From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

FAIT ACCOMPLI 

As of 1955, 70% of Evanston’s firefighters had less than ten years’ experience. This compares to only 10% with less than ten years’ experience in 1940. With a younger fire department, advances in medicine, and the prevention and treatment of disease, only two off-duty deaths occurred in the EFD from heart attacks and other illnesses after 1950. Fireman Clarence Wahle (Truck Co. 22) died in 1955, and Captain George Croll (Fire Prevention Bureau) passed away after a lengthy illness in 1960. 

An explosion and fire in a laboratory at the Union Thermoelectric Company at 2001 Greenleaf Street in May 1955 resulted in a $104,000 loss. There were no workers in the lab at the time of the explosion. The fire was knocked-down fairly quickly by firefighters, but there was considerable damage to the company’s valuable equipment. The $104,000 loss was the fifth highest loss from fire in Evanston’s history up to the point in time, behind only the Northwestern University Technological Institute, Boltwood School, Marshall Field & Company warehouse, and Mark Manufacturing Company fires.

Engine Co. 23 and the reserve truck were relocated from Station # 5 to the new Station # 3 and Engine Co. 25 was relocated from Station # 1 to Station # 5 on Saturday, September 3, 1955. Reserve Engine 26 — one of the two 1927 Seagrave Standard 1000-GPM pumpers — was relocated to Station # 5 at this same time. EFD Chief Henry Dorband led a “noisy” parade down Central Street from Station # 5 to Station # 3, followed by a dedication ceremony that featured speeches by the mayor, the city manager, and the two aldermen from the 7th ward. It was the pinnacle of Chief Dorband’s career. 

With Engine Co. 25 relocated to Station # 5, the 11th and 12th men previously assigned to Engine 25 when it was at Station # 1 were transferred to Squad 21. Thus, Engine Co. 25 was now a ten-man company, with five men on each platoon, one man on a Kelly Day every day, four men scheduled to work the shift, and a minimum three-man crew if a man was absent. Conversely, Squad 21 was now a 14-man company, with seven men on each platoon, one man on a Kelly Day every day, one man each shift assigned as the platoon commander’s driver, five men scheduled to ride the squad, and a minimum four-man crew if a man was absent.    

With the opening of the new Station # 3, all insured structures in Evanston were finally within 1-1/2 miles of an engine company and within 2-1/2 miles of a truck company, meeting the NBFU standards of the day. The two intersections furthest from a fire station were Church & Fowler and Foster & Grey, both 1-1/2 miles from the nearest fire station. Both intersections were in the 5th ward and within the square half-mile bounded by Simpson Street on the north, Church Street on the south, the North Shore Channel on the west, and the C&NW RR Mayfair Division tracks on the east, an area that would incur more residential structure fires than any other square half-mile in Evanston over the next thirty years.

Once it was relocated to the new Fire Station # 3, Engine Co. 23 became a combination engine / truck company (what would be called a “jump company” today), manning Engine 23 for fire calls and minor fires in Station # 3’s district, and staffing Truck 23 for fire calls in Station # 5’s district. The company at Station # 3 did not normally respond to alarms south of Emerson Street. Truck Co. 21 was the first-due truck in Station # 1’s and Station # 3’s districts, and Truck Co. 22 was the first due truck in Station # 2’s and Station # 4’s districts. Truck Co. 22 would transfer (change quarters) to Station # 1 whenever Truck 21 was at a working fire.

Four of the five engine company first-due areas changed in September 1955. Engine Co. 22 was still first due east of Asbury and south of Greenleaf, but Engine Co. 21 was now first-due between Greenleaf and Emerson east of Asbury, and between Dempster and Emerson west of Asbury; Engine Co. 23 was first due north of Emerson and east of Dodge up to the canal, and then east of Prairie Avenue up to the Wilmette border; Engine Co. 24 was first-due west of Asbury and south of Dempster; and Engine Co. 25 was first due north of Emerson and west of Dodge up to the canal, and then west of Prairie up to the Wilmette border.

