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Chicago Fire Department history

Chicago FD Engine 95 – 1967 Ford/Ward LaFrance. photographer unknown

Tags: Chicago FD Engine 95 - 1967 Ford/Ward LaFrance, Chicago Fire Department history, vintage fire engine photo

This entry was posted on February 13, 2019, 7:00 AM and is filed under Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

10 Comments

• #1 by Phil Stenholm on February 13, 2019 - 6:58 PM

  

  There were a total of eight Ford/Ward LaFrance and Ford/Pierce 1000 GPM pumpers with the larger 750 gallon tanks placed into service with the CFD 1967-69, partly to provide a ready water supply for vehicle fires on the expressways, but also as a replacement for the so-called “booster” rigs that used to respond back in the day to prairie fires in the outlying areas of the city where water supply was sometimes problematic.

  Pumpers with 750 gallon tanks were assigned to Engines 44, 72, 80, 118 (at Midway Airport), 119, 124, 127, and Flying Squad 3 (at Ford City), with the one at Midway Airport (Engine 118) equipped with 300 lbs of Ansul and a ladder rack.

  The one that was assigned to Flying Squad 3 at Ford City (Truck 31’s house) was transferred to Engine 68 after only six months when the new Engine 68/Truck 14 house opened on Grand Avenue in September 1970, at which time the fog pressure rig that had been previously assigned to Snorkel Squad 3 (SS3-A) was placed into service with Truck Co. 31 as Fog Pressure 341-A.

  Truck 31 ran as a two-piece company (H&L plus fog pressure) until March 1973, when Engine Co. 64 was relocated to Ford City from 63rd Street & Laflin.

• #2 by MABAS 21 on February 13, 2019 - 2:08 PM

  

  Erik and Bill thanks for your detailed responses.

• #3 by Bill Post on February 13, 2019 - 1:17 PM

  

  John those Engines were 1000 GPM pumpers and as far as I know they didn’t have extended front bumpers installed on them. If anyone has different information feel free to correct me.

• #4 by Bill Post on February 13, 2019 - 12:37 PM

  

  The first 2 of these 1967 model Ford C -850 Ward La France Engine company apparatus were slightly different from the next 5 of them. The first 2 which were originally assigned to Engine’s 95 and 77 were equipped with 500 gallon booster tanks while the 5 that were assigned to Engine companies 119,118,127,44 and 80 were equipped with larger 750 gallon booster tanks. The rear bodies of the those 5 rigs were built higher around the hose bed.

  One of the reasons that Engines 77 and 95 had been among the first Engines to be assigned those Engines is that Engines 95 and 77 were the 4th and 5th busiest Engine companies in Chicago in 1967 and both of those Engine companies also responded on the Eisenhower expressway where the booster tanks would come in handy. Both Engine companies also each had a Fog Pressure company that were assigned to their stations which were equipped with 300 gallon booster tanks and two hard line reels with High Pressure Fog (gun style) nozzles. Fog Pressure 1 was at Engine 77 and Fog Pressure 5 was at Engine 95 and by assigning the new rigs to those Engine companies the CFD was able to relocate the Fog Pressures to other fire stations. 8
  The Fog Pressure companies didn’t stay in service for more then a few years after that for two reasons , one reason is that in 1967 the fire department had their working hours reduced and the city had refused to hire more firefighters to increase the payroll so quite of a few fire companies were taken out of service including most of the Squad companies as well as the Fog Pressures. The second reason the Fog Pressures were taken out of service is that all of the new Engines that were being delivered had booster tanks on them and one of the reasons that the Fog Pressures were put in service in service were for their booster tanks as before 1967 most of Chicago’s Engine companies weren’t equipped with booster tanks with the exception of the 10 1956 Mack B model pumpers and another 2 or 3 1949 and 1950 Mack Engines that had been retrofitted by the shops.

• #5 by John Antkowski on February 13, 2019 - 11:44 AM

  

  Did they add an extended bumper on these or not? And what size pump? It looks like a 1000 gpm. I’m not sure? Thanks John

• #6 by Mike L on February 13, 2019 - 11:17 AM

  

  The one assigned to 118/32 had either a dry chem or Cardox tank added to it for the airport.

• #7 by Erik H on February 13, 2019 - 8:36 AM

  

  This one is D-328. It was the first of 7 Ford C-850/Ward LaFrance engines delivered in 1967. Even though this picture shows it’s all red it got repainted with a black roof. The rest of the original assignments were Engjnes 44, 77, 80, 118, 119, & 127.
  Engine 32 got 118s rig in 1974 after they were closed.

• #8 by CrabbyMilton on February 13, 2019 - 8:32 AM

  

  I think 78 had one but it may have been a later model year.

• #9 by MABAS 21 on February 13, 2019 - 8:18 AM

  

  Wow, I’m surprised to see this delivered in solid red. Bill Post or anyone else, do you know how many of these engines were delivered to CFD and what their assignments were? I know 32 and 127 each had one assigned.

• #10 by CrabbyMilton on February 13, 2019 - 8:17 AM

  

  Seems to me there were a few apparatus built on this FORD chassis across the country but I don’t think there were too many. Just kidding of course and you would be hard pressed to find a dept. that didn’t have at least one on the roster at one time.
  Interesting that this example is all red as opposed to the traditional black over red.

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