From the SPAAMFAA Facebook page:
1949 Ford F-7 Big Job$3,500Chicago, IL1949 Ford Insurance Patrol wagon. A division of the Chicago Fire Department. Back in the old days the insurance Patrol would rush in with tarps to salvage your property after the fire department dumped copious amounts of water on it.
There are only three of these left in the world this 49 and a meticulously restored 51 and a 56 model. Whether you wanted to restore this or make a Resto rod out of it you would definitely be the only one with one around.
The body has seen better days and the doors are made out of wood with steel wrapped around them. The back door is still well hung but the front doors are rotten where they used to mount to the piano hinges and they are just wedged in place for the photographs.
Under the hood is the big 337 Ford flathead V8 which was only used in these big trucks and the Lincoln automobiles. This motor was free 10 years ago but someone left a spark plug out and it is currently stuck. The asking price for this one-of-a-kind vehicle is $3,500 complete or $2,500 without the motor and trans. The vehicle is currently located in Alsip illinois.
thanks Dennis & Dan
#1 by Phil Stenholm on November 17, 2017 - 11:49 AM
BILL: I talked to one of the Evanston F. D. Assistant Chiefs about the circumstances surrounding EFD Squad 21 (the 1965 International pumper-squad) back when I was dispatching there in the 1980’s, and he said that General Body did all of their body work at their Chicago factory. The cab & chassis would be sent to the GBC factory and then the custom body would be designed/fabricated/installed there.
So the reason you didn’t see Autocar squads anywhere else in the U. S. but in Chicago was because the Autocar squads were custom built by the General Body Company for the Chicago Fire Department. Autocar really had nothing to do with them (other than supplying the cab & chassis). The CFD Mack squads were also custom-built by General Body. As you can see from the link, the folks at General Body did amazing work.
As for Salvage Squad 2, you are correct, sir.
Prior to Squad 1 becoming Salvage Squad 1 and Squad 2 becoming Salvage Squad 2 in February 1967, there was a “Salvage 1” (281) at Engine 28 that responded to 2-11 alarms city-wide. Salvage 1 was a 1956 International ex-high-pressure rig (G-117) staffed by just a driver. The rig was retrofitted with two turret nozzles by the time it went into service as Salvage 1. It carried a large supply of salvage covers in its hose bed instead of the large-diameter “fireboat hose” the high-pressure wagons had carried back in the day when they were the hose tenders for the water towers and fireboats, but it could also work as a more-traditional high-pressure wagon with its dual-turrets once it got to a fire
So when Squad 1 became Salvage Squad 1 and Squad 2 became Salvage Squad 2, Salvage Squad 2 got the Salvage 1 ex-High Pressure International (which was already set-up to be a salvage rig) from Engine 28, and Salvage Squad 2 ran with that rig for 20 months until the five additional salvage squads were organized in October 1968.
Prior to the five additional salvage squads being organized in October 1968, Squad 4 (at Engine 83) had been running with another one of the 1956 International high-pressure rigs (G-119) for about a year and a half. Squad 4 was reorganized as Salvage Squad 3 in October 1968, and Salvage 3 was assigned one of the two new Dodge DuraVans. The former Squad 4 International rig (G-119) then became the second section of SS3 (which did not have a snorkel, but was still called “Snorkel Squad 3”), and Salvage Squad 2’s rig (G-117) became the second section of SS2 (which also no longer had a snorkel, even though it was still called “Snorkel Squad 2”).
So when Salvage Squad 2 moved to Engine 24 in October 1968, it was initially assigned an Autocar squad, then got its 1956 International high-pressure rig (G-117) back when SS2 was reorganzed as Flying Squad 2 (at Engine 93) in April 1969 (FMS2 got Salvage Squad 2’s Auitocar, as the companies exchanged rigs), before eventually ending up with one of the Dodge DuraVans. And just to make things more hazy & complicated, there were probably occasionally spare rigs coming & going during that period of time as well.