All of the engine companies except Engine 23 had a “second engine” district that was larger than their first-due area. There was still a three engine response to the downtown “high-value district” bounded by Lake – Oak – Clark – Hinman, and a three engine / two truck response to schools during school hours, hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement homes.

Engine Co. 24 would transfer (change quarters) to Station # 1 if Engine 21 was at a working structure fire north of Church Street, and Engine Co. 25 would transfer to Station # 1 if Engine 21 was at a working structure fire south of Church Street. Anytime four engine companies were out of service at the same time, the remaining engine company would immediately transfer to Station # 1, if it wasn’t already there. If Engine Co. 23 was the last remaining engine company in service, it would man the engine and transfer to Station # 1, and leave the truck behind at Station # 3.  

Squad 21 (typically with a five-man crew, or a minimum of four men if a member was absent) responded to all fire calls, inhalator calls, and specialized rescues city-wide. Squad 21 was equipped with four military-type searchlights, an inhalator, a portable gas-powered generator, fans, power tools, portable floodlights, salvage covers, two portable turret nozzles, pry bars, axes, sledge-hammers, and an oxygen-acetylene cutting torch, as well as a 100-gallon booster tank and hose-reel. The rig also had a 1000-GPM pump, but it did not have a hose bed and carried no hose load. 

F-2 (the platoon commander and his driver) responded to all fire calls and other significant incidents, and was the back-up inhalator unit. F-1 (Chief Dorband and his driver) responded to working fires and other major incidents, and if the chief was on duty, he could cover an alarm if F-2 was unavailable. F-3 (Fire Prevention Bureau Assistant Chief William Murphy) investigated explosions and any fire of suspicious origin, as well as all major fires. One firefighter was assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau during business hours as Chief Murphy’s administrative assistant and fire code enforcement inspector.   

Squad 22 (the 1924 Seagrave high pressure turret / hose truck) was kept in ready-reserve at Fire Station #1, and could be manned and driven to a fire if requested by a chief officer. Also, the two reserve 1927 Seagrave pumpers – Engine 26 at Station # 5 and Engine 27 at Station # 4 – were fully-equipped, and could be staffed by off-duty personnel and be temporarily placed into service to cover the city in the event of a major fire. In addition, one reserve inhalator was kept at Station # 1 and another was kept at the Evanston Police station, in the event that both Squad 21 and F-2 were unavailable to respond to an inhalator call. 

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 55

Jan 13

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From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

ALMOST DONE

All three of Evanston’s new fire stations were completed and placed into service during 1955; Station # 5 at 2830 Cental Street on January 25th, Station # 2 at 702 Madison Street on March 12th, and Station # 3 at 1105 Central Street on September 3rd.

While waiting for its new quarters to be completed, Engine Co. 23 and the reserve truck were temporarily relocated from Fire Station # 3 on Green Bay Road to the new Station # 5 in northwest Evanston, as Station # 3 was closed on January 25th. It its final days as a working firehouse, the aging apparatus floor was supported from below by wooden beams that were set-up temporarily in the basement. Because Engine Co. 23 needed to move out of Station # 3 ASAP, Engine Co. 25 remained at Station # 1 for most of 1955, and did not relocate from Station # 1 to Station # 5 until the new Station # 3 was completed in September. 

Chief Dorband, the Fire Prevention Bureau, and Truck Co. 22 were relocated from Station # 1 to the new Station # 2 on Madison Street on March 12th, and the two assistant chiefs assigned as platoon commanders at Station # 1 were relieved of company officer responsibilities and were provided with a Chevrolet station-wagon (known as “F-2”) and a driver at this time. As such, the platoon commanders were now akin to a Chicago F. D. battalion chief. Chief Dorband only responded to working fires. If he was off-duty, his driver based at Station # 2 would pick him up at his residence at 1424 Wesley Avenue and drive him to the fire.

