This from Chi-Town Fire Photos:
Today I had the opportunity to take pictures of the new AT8. Its a 2019 E-One Cyclone ll 0/0 137′ RM aerial. Very nice setup and should serve the city well.
Chi-Town FIre photos
Chi-Town FIre photos
Chi-Town FIre photos
Chi-Town FIre photos
Pingback: New 137-foot aerial ladder for Chicago (more) « chicagoareafire.com
#1 by Bill Post on February 12, 2020 - 4:03 PM
Thanks for the information Matt. Perhaps someone on this site knows more information on the changes?
Rich S do you have anymore information on whats going on?
#2 by Matt McCrory on February 11, 2020 - 7:14 PM
Heard recently that Chicago made a change on the aerial ladders they have on order including units already under construction. This change is having a negative impact on delivery times for non CFD units.
#3 by John on January 23, 2020 - 3:26 PM
Yo Mike C
http://chicagoareafire.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PSX_20200110_022955.png
#4 by Mike C on January 23, 2020 - 8:10 AM
I like the guards for the waterway!
Is the front intake the only place for connection or is there another location?
Is Chicago multiplexing or hard wiring their rigs?
#5 by Tim on January 22, 2020 - 4:29 PM
Thanks for your input Dennis. But if you’re going to jump down my throat feel free to jump down everyone else’s throat on this website as there has been a lot worse things said than my last post. I sure as hell don’t pick on Harry like some of the other guys do. Maybe you should read a little farther down from my post.
#6 by Dennis on January 22, 2020 - 4:18 PM
Tim, First off hello pot meet kettle, and secondly if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. This page is for people who are interested in firetrucks which is not any differently then sitting around the firehouse kitchen table talking about who the bears should get rid of, who the cubs should trade or who is better at building a house. No need to call out people or what grammar that are using ” too”. Have a great day Tim.
#7 by Tim on January 21, 2020 - 9:54 PM
I fail to see what is the big wet dream over this truck….who cares and so what!!!. Who cares when it’s going in service and who cares what company gets it. It’s a nice looking truck, not much longer wheelbase than previous trucks; it shouldn’t have any manuverability issues.
Rich S you’re right. When it comes to apparatus most guys don’t have a clue….let alone what an intercooler is or what it does.
Guys in a firehouse usually don’t know what any apparatus assignments are, and like has been mentioned MULTIPLE times on this website, we’ll know when they back the rig in.
Harry you need to clean up your grammar. It’s a mess. Use some punctuation too.
#8 by harry on January 21, 2020 - 8:25 PM
marty once again what i was told is training will likely be a month or 2 and being that they said it has not started yet then by all means it could be march and lets not forget it may have to go in the shop too u never know i hope not but chicago new dive rig is in the shop for problems so noone knowsbut hopefully it enters at 8 soon and then if the cfd decides to relocate it because of the tight streets by truck 8 then hopefully i see it as 8 and marty i hope u are right because i want to see this rig so bad
#9 by harry on January 21, 2020 - 8:20 PM
rich yes what u are saying i know is true the ff dontr always know but if what i was told by the lt on the engine is true that it has been oos since july why is that that i am going by what i was told but who knows but either way if u hear it is back in service please let me know i want to see it
#10 by rich s. on January 21, 2020 - 7:35 PM
Harry,
I’m by no means saying you didn’t talk with someone about this. I am however telling you I have seen the rig just two days ago and I saw the damage. It’s getting a new radiator and intercooler. There is no frame or body damage and it’ll be fixed in no time. Not all fireman know what they are talking about when it comes to these rigs. In fact most don’t.
#11 by harry on January 21, 2020 - 7:33 PM
danny this is what i was told by the members of truck 8 so if any on here dont believe me talk to them and like it has been said intill it goes in service nothing is final and even then things can change
#12 by Marty Coyne on January 21, 2020 - 2:41 PM
harry, late Feb to early March is NOT “a few months.” It is a month to a month and a half.
#13 by Danny on January 21, 2020 - 7:20 AM
To be fair alot of the info I get come from guys on the job in conversation on facebook. I generally get alot if questions answered when I ask at firehouses all over when I visit and most times you can tell rumor mill and BS from someone telling you what they know honestly
#14 by Cmk420 on January 21, 2020 - 7:09 AM
Again, I will ask this question–why would they just up and give you all that information? Who are you and why would you just randomly show up at a fire station asking about rigs? What is your endgame?? Maybe, this time, your information is right, but I question the methodology by which you get a lot of it.