#2 by Bill Post on November 16, 2017 - 7:30 PM
Phil thank’s for the link to that article about the General Body company. So when the Auto Car Squads were built did they ship the chassis to Chicago from Pennsylvania and install the bodies in Chicago? Were the bodies all manufactured and installed at the factory on the 5800 block of north Pulaski?
Since General Body went out of business in 1987 I was wondering if anyone has the prints ,plans and specs for the Squads and the other vehicles that they had manufactured? In reality 1987 really wasn’t very long ago.
While I’m not completely sure exactly when Squad 2’s 1952 Autocar was taken out of service I do know that when they had by the time they were redesignated as Salvage Squad 2 they were using one of the 1956 International Harvester former High Pressure Wagons as their rig.
I do know that 5, 1956 International High Pressure Wagons were purchased by CFD and that 2 of them were retrofitted as Snorkel Squads 1 and 2 around 1961/62. Of the remaining 3 1956 High Pressure Wagons at least one of them was retrofitted with a second fixed turret on the body of the rig and that was assigned to High Pressure 1 which was the last High Pressure company that was in service and they had stationed at Engine 1 when they were taken out of service in November of 1964, By 1966 Squad 4 was using one of the other 1956 Internationals as their regular rig. During the spring of 1967 (around April) there had been a 4-11 alarm in a large multiple dwelling building on Loyola just west of Sheridan road and I saw the 1956 International High Pressure Wagon with the double fixed turrets on it and I believe that it was operating as Salvage Squad 2 at the time.
From the time that Salvage Squads 1 and 2 were put in service in early 1967 at Engine 42 and 5’s quarters until Salvage Squads 3 though 7 were put in service on October 1 1968 and Salvage Squad 2 was relocated from Engine 5 to Engine 24 in the 2nd Division while Salvage Squad 1 was relocated from Engine 42 to Engine 5’s house both Salvage Squads 1 and 2 would be dispatched to the same 2-11 alarms city wide. At the same time all 3 of the Snorkel Squads would also be dispatched to the same 2-11 alarms so from early 1967 until mid to late 1967 when many of the remaining Squads were deactivated and being phased out a 2-11 alarm in Chicago would have as many as 7 Squads dispatched to it. There would typically be one Squad due on the still alarm and a second Squad would be dispatched on the 2-11 in addition to having both Salvage Squads dispatched and the 3 Snorkel Squads dispatched to the fire.
#3 by Phil Stenholm on November 16, 2017 - 11:52 AM
I think it’s interesting that the CFD waited almost ten years after the CFIP was disbanded to organize the seven salvage squads, but then they were around for less than four years.
It was almost like Commissioner Quinn and other CFD chiefs still had fond memories of the CFIP and the fantastic work the salvage patrolmen did for so many years, but they weren’t able to recreate that same aggressive salvage-first vibe within the CFD itself after the salvage squads wee organized. They just couldn’t go home again (so to speak).
In a way, the Chicago Civil Defense Fire & Rescue Service sort of replaced the CFIP in the years 1958-89, where you had guys who weren’t firefighters working very hard to do their part. They didn’t do salvage work like the CFIP patrolmen did, but they did provide a lot of other useful support functions on the fireground.
#4 by Phil Stenholm on November 16, 2017 - 11:24 AM
BILL: There were two Dodge Duravans that were placed into service by the CFD as salvage squads in 1968. One was assigned to Salvage Squad 3 at Engine 83 and the other was assigned to Salvage Squad 7 at E129.
The ex-SS3 1956 I-H high-pressure wagon was assigned to Salvage 7 when SS3 went out of service in 1969, and the Dodge Duravan was transferred initially to Salvage 6 and then later to Salvage 2.
Salvage Squad 1 and Salvage Squad 2 initially used the Autocar squads that they were assigned when they were Squad 1 and Squad 2, and Salvage Squads 4, 5, and 6 were assigned ex-CD International heavy rescues (471, 473, and 475). Salvage Squad 5’s rig was re-painted red, but Salvage Squad 4 and Salvage Squad 6 still had the CD blue & white livery.
An interesting thing about the 1949-58 CFIP Ford salvage squads and also regarding the CFD 1949-54 Autocar squads was that the bodies were custom-fabricated by the General Body Company of Chicago, which is why those rigs were so unique.