The Evanston Fire Department was increased from 88 men to 100 on April 1, 1955, as Peter Erpelding, David Henderson, Roger Lecey, Roger Schumacher, Joseph Burton, Patrick Morrison, Robert Pritza, Richard Ruske, Donald Searles, Frank Sherry Jr, and Richard Zrazik were hired, and Edward Pettinger returned from a leave of absence. Firemen James Wheeler and William Windelborn were promoted to captain, replacing the two platoon commanders as company officers.   

Squad 21 continued to respond to all inhalator calls and special rescues, but beginning on April 1st, it also responded to ALL fire calls – not just working structure fires — city-wide with a four-man crew, or at least three-men if a man was absent. Squad 21 did not have a company officer, so the platoon fire equipment mechanic was normally in charge of the crew. In 1956, Squad 21 responded to more than 400 calls, which was 25% more than the busiest engine company (Engine Co. 24)!   

While the rig had a 1000-GPM pump, a 100-gallon water tank, and a booster hose reel mounted atop its body, Squad 21 did not have a hose bed or standard hose load, so it could not run as an engine company. However, it could respond to a minor fire in a pinch, or initiate a limited fire-attack with its booster after arriving at a structure fire if no engine company was on the scene.

Engine Co. 21, Truck Co. 21, Engine Co. 25, Squad 21, Engine Co. 22, and Truck Co. 22, were twelve-man companies, with six men assigned to each platoon, and Engine Co. 23, and Engine Co. 24 were ten-man companies, with five men assigned to each platoon. However, the driver for the platoon commander (F-2) was assigned administratively to Squad 21, and the driver for the Chief Fire Marshal (F-1) was assigned administratively to Engine Co. 22, so Squad 21 and Engine Co. 22 actually had one less man available each shift than the other twelve-man companies.  

One man each shift was on a Kelly Day, so the actual company staffing each shift was five men on Engine Co. 21, Truck Co. 21, Engine Co. 25, Squad 21 (including F-2 driver), Engine Co. 22 (including F-1 driver), and Truck Co. 22, or four men if the company was running a man short, and the actual company staffing each shift on Engine Co. 23 and Engine Co. 24 was four men, or three men if the company was running a man short. The truck company always took the extra man from the engine company if the truck company was down a man but the engine company at that station was at full-strength. 

There was a platoon commander assigned to each shift, and in addition, one man each shift was assigned as the driver and radio operator for the platoon commander (F-2), and one man each shift was assigned as the driver and administrative assistant for the chief (F-1). The buggy-drivers were also the EFD’s photographers. Also, one man was assigned as a fire prevention inspector and administrative assistant to the FPB chief (F-3). 
 
As of April 1, 1955, the maximum aggregate shift staffing in the Evanston Fire Department was 39 if all companies were at full strength, and the absolute minimum staffing was 31 if all companies were running a man short at the same time. Companies typically ran at full-strength November – March when vacations were not permitted, and then would sometimes run a man short in the spring, summer, and early autumn, when vacations were permitted, and when overtime comp days accrued during the winter months could be spent.  

The 39-man maximum / 31-man minimum restored EFD shift staffing to the years 1933-42, back before the first Kelly Days were implemented. Along with acquiring new apparatus and constructing new fire stations, restoring shift staffing to pre-World War II levels had been one of the three main goals of Chief Dorband’s modernization plan.

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 54

Jan 8

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From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

BEST LAID PLANS

The second part of Chief Dorband’s modernization plan was implemented after the second bond issue passed in April 1953, setting the stage for three new fire stations to be constructed at a combined cost of $775,000 during 1954-55. 

In its most-recent inspection of the EFD in 1935, the National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) had recommended that Truck Co. 2 be relocated from Station # 1 to a new Station # 2 in South Evanston that would have space for an aerial-ladder truck, establishment of a third truck company in a new Station # 3 in North Evanston that would have space for an aerial-ladder truck, and the relocation of Engine Co. 5 from Station # 1 to a proposed fifth fire station to be built in the area of Grant & Central Park in northwest Evanston. Chief Dorband followed the NBFU recommendations to the letter when planning the new fire stations.

