Chicago Engine 77 – some partial history (part 7)

Not to be outdone … this next series is from Dave Weaver who adds:

Well heck, I figured if you’ve gone this far down Engine 77 memory lane I would also share the photos that I took on their last day…

Thunderbolt Siren box

bathroom

Company helmet shield

Local 2 patch

unit on special duty

Chicago Fire Department Engine 77's last day in service

Dave Weaver photo

Tags: Chicago Engine 77, Chicago Fire Department Engine 77's house, Chicago Fire Department history, Dave Weaver, tour of Chicago Engine 77's house the day it was closed

This entry was posted on September 17, 2012, 1:54 PM and is filed under Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus, Reader submission. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Comments

#1 by Dan McInerney on September 20, 2012 - 7:18 AM

No Bill I don’t. I haven’t seen the annual run reports for a couple of years. Maybe Dennis McG or Bill Friedrich can help?
#2 by Bill Post on September 19, 2012 - 5:35 PM

Dan would you have the latest run figures for 2011? I know that for 2010 Engine 38 was the number one Engine ,in terms of total runs.
#3 by Dan McInerney on September 19, 2012 - 12:45 AM

Especially since in the years after moving into 77’s still, E38 became one of the busiest engines in the city, taking the title of busiest several times!
#4 by Bill Post on September 18, 2012 - 8:43 PM

There is no question that Engine 77’s house was closed because of Engine 38’s new station only about a half mile away. However, another reason that Engine 77 the fire company was closed, was to allow the CFD to put 5-1-2, the new south side has mat company in service. Since then, 512 was moved to O’Hare Field. There was a stipulation in the fire fighter’s contract with the city that they couldn’t reduce the number of fire companies in service at the time the contract was signed, so if any companies were taken out of service they would have to put a new company somewhere else in service. Another example is that Truck 6 was put in service when Engine 100 was taken out of service and Truck 12 was put in service when Engine 61 was taken out of service. It is conceivable that had the fire department not needed to put 5-1-2 in service, then perhaps Engine 77 would have been doubled up with Engine 38 and Truck 48 in their new station just as Engine 59 was doubled up with Engine 70 and Truck 47 in their new station on the northside.
#5 by Dave Weaver on September 18, 2012 - 2:53 PM

The rig was actually pulling out of quarters on “special duty” its way to its final official duty as Engine 77. I believe it involved getting fuel and stopping at 4th District HQ, Engine 38’s new house at 3949 W. 16th St., which had encroached on enough of Engine 77’s territory to make it a less viable company to keep open.
#6 by Joe on September 17, 2012 - 2:58 PM

What is ‘special duty’? I just see a rig half out on the ramp…