General Body was the same outfit that made the famous Oscar Mayer “Wienermobile” and also bookmobuiles for local libraries (among other exotic creations).
see link:
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/g/general_body_co/general_body_co.htm
BTW, you might remember the old Evanston F. D. Squad 21 (the 1965 International squad-pumper that was in service 1966-77, the EFD’s version of SS1 in that it seemed to be everywhere) The body on that rig was designed and fabricated by General Body in 1965 after the City of Evanston diverted one of the International cab & chassis that was supposed to be a garbage truck to the Fire Department. (A pump, water tank, and front-bumper mounted winch were installed before the body was added, and the final cost of the Frankenstein was only about $10,000, which was less than half the cost of the factory-built squad-pumper Skokie F. D. acquired from Pirsch in 1965).
A new 1966 pumper body was then installed on the low-mileage little-used 1952 Pirsch Squad 21 (the “original” Squad 21) after its squad body was removed, and that rig was in service with a couple of different engine companies for another ten years (Engine 22 1966-70, and then Engine 25 1970-76).
The total cost of the two conversions (creating a new Squad 21 from a garbage truck chassis and various after-market parts, and converting the old Squad 21 to Engine 22) was about $13,000, which was about half the cost of Skokie F. D.’s new factory-built 1965 Pirsch pumper-squad.
Last time I saw the ’52 Pirsch (the “original” Squad 21 that became a standard pumper in 1966), it was living out its retirement as playground equipment at an Evanston city park on the northwest corner of Asbury & South Blvd).
#5 by Bill Post on November 16, 2017 - 7:20 AM
Phil. CFD Air Mask is still in Service at 1044 N. Orleans(Patrol 5′ house)
#6 by Bill Post on November 16, 2017 - 7:09 AM
Phil thanks for the great commentary and history of the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol. The very first neighborhood firehouse that I recall visiting was Patrol 7’s station at Fullerton and Albany. I still have memories of seeing it travel on Kedzie Avenue. I lived in the Logan Square/Palmer Square neighborhood back then and my first grammar school was located behind Patrol 7’s house.
I even remember that the headlights on the rig were red and green. They also had kept a reserve “Pie Wagon” style van parked behind the Ford Salvage Patrol.
I didn’t realize until several years later after I moved out of Logan Square that the small grey fire house on Fullerton wasn’t part of the Chicago Fire Department.
I have a question for you regarding a few of Chicago’s salvage squad rigs that were put in service in 1968. Do you know how many Dodge Duravans the CFD owned? I am not sure if they had 2 or 3 of them. Salvage Squad 3 was the only one that I knew of that had one assigned to it from the time they were put in service on October 1st 1968 until going out of service four years later. Their Dodge had an Aurora Borealis light on the roof. I also recall seeing Salvage Squad 6 with a Dodge Duravan (at Engine 106’s house) however they also had been assigned a 1953 FWD pumper. One time I saw Salvage Squad 7 using a Dodge Duravan however they had several different rigs through their relatively short lifetime. So I am not sure if the other Dodge Duravan without an Aurora Borealis was the same rig that was reassigned from Salvage Squad 6 to 7 or if they were two different rigs?
As you know Salvage Squad 1 was the first to be taken out of service on May 1st 1969 (when Flying Squad 4 was put in service) and they were still using the 1956 Auto Car that was originally Squad Company 1. Salvage Squad 6 and 7 were both taken out of service on November 16th 1971 and Flying Squad 7 was put in service on the same day using a 1953 FWD pumper that had been assigned to Salvage Squad 6. The remaining four salvage squads were taken out of service in 1972. In 1973 the seven Flying Manpower Squads finally were assigned new box style rigs replacing the old pumpers they had been using.
#7 by CrabbyMilton on November 16, 2017 - 5:57 AM
Looks like it’s still pretty solid and it could be restored.
Unless you really was to impress the FORD FLATHEAD people, it would be better to put in a more modern FORD engine and automatic transmission. The V10 comes to mind.
