This from Andrew McCullough:
Here are a few more of my dad’s old slides. The descriptions on the slide tray are:2-3: Truck 312-5: Squad 2’s rig at E5’s house (not sure why the rig says 6, taken in 1966)2-6: Salvage #1 (281) at E5’s house (taken in 1966. The Autocar squad is behind, and the gas truck is barely showing on the left of the frame)2-8: My first rig as engineer on E5 – 1952 FWD (taken in 1966 in front of E5’s house).2-31: Still alarm 700 W Jackson2-32: Still alarm 700 W Jackson2-33: Still alarm 700 W Jackson2-35: Still alarm 700 W Jackson

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection

Andrew McCullough collection
#1 by Chuck on January 22, 2024 - 4:31 PM
Phil – I’m curious as to your statement about deck guns becoming standard in the 1970’s – to my recollection the only 1970’s rig that had a deck gun was Engine 35’s Mack, and pre-piped deck guns didn’t become standard equipment on apparatus until the early 1980’s Ford E-Ones. Am I mistaken?
#2 by Phil Stenholm on January 22, 2024 - 12:50 PM
MILTON: Once deck guns became standard on pumpers in the 1970’s and hose beds were manufactured to accommodate large diameter supply hose, the “high pressure wagon” of old became obsolete.
However, most large fire departments today do operate dedicated rigs with extra large deluge turrets that are much more powerful than the ones that were on the old high pressure wagons (which were the size of modern pumper deck guns), and hose tenders that can carry a significant quantity of large diameter hose. They just aren’t combined in one apparatus like they were back in the day.
#3 by crabbymilton on January 22, 2024 - 11:54 AM
So are there any modern high pressure units built now or are modern apparatus built in with that option. I used to know but I need a refresher in my middle age.
#4 by Phil Stenholm on January 20, 2024 - 3:42 PM
michael m: The salvage squads were in service 1967-72. There were eventually six. Not counting Salvage Unit 1 1966-67 (which had just a driver), the first two salvage SQUADS were Salvage Squad 1 and Salvage Squad 2 (formerly Squad 1 and Squad 2) and they were placed into service at E42 and E5 in February 1967, and then four more were added in September 1968 (one in each division except Division 1, with Squad 4 becoming Salvage Squad 3 and Squad 9 becoming Salvage Squad 4).
Two of the salvage squads (283 & 287) were assigned brand-new Dodge Dura-Vans, three (284, 285, and 286) used old CD heavy-duty rescue vans (ex-471, ex-473, and ex-475), one (281) used a former high pressure wagon (G-117), and another (282) used a 1954 Autocar squad (ex-SQD1), although they sometimes used spare pumpers or old Autocar squads.
The CFD salvage squads replaced the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol (CFIP). The CFIP was founded in September 1871 (a week PRIOR TO the Great Chicago Fire — talk about good timing!) and was in existence for more than 88 years (1871-1959), at its peak operating out of nine stations (with a 10th station planned before the Great Depression hit) located around the city.
The CFIP was owned by a consortium of insurance companies, and it was tasked with limiting damage from fire and water. A CFIP “Patrol” (as they were known) responded to all still alarms in the downtown “High-Value District” as well as to still alarms at high value properties elsewhere in the city, and to most extra alarms. Several CFIP patrolmen were killed in action, so it was a dangerous job.
Two of the CFIP firehouses were acquired by the City of Chicago after the CFIP disbanded, what would become Engine 50 / Truck 18 at 5004 S. Union (former Patrol 3 & Patrol 4) and Special Services HQ and SS1 at 1044 N. Orleans Street (former Patrol 5 and the CFIP shops).
The city declined to purchase the former CFIP stations at 100 S. Des Plaines (Patrol 1 & Patrol 2) and 3107 W. Fullerton (Patrol 7), probably because the house on Des Plaines was only a couple of blocks north of Engine 5’s house (which was only thirty years old at the time) and the house on Fullerton was a half-mile from both Engine 43’s and Engine 114’s houses (both of which had been constructed pre-WWI but were still in good shape).
The six CFIP patrol trucks (which were essentially squads) were sold to the Lombard, Markham, Midlothian, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, and Villa Park fire departments, with Skokie getting the newest one (a 1958 Ford / General Body squad that became Skokie Squad 1), and CFIP Assistant Chief Raymond Redick became chief of the Skokie F. D., turning what had been considered by many to be a second-rate organization prior to his arrival into a first-class outfit.
#5 by Phil Stenholm on January 20, 2024 - 2:33 PM
If you happen to hear the radio traffic from the McCormick Place fire in 1967, Chief Curtis Volkamer (215) on his way to the fire orders the Main Fire Alarm Office to “consider” sending high pressure wagons with the large-diameter hose for the fireboats and to suck water from the large mains, except the high-pressure hose wagons were no longer in service at the time of the McCormick Place fire and hadn’t been for some time.
