As seen around … O’Hare Airport

Images from Gordon J. Nord, Jr.

Chicago O'Hare Airport E-ONE fire engine

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago O'Hare Airport Spartan ERV fire engine

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Tags: CFD O'Hare Airport firefighting, Chicago Fire Department, Chicago Fire Department at O'Hare Airport, Chicago O'Hare Airport engine, Gordon J. Nord Jr., new engine for O'Hare Airport, new engines for O'Hare, O'Hare Airport Fire Department

This entry was posted on February 2, 2015, 2:00 PM and is filed under Fire Truck photos, New Delivery. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

15 Comments

#1 by Mike Mc on February 4, 2015 - 5:22 PM

Tom from Indianapolis: You would probably be interested in what company or campanies your grandfather was on before going to Engine 10. Father McNalis of the fire museum has 3 X 5 cards listing where almost every member served from the 1930’s (or earlier) through the early 1970’s. The fire alarm office used to keep them on file in case someone had to be found or contacted in an emergency.

Just a guess, but your grandfather probably went to Engine 10 after many years of service somewhere else.

(Please don’t take offense ARFF! I’m just trying to help the guy based on the time period he referenced)
#2 by FARTIN' FRED on February 4, 2015 - 4:41 PM

ARFF, ARFF! ????????
#3 by Grumpy grizzly on February 4, 2015 - 3:58 PM

On facebook go to O’Hare and Midway fire apparatus, posted Engine 10 red and yellow, enjoy sir.
#4 by Grumpy grizzly on February 4, 2015 - 3:44 PM

There are a couple of facebook sites around, one is dedicated to O’Hare and Midway. I have posted pixs of the stuff from the 80’s there including the CFD structural stuff, engine 8, 10, and 12, both red and yellow.
#5 by David on February 4, 2015 - 8:32 AM

Tom, try the CFD firehouse history books from Ken Little and Fr. McNallis. I ain’t got them righ at hand as I’m at work now, but I’m sure that there’s some history of this unit in the books. You can also try to write to the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago and see if they’ll come up with something.
#6 by Tomff/pm on February 3, 2015 - 11:19 PM

Good evening gentleman. I am a firefighter/paramedic with the Indianapolis Fire Department. I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog and keeping up on things in the Chicago area, as I am originally from the NW suburbs. My grandfather retired from CFD as the engineer of Engine 10. This is going back many years. I am in my mid-thirties and he died when I was 10, he had been retired before I was born. I am looking for whatever information I can get on Engine 10, it’s not the easiest to find and I am amazed at the knowledge of the CFD some of you have.
#7 by Shane on February 3, 2015 - 3:15 PM

I believe the Air Force has red ARFF rigs
#8 by Markus on February 3, 2015 - 2:20 PM

Prospect Heights ARFF truck is red also
#9 by Crabby Milton on February 3, 2015 - 12:34 PM

Thanks for that reminder. I knew I wasn’t seeing things in regard to red crash trucks in use here in the USA. Obviously, Canada has different spaghetti plate standards.
#10 by Matt on February 3, 2015 - 11:59 AM

The color is dictated by the funds used to buy the ARFF apparatus. If ticket fee money held by the FAA is used, then the hi-vis colors are needed. If a FD or City buys the rigs on their own, they can select other colors. Phoenix has had red ARFF rigs at Sky Harbor and red is a predominant color at airports in Europe and Asia.
#11 by Crabby Milton on February 3, 2015 - 8:25 AM

Probably in part because of the fed with regulation and funding. That’s why the color is different.
The idea of the color is strange too. If the airport rigs were black over red like the rest of CFD, it probably wouldn’t make any difference in safety. I’ve seen some crash rigs that are red though I can’t recall where. School buses have to be a certain yellow for safety yet dumb dumbs still run into them.
#12 by David on February 3, 2015 - 3:00 AM

Anybody knows why the airport has always different buggies than the rest of the City?! Is that because of the FAA funding the airport rigs or they need something specific?
#13 by Jim on February 2, 2015 - 9:10 PM

Eng Co 12 runs out of Rescue 1, SW cargo area, with Tower Ladder 63.
#14 by Shane on February 2, 2015 - 3:07 PM

Where is 12 stationed at?
#15 by Crabby Milton on February 2, 2015 - 2:55 PM

12 & 10 look great from that side.