The new Station # 2 was built as a two-story three-bay “headquarters” station with space for a tractor-drawn aerial-ladder truck and EFD administrative offices, on the southwest corner of Madison & Custer, one block west of the old Station # 2. The former Station # 2 at 750 Chicago Avenue was sold to a private party and converted into an automobile dealership, before becoming a restaurant about twenty years later.

The new one-story three-bay Station # 3, with one bay long enough to eventually house a tractor-drawn aerial-ladder truck, was constructed on a vacant lot owned by the Metropolitan Sanitary District and leased to the City of Evanston on the east-side of the North Shore Channel, a block west of Evanston Hospital and a mile from the Northwestern University campus, at the northeast corner of Central Street and what had been Cooper Avenue pre-canal construction in 1908, about a mile east of the old Station # 3. The former Station # 3 at 2504 Green Bay Road was sold and converted into a photography studio.

However, the construction of Fire Station # 5 would prove to be a bit more complicated.

Chief Dorband’s modernization plan called for Station # 5 to be built on top of what used to be Bennett Avenue, between Perkins Woods and Lincolnwood Elementary School. The portion of Bennett Avenue that ran between Grant and Colfax streets had been closed when Perkins Woods was established as a Cook County Forest Preserve in the 1920’s, but the right-of-way was still owned by the city. Station # 5’s first-due area would include all of northwest Evanston, plus a large chunk of the 5th Ward, including the area north of Church Street and west of the C&NW RR Mayfair Division freight tracks.

Planned as a long and narrow one-story one-bay residential-style firehouse set-back several hundred feet from the street, the single apparatus bay would be located on the south-side of the facility, with driveway access onto Grant Street. The living quarters would feature a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bunk-room, a bathroom with a shower, a captain’s office, a large storage room, and a watch-desk with a radio and a telephone, separated into two sections by a long hallway. The parking area and front door would be accessed from the Colfax Street side. The station would carry a street address of 2700 Colfax St.

However, the Lincolnwood School PTA objected to the proposed site, arguing that a fire station located that close to the school would pose a danger to the children if the fire engine was responding to an emergency call while the children were coming to or going home from school. The city council agreed, but Chief Dorband was furious, pointing out that the aldermen had readily approved construction of the new Fire Station # 1 on Lake Street in 1949, even though it was located just a half-block from St. Mary’s School.

With the Perkins Woods site taken off the table, a city playground-park at the northeast corner of Simpson & Bennett (now known as Porter Park) was presented by Chief Dorband as the next-best alternative, especially since the lot was already owned by the city, and was located even closer to the 5th ward than Grant & Bennett. However, citizens living in the area objected to the idea of replacing their park with a fire station. Also, the site was located nearly two miles from some areas within the “High Ridge” neighborhood northwest of Crawford & Gross Point Road.

Getting desperate, the city council next focused on a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Central Park Avenue and the south alley of Central Street that was for sale at a reasonable price, and with a footprint just large enough for a Chicago FD-style, two-story, one-bay firehouse. However, Northminster Presbyterian Church leaders objected to the Central Park Avenue site, because they said having a fire station on their block would potentially disrupt Sunday morning church services, Wednesday evening prayer meetings, and choir practice

With a voter mandate to build a new fire station in northwest Evanston and possessing the funds needed to construct it, but with seemingly no place to put it, the city council reluctantly purchased a lot costing $25,000 in a business district on the south side of Central Street at Reese Avenue. The lot cost more than what the aldermen wanted to spend, but the footprint was large enough for a two-bay firehouse. While the Central Street site was a half-mile further away from the 5th ward than the Perkins Woods site would have been, it was well-suited to provide fire protection to northwest Evanston, all the way up to Crawford & Old Glenview Road.