That’s why the FAO says “You want ALL of the fog pressures?”, and Volkamer (upset) says “Not FOG pressure, HIGH pressure wagons…”
#6 by Phil Stenholm on January 20, 2024 - 2:05 PM
By 1956, automobile high pressure hose wagons had been around for many years, going back to when the three Seagrave water towers were placed into service with the Chicago Fire Department in the 1920’s.
The rigs first used as high pressure wagons were horse-drawn fireboat hose tenders (37, 41, and 58) that had formerly been in service as hose wagons with engine companies in the horse-drawn era. They were equipped with 2,000 feet of large-diameter “fireboat hose” but had no turret.
The three fireboat hose tenders were eventually replaced by automobile CFD shop-built rigs and re-designated as high-pressure wagons 611-616, using former truck company tractor chassis that were fitted with a “high pressure” turret nozzle and a hose bed filled with large diameter “fireboat hose” used to supply the water towers and to provide hose for the fireboats whenever they pumped from the lake or from a river to supply water to land engine companies.
Engine Co. 94 (then located at Engine Co, 5) was reorganized as High Pressure Co. 1 (611) in 1922. The rig was assembled at the CFD Shops using an ex-T4 Mack tractor, an ex-E122 hose wagon body and a turret salvaged from decommissioned fireboat “Michael Conway“ (ex-E58). It became the second section of Water Tower Co. 1 (621) when the water tower was placed into service at E5 in 1923.
After using shop-built “Frankenstein” high pressure wagons for many years, the CFD took delivery of five factory-built International-Harvester Cab-Forward high-pressure hose wagons (G-115 – G-119) in 1956, and and they were originally placed into service as HP1 (611), HP2 (612), HP3 (613), HP4 (614) and HP6 (616). The other two high pressure wagons (615 at the Stockyards and 617 assigned to “colored” Engine Co. 12) ran with a sedan pumper or a squad rig.
When the 1956 IH CF were first placed into service, HP1 was quartered with Water Tower 1 at E5, HP2 was quartered at E14 with Water Tower 2, HP3 was quartered at E104 with Water Tower 3, HP 4 was quartered at E23 near E41 (Illinois Ship Canal fireboat), and HP6 was quartered at E46 near E58 (Calumet River fireboat).
However, HP4 (assigned as the high pressure hose wagon at E23) and HP1 (assigned as the high-pressure hose wagon art E5) were taken out of service in 1960. (Water Tower 1 was taken out of service in 1959 and was replaced by Snorkel 2, and the snorkels did not run with a high pressure hose rig, so HP1 was no longer needed).
With HP1 no longer needed as a second-section of a water tower company and with HP4 no longer following Engine 41, G-115 (ex-HP4) was rebuilt as SS1 and G-116 (ex-HP1) was rebuilt as SS2 in 1961.
The other three 1956 IH CF high-pressure rigs (G-117, G-118, and G-119) continued to run off & on as high pressure wagons into 1963-64, then as a spare squad (G-118), Squad 4 (G-119), Salvage Unit 1 and later Salvage Squad 2 (G-117), the second sections of the two rescue companies (formerly SS2 and SS3) in 1968, and the second section of Salvage Squad 7 (G-119) in 1969.
If the picture of the fire on Jackson was from 1966, then the high-pressure wagon parked directly in front of the truck with its aerial extended was very likely Salvage Unit 1 (281). Salvage 1 (using G-117) was quartered at E28 from 2/66 to 2/67 and responded automatically to all 2-11 alarms city-wide and if requested by a chief. (This would have been prior to the first two salvage squads being placed into service at E42 and E5 in February 1967). It might have been backed-up to the truck so that salvage covers could be pulled off the rig by truckmen assigned to perform salvage work.
#7 by Eric on January 20, 2024 - 12:53 PM
Michael m, that’s a 1954 Pirsch. The aerial ladders were still wood at that time. Most likely Truck 2 based on location, using E-123: http://www.cfdshopnumbers.com/trucks/123
#8 by Michael m on January 20, 2024 - 11:41 AM
What chasis is the aerial ladder truck on? Also is it me or is the ladder made of wood?
#9 by MABAS 21 on January 20, 2024 - 11:18 AM
Andrew, thanks for sharing these cool pics. I love the 50’s and 60’s apparatus because they had so much character with their body designs and chrome.
#10 by Eric on January 20, 2024 - 7:40 AM
Andrew, these photos are excellent. Thanks for sharing them. The rig in front of the truck at the still alarm is one of the former High Pressure rigs, G-116 through G-119 (G-115 had a 40′ snorkel on it by the early ’60s).
Example here: http://www.cfdshopnumbers.com/specials/120
#11 by Andrew on January 19, 2024 - 7:19 PM
I hope people enjoy these.
What is the small rig in front of the truck in the last few pics?
#12 by Michael m on January 19, 2024 - 6:41 PM
What purpose did the salvage squads serve? How many of them were there?
#13 by Mike hellmuth on January 19, 2024 - 5:27 PM
Nothing better than looking at a classic FWD face to face…….