Chicago 2-11 and then 3-11 Alarm fires, 10-20-15 (part 4)

Images from Steve Redick of the fire at Harry’s Lumber October 19, 1990.

Steve Redick photo

Tags: Chicago FD Engine 119, Harry's Lumberyard fire, Steve Redick, vintage Chicago fire scene photo, vintage fire scene photos

This entry was posted on October 20, 2015, 8:00 PM and is filed under Fire Department History, Fire Scene photos, Historic fire apparatus, Historic Fire Photo. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

17 Comments

#1 by mike on October 23, 2015 - 9:38 AM

Sneak currently has atleast 1 new snorkel in production, and I believe it’s a 55 foot snorkel.
#2 by David on October 23, 2015 - 8:34 AM

Firebuff: I think early 2007.
#3 by David on October 23, 2015 - 7:26 AM

Chuck, thanks much for the info! I can recall seeing a photo where one of the Oshkoshs was marked as a Squad and equipped with basket stretchers or something which looked like a small boat, but I always thought that it was probably a spare or something as the Squads were by the time using the smaller Hendricksons and Ford chase rigs. Never knew they used these regularly.
#4 by Firebuff on October 23, 2015 - 3:22 AM

Dumb question here, but when did Chicago transition from the 3/4 boots and log coats to what they have now? I know they ran with them in the early 2000’s but couldn’t remember when they switched.
- #5 by Drew Smith on October 23, 2015 - 4:33 PM
  
  For your answer, see my first post at the bottom of this link.
  
  https://chicagoareafire.com/blog/2015/08/historic-fire-in-lincolnwood-11-3-92/#comments
#6 by Chuck on October 23, 2015 - 12:22 AM

David, in 1983, when they resurrected the Snorkel Squad idea, they combined (at least on the South Side,) Snorkel 5(?) from Engine 72 with Squad 6 from Engine 93, and put them together in service at E-122. I’m sure there are folks here who could tell you which North Side Snorkels were combined with Squads 1 & 2 to form those companies. Those single axle Oshkoshs were very slow, and were not made to do all the heavy duty wheel spinning they were asked to do, and hence the decision to buy the 55 footers in 1988.
#7 by David on October 22, 2015 - 1:53 AM

Chuck: The Snorkel on the 1st pic is indeed the 1974 Oshkosh/Pierce. I’m not sure, but I think at least one of these rigs also ran for a while as a Squad apparatus around the mid-late 80s or so, but can’t tell for sure which company used it.
#8 by ENG 17 on October 21, 2015 - 11:52 AM

I have a cassette take of the radio traffic from the original fire. From the initial dispatch all the way through 2-1-11 calling for a 5-11! Fun to listen to, need to get it transferred to a CD since tape players are getting extinct…
#9 by Henry Gruba on October 21, 2015 - 10:04 AM

I saw the title, then the photo. My first thought, Engine 119 running a LaFrance? Can’t be a spare? Or could it? Are things that bad in the City? Then I saw the photo was from the 1990 fire. Phew. Almost ready to take up a collection for the rigs!
#10 by mike mc on October 21, 2015 - 8:47 AM

Mr. Redick: Do you have any images of the Battalion 11 Chief from the 1990 fire? If so, I would very much like to purchase it/them.
#11 by Chuck on October 21, 2015 - 12:23 AM

The Snorkel in the picture may have been Squad 2’s?
- #12 by Admin on October 21, 2015 - 1:20 AM
  
  nope, it’s a Pierce body … probably one of the 75-foot Pierce/Oshkosh/Snorkel
#13 by Michael M on October 20, 2015 - 10:29 PM

How old is Engine 119 in this photo? The current Engine 119 is a 2009. The reserve snorkel was at today’s fire.
#14 by Tom Foley on October 20, 2015 - 10:13 PM

Was the reserve snorkel or any of the reserve towers at today’s fire also at the 1990 fire? I think they are old enough…
- #15 by Admin on October 20, 2015 - 10:40 PM
  
  The Snorkel in Steve’s photo in 1990 has a single rear axle unlike the reserve Snorkel. There were no reserve tower ladders at today’s fire.
#16 by Tom Foley on October 20, 2015 - 10:13 PM

Was the reserve snorkel or any of the reserve towers at today’s fire? I think they are old enough…
#17 by John on October 20, 2015 - 8:24 PM

I find it funny that my old man was at both of these fires, the one in 1990 as a city paramedic and the one today as a firefighter.