We are currently preparing historic photo galleries for the Niles Fire Department and the Wilmette Fire Department, both in MABAS Division 3. If any readers have images that they would like to submit for inclusion in these galleries, please send them to the webmaster@chicagoareafire.com.
Some images from the Niles gallery:
Some images from the Wilmette gallery:
#1 by Bill Friedrich on May 11, 2011 - 10:24 AM
After Elmhurst, the squad was sold to the Winfield FPD where it served for a few years still sporting the chrome yellow paint job.
#2 by B Murphy on May 10, 2011 - 3:46 PM
Niles Squad 439 was eventually sold to the Elmhurst Fire Department, where it served for many years as Squad 2. It was re-painted Elmhurst’s distinctive yellow color (which is now being phased-out in favor of traditional red). As Elmhurst Squad 2, the unit was a Fire Department ESDA vehicle, but used at numerous fires, especially for its lighting capabilities and large-capacity deluge gun. Its front-mount winch was once used to pull off window security bars at a large fire at the old Elmhurst Hospital Guild re-sale shop on Addison Street in downtown Elmhurst in the mid -1980’s. It also carried a supply of foam concentrate for medium and high-expansion foam operations.
#3 by bgshap on May 10, 2011 - 3:57 PM
thanks for the history – I bet we can find a shot of it when it was in Elmhurst