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 53

Jan 3

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 8 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

THE FIREMAN

The civil service rank of lieutenant was eliminated from the EFD in 1954, as the position was now called “captain II,” while the former rank of captain was now called “captain I.” The captain II position had a slightly higher salary than lieutenant, and a lieutenant would need to have served at least one year in the position before he could be promoted to captain II. A captain II would be automatically elevated to captain I after one year.

Five of the seven EFD lieutenants – Leonard Bach, Herb Claussen, George “Bud” Hofstetter, George Jasper, and Willard Thiel — were promoted to captain II immediately, but because they had been promoted to lieutenant on January 1, 1954, and had less than one year experience as a lieutenant, Lt. Harry Schaeffer Jr and Lt. Richard Schumacher had to wait until January 1, 1955, to receive their promotions to captain II. Therefore, Harry Schaeffer Jr and Richard Schumacher were the last EFD lieutenants. All future promotions would be directly from fireman I to captain II.

The Evanston Fire Department battled two significant “storefront” fires in 1953-54.

The first was at the Suburban Surgical Supply Company store at 604 Davis Street, on March 2, 1953. Because the fire was in the downtown “high-value district,” the initial response was three engine companies and one truck company. A second alarm brought in a fourth engine company, a second truck company, and Squad 21. Firefighters confined the flames to the structure of origin. However, the store was gutted, and the damage estimate was a hefty $100,000, tying this fire with the Tapecoat (1951) and Evanston Country Club (1922) fires for the fifth-highest loss from a fire in Evanston’s history up until that point in time.

The second fire occurred in September 1954, at the A & P supermarket at 2106 Central Street in North Evanston. Engine Co. 23 was first on scene, and encountered a light haze of smoke in the interior of the store. The second engine company and the truck company arrived and followed Engine Co. 23 into the store. While the companies were probing for the origin of the smoke, the ceiling partially collapsed.

Everybody got out alive, but Capt. Ron Ford, Capt. Herb Claussen, and firemen Arnold Windle, Dave Tesnow, and Ted Bierchen were injured and transported to local hospitals. A second alarm and a call-back of the off-duty platoon were ordered, with the off-duty platoon called-back mainly to replace the injured men. While the fire wasn’t necessarily spectacular, the A & P did sustain an estimated $70,000 loss from fire, smoke, and water damage, not to mention a narrow escape for Evanston firefighters.

Released in October 1954 and now legally in the public domain, the Evanston Fire Department starred in an Encyclopedia Britannica educational short film produced under the auspices of renowned educator Dr. Ernest Horn of the University of Iowa. Called simply “The Fireman,” the plot was somewhat similar to the one in the classic 1903 Edwin S. Porter silent film melodrama “The Life of an American Fireman,” and it featured a number of Evanston firefighters and some of the new Pirsch rigs in action. The film didn’t win an Academy Award, but it was shown in schools around the country.

SYNOPSIS (SPOILER ALERT!):

Rookie fireman “Tom Briggs” (not his real name, but if his real first name is Tom and he is in fact a rookie completing his first year on the job, then it has to be Tom Kostopoulos) arrives for work at Station # 1 and stands morning inspection with his fellow firefighters. Chief “Jim” Dorband (actually it’s EFD Chief Henry Dorband) is satisfied and dismisses the men. Fireman Tom is assigned as tillerman on one of the aerial-ladder trucks by duty officer “Captain Drake” (not his real name, but it would appear to be platoon drillmaster and Engine 25 Capt. Ed Fahrbach).

Under the supervision of Captain Drake and Chief Dorband, Fireman Tom and the other men participate in a training drill, where Tom and another man climb Truck 21’s aerial-ladder to the roof of the fire station and demonstrate how the the hose roller works, another fireman pretends to be overcome from smoke and is carried down a ladder and “resuscitated” by use of an inhalator, and another jumps into a life net from atop the drill tower.