#8 by Phil Stenholm on November 15, 2017 - 11:57 PM
The Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol (CFIP) was funded by a consortium of insurance companies, and was created to help minimize damage from fire and water at fires. The CFIP was founded on September 30, 1871 (just about a week PRIOR to the Great Chicago Fire), and it was disbanded (as a cost-cutting measure) on June 29, 1959 after nearly 88 years of service.
On the day the CFIP was disbanded, the following were in service:
Patrol No. 1 (1958 Ford/General B-50) at Patrol 1 (100 S. Des Plaines)
Patrol No. 2 (1954 Ford/General B-48) at Patrol 1
Patrol No. 3 (1949 Ford/General B-45) at Patrol 3 (5004 S. Union)
Patrol No. 4 (1952 Ford/General B-47) at Patrol 3
Patrol No. 5 (1951 Ford/General B-46) at Patrol 5 (1044 N. Orleans)
Patrol No. 7 (1950 Ford/General B-44) at Patrol 7 (3107 W. Fullerton)
The CFD signatures for the CFIP patrol trucks were 2-8-x (so Patrol 7 would have been 2-8-7).
The six CFIP Ford/General salvage trucks that were in service in 1959 were subsequently sold to Lombard, Markham, Midlothian, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, & Villa Park F. D. after the CFIP disbanded. The newest one (B-50) went into service as Skokie F. D. Salvage Squad 1.
The four CFIP firehouses were newer than a lot of the Chicago firehouses that were in service in 1959 (Patrol 1 was built in 1927, Patrol 3 was built in 1938, Patrol 5 was built in 1926, and Patrol 7 was built in 1931), and the CFIP offered all four of the firehouses to the City of Chicago for $1 a piece after the CFIP was disbanded, but only if the facilities would continue to be used as working firehouses. Because Patrol 1 (on Des Plaines Street) was only a couple of blocks from Engine 5 and Patrol 7 (on Fullerton) was only about a 1/2 mile from Engine 43 and Engine 114, the City opted to acquire only two of the four (Patrol 3 on Union Avenue and Patrol 5 on Orleans Street). .
Patrol 3 became the new quarters for Engine Co. 50, Truck Co. 18, and Battalion 11 in July 1960 and is still a working CFD firehouse today, and Patrol 5 was used as the CFD Drill School in 1960 while the new Fire Academy on DeKoven Street was under construction, and then became home to Special Services (1961-79), Snorkel Squad 1 (1962-1979), and finally the CFD Air Mask Service (1979-82)
There also was (at one time) a Patrol 6 (located at 332 S. Hoyne 1893-1942), a Patrol 8 (established at 3921 N. Ravenswood in 1922), and a Patrol 9 (established in 1923 at 6240 S. Peoria). However, Patrol 8 and Patrol 9 were taken out of service after only about ten years of service in February 1933 and the plan to build a Patrol 10 at 1016 E. 73rd Street (next door to Truck 34) was dropped at that same time as the result of CFIP budget cuts during the Great Depression. Patrol 8 and Patrol 9 were never reactivated. Patrol 8’s firehouse on Ravenswood is still standing, although it has not been used as a firehouse since 1933. (Besides responding to still alarms on the north side of Chicago, Patrol 8 also responded to working fires in Evanston 1923-33).
Patrol 6 went out of service in December 1942 as the result of manpower shortages during WWII and it was not reactivated after the war.
Prior to the construction of the new Patrol 3 on Union for Patrol 3 and Patrol 4 n 1938, Patrol 4 was assigned to the Union Stockyards (CFIP firehouse located at 43rd Street & Racine) for almost 50 years (1889-1938), and during that period of time it was the only CFIP patrol that operated with a fire-fighting vehicle (first with a horse-drawn chemical engine and then later with a Diamond “T” automobile pumper) rather than with a salvage truck.
During the years 1967-68 the CFD placed seven salvage squads into service (one in each of the seven CFD divisions) that were patterned after the CFIP (they even carried the same signatures as the CFIP patrols), but they weren’t around very long, and all seven were out of service by the end of 1972.