#15 by harry on January 21, 2020 - 1:13 AM
marth the guys at t8 told me that the new at8 will likely not be frontline till late feb or early march and they also said that it may go elsewhere if they cannot navigate there tight streets I am saying what I was told
rich as for e28 the lt on the engine from sundays shift told me it has been out of service since july 19 from hitting the pothole and has major damage so why would they lie they have been running a spare since then then yesterday 1-20 the guys on that shift said likely about another few months for the repairs so I am going by what I have been told but I hope it comes back soon because I really want a picture of it but time will tell
#16 by Rich s. on January 20, 2020 - 2:51 PM
Harry, ?? 28 is getting a new radiator and inter cooler after hitting a deep hole in a snowy street the rig has no damage at all. AT 8 should be in service in a few weeks as will TL 10 which is also at fleet. 3 new trucks should be here by spring and as I’ve said 2 go south 1 goes north T1 gets a hand me down at that time. As far as more rigs they should be rolling out of E-One however the finance department needs to cut the money loose for that to happen. Which as you can guess they are not
#17 by MABAS 21 on January 20, 2020 - 1:13 PM
?
#18 by Michael m on January 20, 2020 - 9:28 AM
How many aerials will come this year? Right now three for sure. How many engines this year, 15ish?
#19 by Marty Coyne on January 20, 2020 - 8:49 AM
Just harry being harry. AT8 will not be going in service in a “few months.” It should be in Feb most likely.
#20 by Cmk420 on January 19, 2020 - 11:50 PM
What does the engine being in a reserve rig have to do with the new Aerial Tower going in service? Doesn’t make sense.
#21 by Wayne on January 19, 2020 - 10:26 PM
Harry what does Engine 28s vehicle have to do with Truck 8 getting a new rig?
#22 by Aidan Hughes on January 19, 2020 - 9:39 PM
Is Engine 28’s rig totaled? Will it ever return to service?
#23 by harry on January 19, 2020 - 7:57 PM
at8 is likely going to go in service in a few months because I was there today and e28 is using a 1995 spartan frontline because e28 hit a pothole july 2019 and the rig has decent damage
#24 by Bill Post on January 19, 2020 - 3:25 PM
Yes, Rich S, I know that the 2001 Pierce ladder from Truck 18 is being rebuilt but I wonder how many more years it will be in front line service as the rig itself is almost 20 years old? Eventually it will need to be replaced.
The previous Skokie chief was from Louisville, Kentucky however he wasn’t in Skokie long. During the time he was in Skokie there was a rumor that he would like to purchase rigs from Seagrave. Louisville has been a long time Seagrave customer. They are one of the few major fire departments that has stayed with Seagrave.
#25 by Rich s. on January 19, 2020 - 3:12 PM
Bill, Skokie purchased the Wilmette rig because they had no spares left and the Brindlee rig is a rental due to so many issues with the Pierce apparatus they have. Too many rigs down for extended period of time.
#26 by Rich s. on January 19, 2020 - 3:06 PM
Okay, there are currently 3 new Eone ladders coming as I said in an earlier post 2 of them will go south to replace rigs and 1 will go north. The north side rig will see their current rig go to what will be T1. AT1’s Pierce is already in the shops for extensive repairs and refurbishment. This rig will go in reserve service radio signature unknown at this time be quartered at E35 and available upon request of the IC. There is absolutely no reason to have this rig downtown at T1 we don’t use aerials for high rises. The trucks being replaced are numbered between 29 and 50. I know the companies but I don’t want to post it yet as this always causes an issue. TL 10’s new rig is also at the shops awaiting release.
#27 by Luke Jackson on January 19, 2020 - 2:49 PM
Will aerial tower 8 have a ladder board on the side like the towers? Or will it stay like it is currently without one?
#28 by Bill Post on January 19, 2020 - 1:03 PM
Fred M, Chicago doesn’t purchase used apparatus for engines and trucks. To my surprise, Skokie recently purchased a used 1996 E-One engine from Wilmette, and they are leasing a 2000 Pierce engine from Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus in Alabama. Skokie has a beautiful fleet of Pierce apparatus that includes a spare engine which served as Engine 17 from 1997 until 2013.
Chicago has rebuilt and modified some rigs in the past. The original Snorkel 1, a 1958 GMC/Pitman Snorkel, was leased and then purchased from the Department of Forestry. It was modified for firefighting. The original Snorkel Squads 1 and 2 used the cabs and chassis 1956 International Harvester high pressure wagons. They had new squad bodies and Snorkels installed in 1961/62 before going into service as the Snorkel squads. I’m sure you remember that in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the CFD had ten 1974 Mack MB/Howe pumpers rebuilt with new bodies. They did the same with six of the 1970 Ward LaFrance 2000-gpm pumpers as well as about 20 1970s vintage Seagrave rear mounted aerials. They are not about to do that again however.
The Baltimore City Fire Department has purchased used apparatus several times over the last 20 to 30 years so that they would have an adequate reserve fleet.
#29 by Fred M on January 19, 2020 - 9:24 AM
Bill, has the City ever purchased used equipment? Seems like they could buy some time while new rig’s are under construction etc. Just wondering….