Training over, the exhausted men relax in the station, but only briefly. A voice over a speaker in the firehouse suddenly announces “Alarm! – Third & Main… Alarm! – Third & Main.” Firefighters put on their game faces, slide down the pole to the first floor, and the Pirsch rigs roll out of Station # 1, headed west on Lake Street, with the men probably wondering, “Where the heck is Third & Main?”

After making several right turns, we see Truck 21 going southbound on Hinman Avenue, but then F-1 (Chief Dorband) and the Pirsch parade somehow end up at 2160 Isabella Street, on the Evanston / Wilmette border! Smoke can be seen wafting from the residence, and firefighters waste no time and go right to work, as Engine 21 and Engine 25 lead-out. One of the pumpers hooks-up to the hydrant at the southwest corner of Isabella & Green Bay Road, while Truck 22’s main is extended to the roof in the rear of the structure.

Long story short, Fireman Tom and Captain Drake wearing SCBA run into the house, little Judy’s kitten is rescued, the fire is extinguished, the companies pick-up, and the men return to quarters. The End.

The Evanston Fire Department rarely missed an opportunity back in the day to have firefighters hone their skills by drilling at a house about to be demolished, and that would appear to have been the case in this film. The ground on which the house was located would soon become part of a grocery store parking lot.

Encyclopedia Britannica released another educational short film called “The Policeman” in November 1954. With interior scenes shot inside the Evanston police station and exterior scenes filmed in Highland Park, “The Policeman” follows HPPD “Officer Barnes” and his partner in Car 91 on the mean streets of Highland Park, recovering an abandoned stolen bicycle, writing a traffic ticket, and finding a missing child. Officer Barnes is presented as a regular human being in the film, eating breakfast with his wife and kids prior to leaving for work, and then returning home to his family after the completion of his shift.

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Evanston Fire Department history Part 52

Dec 28

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 2 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

 

PROTO-MABAS

After Squad 21 was placed into service in September 1952, manpower assignments were switched around slightly at Station  # 1. The two extra men formerly assigned each shift to the two downtown “high-value district” companies – Engine 25 and Truck  21 – were moved to Squad 21, as the squad responded with a two-man crew to all inhalator calls (about 100 per year in the 1950’s), replacing Engine 21 as the city-wide inhalator squad, and thus keeping Engine 21 available for fires. Additional inhalators were kept in ready-reserve at Station # 1 and could be loaded onto any EFD vehicle in case Squad 21 was not available.

Squad 21 did not respond only to inhalator calls. With four mounted searchlights, a portable gas-powered generator, power tools, smoke-ejector fans, portable floodlights, extra salvage covers, two portable turret nozzles, a backboard, a Stokes basket, a large supply of rope, rappelling gear, and an oxygen-acetylene cutting torch on-board, Squad 21 also responded to all working structure fires, rescue calls, and any other incident that required the many specialized tools carried aboard the rig.

As a result of placing Squad 21 into service with a two-man crew, each of the engine and truck companies at Station # 1 now operated with a maximum five man-crew each shift, although each company could “run short” with a four-man crew if one of the company’s men was absent due to vacation, illness, or injury. With Squad 21 always staffed by two men, and with a chief’s driver always on duty, the maximum daily staffing at Station #1 each shift remained 23 men, although it could be as few as 19 if all four companies at Station # 1 were running a man short.

The engine companies at the other three fire stations continued to operate as they had since the additional Kelly Day was added in 1948, with a four-man crew scheduled each shift, although each of the companies could run with a three-man crew if a man was absent due to vacation, illness, or injury. This resulted in an aggregate maximum daily shift staffing at the four fire stations of 35 men if no firefighters were absent, and an absolute minimum of 28 if all seven companies were to run one-man short at the same time. Because Evanston firefighters were not permitted to take vacations or use overtime comp days November through March, it was not uncommon for a shift to be operating at maximum strength or near-maximum strength on any given winter day. Conversely, it was not uncommon for several companies or sometimes even all seven companies to be operating a man short on any given day in the spring, summer, and early fall.    

