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Chicago Fire Department history

From Steve Redick:

EMS in 1953

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Tags: Chicago Fire Department history, chicagoareafire.com, early days of EMS in the Chicago Fire Department, Vintage news clipping about the Chicago Fire Department

This entry was posted on October 16, 2022, 11:00 AM and is filed under Fire Department History. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Comments

• #1 by Bill Post on October 28, 2022 - 4:28 AM

  

  Mike Mc you are correct that the Police Squadrols would quite often remove the victims to the hospital and not only that but the City of Chicago also had a policy that if the victim was in a private residence either a private ambulance would have to be called to do the removal or Police Squadrol (Prisoner Van) would do was called a “sick removal”. Strange as it may seem the CFD ambulances weren’t allow to do removals from private residences until around mid 1972.
  It actually began in mid 1970 when the 8 Model CIty ambulances which were numbered 31 to 38 and were part of the Federal Model Cities program made removals only from designated Model Cities Districts. In 1972 the City of Chicago changed the rules that the all of the CFD ambulances were then allowed to make removals from private residences city wide. Before that the CFD ambulances were only allowed to remove Chicago Fire Fighters or their family members with official permission from their homes. If you read the small print in the about article from the news paper there were only 12 CFD ambulances that were in service at the time the the next 4 to go in service around 1955/56 were ambulances 16, 13,14 and 15. The last 4 of the Old CFD Cadillac ambulances companies that wenr in service were Ambulances 22,23,24 and 25 whieh were pur in service in 1963. The next ones to go in service where Ambulances 31 through 38 which were the “Model Cities Units which were put in service during July of 1970. Ambulances 31 and 32 used White over Red Ford Econonline Vans and were located on the Northside whilt Ambulances 33 through38 were assigned White Pontiac Ambulances and they were assigned on the West and the South Sides. From 1970 through approximately 1972 Ambulances 38 and 25 were both assigned to Engine 60s house however 38 was assigned to the low income Model Cities zones near there. When Truck 61’s new house was finally opened they moved Ambulance 25 in with them and that is approxmately when the CIty Changed the “removal policy”. Engine 104 didn’t move in with Truck 61 until 1986.

• #2 by Mike Mc on October 18, 2022 - 9:34 AM

  

  They assigned the old guys to the ambulances which was considered less stressful duty back then.

  The squad companies wore “squad caps” shown in the photo on EMS runs so that people in hospitals, schools, theaters, etc. would not become alarmed by thinking it was a fire. NIOSH might have a slight problem today with how the FF holding the stokes basket rode the rig.

  I was told by old squadmen that transportation of the victim to the hospital did occur, but it was rare. If a CDF ambulance was not available the police would remove the victim in a squadroll.

• #3 by Greg on October 17, 2022 - 7:41 AM

  

  So in 1953 you had to have 10 years of firefighting to become an Ambulanceman! I wonder how many people today would jump at the chance after 10 years? Apples and oranges I know, but still.

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