#30 by Bill Post on January 19, 2020 - 2:47 AM
Currently 36 of Chicago’s 51 straight truck companies should be up for replacement. Assuming that he city buys twelve new trucks a year, it should take just over three years to get them all replaced. That would include replacing the last three of the 2000 E-One rigs and all of the remaining Pierce ladders including Aerial Tower 1. At that rate all of those rigs should be replaced by 2023. There are still 33 Pierce aerials in front line service which includes Truck 16’s rig which has accident damaged to the cab and Aerial Tower 1.
Based on age, the first one that should get be replaced is Truck 52. This is the oldest in front line service and is one of the first two prototypes delivered with a white ladder. It is a 2000 Pierce that went in service in late 2000. The ones that were delivered after had gray aerials and didn’t go into service until early 2002. Truck 47 was the second prototype. It was replaced with the last Spartan/Erv ladder that Chicago received 5 years ago.
#31 by harry on January 18, 2020 - 11:44 PM
as for truck 20 getting one of the new eone aerials I was told by lt john leonard of truck 20 that passed away 5 years ago tomorrow he told me they will likely never get another brand new rig because the city says they are to hard on them but time will tell
#32 by harry on January 18, 2020 - 11:40 PM
is at8 in service or still training on it
#33 by Aidan Hughes on January 18, 2020 - 8:08 PM
I hope Truck 1 gets one of the new ladder trucks when they arrive. I hope that the twelve new trucks get assigned to trucks 1, 7, 16, 20, 22, 29, 30, 32, 40, 41, 49 and 52. They should not refurbish Aerial Tower 1. They should keep it as their front line until they get one of the new trucks this spring. Truck 16 had an accident with a tow truck damaging the officer side door. They should replace the last three remaining 2000 E-One 100′ aerials at Trucks 30, 40 and 49 along with some of the Pierce trucks including Truck 29, 41, 52, etc. Trucks 29 and 41 have very high call rates.
#34 by Rusty on January 18, 2020 - 8:02 PM
Rich S. will old AT1 be designated 6-6-1? Also, will AT8 be special called for its Water Way?
#35 by rich s. on January 18, 2020 - 3:49 PM
Sebastian , I apologize I forgot to mention that after the refurbishment the former AT1 will be located at Engine 35 as a reserve rig like the previous 6-6-1 (Snorkel) and will be available for runs per the request of the incident commander.
#36 by rich s. on January 18, 2020 - 3:47 PM
Sebastian, AT1 is in the shop for extensive repairs and eventual refurbishment by the shops. They will no longer be an Aerial tower. The are currently in a 1992 Seagrave spare as a regular rig. However when the first 3 new Truck arrive they will be getting a newer hand-me-down that will become their regular rig. The new trucks should be in by spring time and one of them will be going north and the other two to the south to replace rigs. All three will be going to companies with numbers above 29 and below 50.
#37 by Michael m on January 17, 2020 - 10:29 PM
Nice photos! Love the black and white photo!
#38 by Sebastian on January 17, 2020 - 8:38 PM
All the tower ladders have a front intake!! So any word on AT1? Is it still in service? Or reserve?
#39 by John on January 17, 2020 - 8:16 PM
No,no pump. That’s the front intake for the waterway.
#40 by Mike on January 17, 2020 - 8:16 PM
Ffpmt there is no pump on it. Sounds crazy but there is less friction loss going through the front then the rear. So this still needs an engine to feed it.
#41 by FFPMTom on January 17, 2020 - 7:56 PM
I see the front suction on the bumper, does that thing have a pump?
#42 by Mike C on January 17, 2020 - 2:59 PM
Beautiful shots but the watermark is obnoxious!
#43 by Luke Jackson on January 17, 2020 - 1:38 PM
These are some great shots. Good job. Is this what we can expect the new 100 foot ladders to look like? Similar body and cab but 100’ Ladder instead of 137?
#44 by Bill Post on January 17, 2020 - 12:19 PM
Those are great shots Josh. It’s good to see Chicago back in the high ladder club again. I consider any ladder taller then 110 feet to be a high ladder. During the 1980s and 90s Chicago had 12 110-foot ladders in addition to the 135-foot ladders at Aerial Towers 1 and 3.
E-One has been marketing a 137-foot ladder for a while, but few big city departments have one. When they were selling the 135-foot model in the 1980s, several departments purchased them including Washington DC, Indianapolis, Fort Worth, Naperville, and Schaumburg.
Of at least the 20 largest cities in the United States, Chicago can now claim to be running with the tallest ladder in front line service. New York City never had a 137-foot ladder however they had two 146-foot ladders during the 1960s. Chicago had two built by Magirus at the same time. New York removed the ladders from the Mack chassis and replaced them with 100-foot Grove ladders in 1969. Chicago used the 144-foot ladders in front line service until they were retired in the 1970s. The New York ladders were rated at 146 feet and in Chicago they were classified at 144 feet. That might have been for a technical reason because they were the same model. During the 1990s New York City had two 110-foot Seagrave ladders on low profile chassis. When those were retired they were replaced with 100 footers.
#45 by CrabbyMilton on January 17, 2020 - 11:44 AM
Looks sharp.
The B&W picture is a nice touch.