Annual salaries in the EFD in 1953 ranged from $7,200 (Chief Fire Marshal) to $5,484 (Assistant Chief Fire Marshal) to $5,100 (Captain) to $4,770 (Lieutenant) to $4,620 (both for Mechanic and Administrative Assistant) to $4,332 (Fireman I) to $4,272 (Fireman II) to $4,200 (Fireman III) to $4,080 (Fireman Recruit).

During 1953, Capt. Lincoln Dickinson (Engine Co. 23) retired after twenty years of service, and Lt. Knud Hanson (Truck Co. 22) retired after 26 years of service. Back when he was rookie firefighter, Capt. Dickinson was one of the three members of the EFD who were laid-off on January 1, 1933, so his twenty years of service was spread over two separate tours. The three Evanston firefighters who were laid-off during the Great Depression did not receive credit toward retirement while laid-off. 

To fill the void left by the departure of Capt. Dickinson and Lt. Hanson, Lt. Erv Lindeman was promoted to captain and assigned as company officer of Engine Co. 24, Capt. Ronald Ford was transferred from Engine Co. 24 to Engine Co. 23, and firemen Harry Schaeffer Jr and Richard Schumacher were promoted to lieutenant in January 1954. Lt. Schumacher was the first Evanston firefighter hired after World War II to be promoted. Both Lt. Schaeffer and Lt. Schumacher would eventually retire as assistant chiefs.

After the plethora of retirements in the 1940’s, only seven Evanston firefighters who were not officers retired in the 1950’s, including firemen John Lee (26 years of service), Bernard Lindberg (26 years), John Linster (26 years), and William Schreiber (22 years) in 1950, Francis Williams (24 years) in 1951, John Kabel (20 years) in 1953, and Charles Bammesberger (28 years) in 1955. Fireman Kabel was one of the men laid-off on January 1, 1933, so like Capt. Dickinson, his career was interrupted, and so his service was spread over two separate tours. 

Patterned after the Chicago Fire Department’s box alarm card system, the Mutual-Aid Box Alarm System (or “MABAS”) was created in 1968 to provide the fire departments of northern Illinois with a systematic pre-planned mutual-aid response to fires, medical emergencies, special rescues, etc,   

Although it wasn’t formally established until 15 years later, the origin of one of the MABAS divisions can perhaps be found in July 1953, when a number of North Shore fire departments that would eventually form MABAS Division 3, including Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook, Highland Park, and the Glenview Naval Air Station, participated in a day-long joint training exercise held under the auspices of the Northeastern Illinois Fire Chiefs Association at New Trier High School in Winnetka. The need for the joint training exercise was noted after several local fire departments responded into the Village of Wilmette on November 28, 1952, assisting the Wilmette F. D. in battling a large fire at St. Augustine’s Episcopal church at 1122 Oak Ave. Fire departments provided mutual-aid to each other long before there was a MABAS, but it tended to be somewhat disorganized and at times a bit chaotic, and that was apparently the case at the St. Augustine’s church fire.

The 1953 joint training exercise gave the participating north suburban fire departments an opportunity to practice working together at a complex incident. Chief Henry Dorband, both platoons of Engine Co. 23 manning Engine 23 and Truck 23, Engine Co. 25 manning both Engine 25 and Squad 22, Truck Co. 22 , and Squad 21 represented the Evanston Fire Department at the exercise, with Engine Co. 25 commanded by platoon drillmaster Capt. Ed Fahrbach, and with Truck Co. 22 led by platoon commander Assistant Chief Michael Garrity. Recently promoted Assistant Chief William Murphy — commander of the Fire Prevention Bureau — stayed behind in Evanston and served as acting platoon commander, with Engine Co. 21, Engine Co. 22, Engine Co. 24, and Truck Co. 21 covering the city while the other companies were in Winnetka. 

 

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