New engine for Buffalo Grove (more)

Updated production photos from E-ONE of the New engine for Buffalo Grove

Fire engine being built for the Buffalo Grove FD

E-ONE photo

Tags: Buffalo Grove Fire Department, E-ONE fire engine being built, fire truck being built for Buffalo Grove, pictures of fire engine being built

This entry was posted on November 17, 2016, 11:00 AM and is filed under Fire Department News, Fire truck being built. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

14 Comments (and one trackback)

Pingback: New engine for Buffalo Grove (more) | chicagoareafire.com
#1 by Jim on November 22, 2016 - 8:34 PM

What is Buffalo Grove staffing and what rigs are in service at each station?
#2 by Drew Smith on November 19, 2016 - 1:05 AM

The joint station began after the advent of the paramedic program. AH Station 4 along with its twin, Station 3 (flipped floor plan) were built in the early 1970s. AH Station 4 operated without an ambulance when the joint station (a little over one mile away) was in operation. That jointly staffed ambulance covered BG and AH from Lake Cook road south to about Hintz road.
#3 by Andy Russell on November 18, 2016 - 7:36 PM

The first full time employees for Buffalo Grove weren’t hired until the Village took over the fire department in May of 1981. The AHFD/BGFD joint station staffed happened in the early 80’s unit Arlington Heights opened Station 4.
#4 by Bill Post on November 18, 2016 - 10:22 AM

Thanks for the information Drew. So it sound as if Buffalo Groves fire department began as a private business even though it was jointly manned by a few Arlington Heights fire fighters with the contracted Buffalo Grove firefighters correct. It is interesting to note that it really didn’t become the official Village Fire Department until 1981 so that really makes it a pretty new fire department.
That’s probably when Buffalo Grove was becoming a “boom town”.
#5 by Drew Smith on November 17, 2016 - 11:44 PM

The Village of BG formed its fire department on July 1, 1981. Prior to this date the village was protected by at least two fire districts. The Wheeling Township Rural Fire Protection District covered the areas generally south of Lake Cook road. The Long Grove Fire Protection District covered the areas north of Lake Cook road. The Vernon FPD (now Lincolnshire-Riverwoods) may have served some areas on the east side of BG north of Lake Cook road. The area within the village south of Lake Cook was actually served by the Buffalo Grove FD Inc., a private not-for-profit corp. that was contracted by the WTRFPD. Station 25 was then known as Station 5. I believe there was a Station 6 which was a single bay at the village hall or police station at Lake Cook and Raupp Blvd. It was unstaffed and perhaps rarely used. Station 5 was staffed by two BG FFs and two AH FFs who staffed an ambulance (one BG and one AH member each) and Squad 246 (a midi-pumper with a BG captain and an AH FF). This two and two with BG POCs was the program until the village took over. When the village took over they hired all the BG full timers from the corporation plus a group of new full timers the POCs and a few others who had taken the test for the first full time eligibility list.

As for black over red apparatus, Bill Friedrich’s site has several photos of the different black over red BG apparatus that includes the midi-pumper and a very nice Grove mid-ship aerial. http://www.illinoisfiretrucks.com/CHICAGO-METROPOLITAN-AREA-FDs/COOK-COUNTY-NORTH/BUFFALO-GROVE-FD/
#6 by Michael M on November 17, 2016 - 11:21 PM

Where will the ladders go?
#7 by Michael M on November 17, 2016 - 11:18 PM

What will happen to the 2007 KME when the new apparatus arrive? They will get rid of the 1996 tower and 1997 engine, which engine will go into reserve the 2010 Ferrara or the 2007 KME?
#8 by Cmk420 on November 17, 2016 - 10:22 PM

So, what is the current line-up of Buffalo Grove apparatus at each station? Both front-line and reserve. How different will it be when the new apparatus are delivered and put in service?
#9 by Andy Russell on November 17, 2016 - 8:23 PM

There is currently no plan on opening a Station 28. There have always been “plans” but the call volume and area needing coverage on the east side of town just isn’t there yet.

There generally isn’t any regular time when there is more than one fire company staffed at each station. Station 27 runs as a jump company for 3rd ambulance calls in town. Quint 25 will be placed in service with callback personnel if the tower is committed somewhere, or even some times front line when both tower ladders are broke. Then 27 runs in an engine. Squad 25 or 26 can be placed in service during extreme weather events to limit the amount of time the water carrying vehicles need to be out.

Station 25 was opened in the mid 70’s and was the headquarters until the early 90’s. Station 26 opened in the early 80’s and 27 opened in 1991.
#10 by Andy Russell on November 17, 2016 - 8:00 PM

It’s a matter of replacing the older rigs at this point, not replacing the newer ones. The new engine and quint will replace the 1995 E-One engine and tower ladder. We had several years when rigs weren’t replaced on the interval they were supposed to be because of budget constraints.
#11 by Bill Post on November 17, 2016 - 7:50 PM

Thanks for the information Andy. Now that you mention it I do recall seeing some old photos of Buffalo Grove apparatus before the twin E-One quints were delivered. I’m wondering if they were ever considering a 4th station for Buffalo Grove, like on the east end of town near Milwaukee Avenue. It’s a pretty good ride for a Buffalo Grove rig to get there. For example, the area along Milwaukee Avenue north of Lake Cook Rd. I understand it belongs to Buffalo Grove, even though Wheeling is actually closer to that area. I recall that Buffalo Grove did have an Ambulance 28, so I was thinking that perhaps they were planning to eventually build a station 28?
Buffalo Grove in practice is very much like an extension of the Arlington Heights Fire Department as Tower Ladder 25 is the first-in truck in Arlington Heights Station 4’s area, and Engine 4 is really the nearest engine to much of Station 25’s area as well. Quint 27 also is the first-in truck to much of Long Grove’s area as well. They might as well be one large fire department which makes some sense.
I was wondering if when Quint 25 was in service and the tower ladder were both located together, were quint and Tower Ladder 25 jump companies or was there ever a time when there was more then one manned company (not including the ambulances) at Stations 25 and 26. I know that as a rule each one of Buffalo Grove’s stations has been running with one manned company and one ambulance per station however I am not sure if that was always the case.
Was Station 25 originally the headquarters or were both stations 25 and 26 opened simultaneously? When was station 27 opened? I’m sure that the Buffalo Grove Fire Department must have an interesting history, considering that they are located in both Cook and Lake counties.
#12 by sebastian on November 17, 2016 - 3:06 PM

Andy.. I’m curious do you know why buffalo grove has been replacing their rigs so frequently lately??
#13 by Andy Russell on November 17, 2016 - 2:46 PM

Way back in the 70’s and 80’s when the department was created we had black over red rigs. The current membership wanted to go back to the scheme and the management agreed when we ordered these rigs. We really wanted to do it with the Ferrara’s, but management at the time didn’t want to. The last vehicle in the fleet that had it was the 1989 Seagrave engine that was retired when the Ferrara engine replaced it.
#14 by Bill Post on November 17, 2016 - 12:20 PM

So I see that now Buffalo Grove is going to Chicago’s black over red paint scheme. It is practically becoming an epidemic. I personally liked the white over read paint scheme.