Posts Tagged Prospect Heights Fire District history

North Palos Fire District history (more)

Aug 21

Posted by Admin in Reader submission | Comments off

This from Drew Smith:

In the recent post of the North Palos engine Crabby asked about the high expansion foam nozzle. Here are two pictures of Prospect Heights’ being used in a drill back in the early 1980s.

vintage photo of firefighters training with high expansion foam

Prospect Heights FD photo

Tags: Drew Smith, high expansion foam nozzle, Prospect Heights Fire District history, vintage fire service photo

Prospect Heights Fire District history

Aug 10

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 4 Comments

This from Drew Smith:

In various comments by Bill Post, Phil Stenholm, and others the term “inhalator” is used. The original inhalators were beasts and heavy. Here are a few pictures as well as a newspaper article about Prospect Heights FD’s first E&J Resuscitator-Inhalator. The PHFD currently has two of these although neither is in-service. As indicated in the article, the first unit was acquired in 1948. A second unit was acquired sometime later. The black and white photo with the E&J is from sometime in the 1960s. In a wooden case, with two steel D cylinders and the large brass chrome-plated “guts” this thing is easily close to weighing 50 pounds.

Prospect Heights Fire District history

E&J Resuscitator-Inhalator. Prospect Heights Fire District photo

click the image for a full size download

1948 newspaper article – Prospect Heights Fire District history

click the image for a full size download

Tags: Drew Smith, E&J Resuscitator-Inhalator, fire department inhalator, inhalator, Prospect Heights Fire District history, throwbackthursday

Prospect Heights Fire District history

Mar 9

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus | 1 Comment

This from Drew Smith:

Assuming this photo was taken in 1946: Pumper on the left is thought to be a 1926 purchased used in 1945. The original firehouse was built by volunteers in 1948 and in 1948 took delivery of a Ford/Darley which isn’t in the photo. Prior to having a firehouse, the rigs were stored in or behind a gas station (now gone – burned down in late 1970s) at the northwest corner of Elmhurst Rd (IL route 83) and Camp McDonald Road.

Drew Smith, EFO/CFO, LP

Prospect Heights Fire Department history. Dan Martin photo

Prospect Heights Fire Department history.

historic fire engine from Prospect Heights IL

Prospect Heights Fire Department history.

Tags: Drew Smith, historic fire truck photos, historic fire truck pictures, Prospect Heights Fire District history, Prospect Heights Fire Protection District

Prospect Heights Fire Department history

Apr 14

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus | Comments off

Bill Friedrich recently added the image below to his collection, and he asked Drew Smith for assistance in dating the photo.

Prospects Fire Department history

Here is the historical information that Drew provided.

I’ve confirmed the photo is from 1963

A few comments:

When the station was first built a neon sign of FIRE DEPARTMENT was installed above the overhead door. Later that sign was replaced with red letters PROSPECT HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT. The photo Bill obtained has the new lettering installed. Also, the paint store sign to the left indicates this is a later photo as that paint store existed until the new Walgreens was built. I have photos showing this newer red PHFD lettering with a different occupancy in the paint store’s location. Also when the station was first built there wasn’t a curb between the road and the apron. It was a gravel transition.
Below you can see the years and details of these three pieces.

Year	Type	Signature(s)	Make/Mfr.	Pump GPM	Tank	Other
47	Pumper	#3 173	Ford/Darley	750	500	Purchased new
48	Car	#4 174	Ford			“Pie wagon”
57	Car	?	Ford			Red & white wagon used by fire chief

The station wagon was the chiefs car and it would have been used by the first two. There have only been four chiefs in the history of the PHFD:

Fran Foor (1944-1962) *Served as president of IL Fire Chiefs Assn. in 1954

William Andrew (1962-1969)

Donald Gould, Sr. (1969-1988)

Donald Gould, Jr. (1988-present)

I’m going to say this photo was taken in 1963 based on the license plates. According to this webpage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Illinois , in 1963 license plates were dark green with gold letters. This is how the plates appear to me.
This red and white 57 Ford was replaced in 1966 with a Chevrolet Impala station wagon.
Between 1964 and 1968 the PHFD purchased three new pieces:

Year	Type	Signature(s)	Make/Mfr.	Pump GPM	Tank	Other
64	Squad	#5 175 Squad 9 909	Chevy			Utility body truckBreathing air cascadeGenerator
66	Pumper	#2 172 Engine 9R	Ford/Darley	750	1000	Twin high-pressure booster reels
68	Tanker	#6 174 Tanker 9	Ford/Darley	750	1500

The 47 Ford Darley pumper remained until sometime in the 1970s. In 1973 the department purchased a new Dodge station wagon for the chief, a Ward LaFrance pumper, and it’s first ambulance built on a Dodge van.

I have attached a few photos:

Prospect Heights FD 1957 chief's car

This appears to be the 57 Ford when it was new. The red license plate with white letters is from 1957.

Prospect Heights FD 1948 Ford van

This is the 48 Ford “pie wagon” (that’s what it was referred to by every old-timer when I joined even though it was long gone) It has been restored by someone in the NW Suburbs (no contact info available).

Drew Smith

Deputy Chief

Prospect Heights Fire Protection District

10 East Camp McDonald Road

Prospect Heights, IL 60070

Tags: 1947 Ford Darley fire engine, 1948 for van for fire department, 1957 Ford station wagon fire chief car, Bill Friedrich, Deputy Chief Drew Smith, fire apparatus history, fire department history, historic truck photos, history of Prospect heights FPD, Prospect Heights Fire District history