Chicago Fire Department history « chicagoareafire.com

Chicago Fire Department history

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#1 by Bill Post on January 28, 2025 - 11:30 AM

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This a continuation including a slight correction of my previous comments on the CFDs Original ALS ambulances.

Even though CFD ambulance 16 was the Original Ambulance of the Chicago Fire Department that went ALS (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance 16 had gone ALS in 1972 and not 1974 which was at least 2 and a half years before any of the other CFD Ambulances went ALS in late 1974 and early 1975.

The reason for that is because the crews of Ambulance 16 were part of the State of Illinois’s pilot paramedic program which began in 1972 in the Northwest suburbs out of Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Ambulance 16s base station was Resurrection Hospital in Chicago however as they were confined to O”Hare Field.

Chicago’s first ALS ambulances for the City Proper Ambulances 41,42,43,44,45 and 47 didn’t officially go on line until January 1975 even though they were renumbered in the 40s series beginning in mid 1974.
The exception was Ambulance 47 as Ambulance 47 was using Resurrection Hospital as a base station as it was Ambulance 16s base station. That’s the reason why Ambulance 47 had gone in service on Sept 20 1974 on the Northwest Side while all of the other Ambulances were located in the center of the City.
That’s also why renumbering the New ALS ambulances into the 40s series only lasted a few months as other wise all of the ambulances below number 30 would have had to be renumbered.
That’s an example of a plan that wasn’t well thought out.
#2 by Bill Post on January 28, 2025 - 1:49 AM

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The ambulance that you are looking at is not Ambulance 42’s first unit. Ambulances 41 and 42 which were Chicago’s first “modular” style Ambulances were originally white with orange striping. They were put in service on July 22nd 1974 which is the day that they officially took ambulances 1 and 21 out of service who were replace by Ambulances 41 and 42.
The Chicago Fire Department managements idea to have the new Paramedic or ALS ambulances numbered in the 40 series.
The new numbering of the ALS ambulances only lasted a few months and wasn’t consistently applied either.
The 40 series redesignation were only applied to ALS ambulances 41,42,43,44, 45 and 47, during mid 1974 and then was cancelled.

There was No Ambulance 46 until December of 1981 which is also when Ambulance 48 was put in service as a new company.
Ambulance 43 replaced Ambulance 11, Ambulance 44 replaced Ambulance 24 and Ambulance 45 replaced Ambulance 2.
Ambulance 47 which officially replaced Ambulance 7 at Engine 108 on September 20th 1974 actually was put in service before Ambulances 43,44 and 45 which were all ;located in the Center of the City with in a few miles of the Loop.
The Chicago Fire Department really messed up the planned new Ambulance renumbering system because after this renumbering fiasco from then on all of the New ALS ambulances retained their old numbers.

Even though though Ambulances 41 through 45 were put in service during the summer and fall of 1974 they really didn’t go ALS until January of 1975.

Ambulance 16 at O Hare Field actually was the first Chicago fire department ambulance to go ALS and actually worked with Paramedics as they were part of City of Chicago;s first paramedic training program during the summer of 1974 which was based out of Resurrection Hospital on the Northwest Side which acted as the telemetry base station for O’Hare Field.
The State of Illinois’s first Paramedic program was already taking place several miles west of there at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Besides Ambulance 16 at O’Hare which was Chicago’s first Operating ALS ambulance, Chicago’s first ALS or MICU program didn’t actually start until January 1975, It was part of a federally funded MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) Program.
Due to the federal funding of the MICU program and the training of new recruits Chicago’s first new ALS ambulances were often running with 3 people assigned to them over the first year or so however that didn’t last that long. When the ALS ambulance stopped running with 3 people on board , if an Ambulance found a Cardiac Arrest they would have to call for a 2nd ambulance to assist. It wasn’t until during the early 80s that the CFD officially began certify and train the fire fighter in CPR and thats when the CFD first began and Cardiac and Ambulance Assist program around 1982/83.

So that photo of Ambulance 42 wasn’t their first assigned unit and their original white over orange units were reassigned to Ambulances 44 and 45 a few months after they were put in service
Ambulance 21 which was replaced by Ambulance 42 in July of 1974 at Engine 13’s old house 209 n Dearborn. Ambulance 21 was the Ambulance that covered the North Loop.Ambulance 21 was put in service during October of 1961.
Up until May of 1961 Squad company 1 was assigned to Engine 13’s old quarters where they had been assigned since 1931.
Squad 1 was relocated to Engine 40 and Truck 6’s Old quarter at 119 N Franklin Street to make room for the Ambulance at Engine 13’s house.

Chicago’s Original Squad companies which first went in service in 1913 were first due on “inhalator’ runs from approximately from 1920 through 1955 when the Ambulances were officially reassigned to inhalator duty. The Squads were 2nd due on Inhalator runs until around 1967/68 when they were taken out of service.
#3 by DAN on January 22, 2025 - 4:00 PM

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THANK YOU !!!
#4 by Chuck on January 22, 2025 - 12:08 PM

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Engine 13’s address was 209 N. Dearborn if I remember correctly.
#5 by Phil Stenholm on January 21, 2025 - 10:08 PM

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209 N. Dearborn (Engine 13), with MICU Ambulance 42 replacing Ambulance 21.
#6 by Dan on January 21, 2025 - 8:12 PM

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What would’ve been the address of the firehouse here ??? great pic
#7 by MABAS 21 on January 21, 2025 - 5:59 PM

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Nice nostalgia. Thanks for sharing!