Posts Tagged Evanston Fire Chief Albert Hofstetter

Evanston Fire Department history Part 25

May 24

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | Comments off

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

MOTORIZATION

During 1916, Evanston’s firefighting force was increased to 39, as four additional firemen were assigned to Station # 1. The Evanston Fire Department was also growing increasingly experienced, as 18 of the 39 members of the EFD (46%) had 10+ years of  experience by this point in time, including all of the chiefs and company officers. Annual EFD salaries in 1916 ranged from $1,800 (Chief Fire Marshal) to $1,200 (Assistant Chief Fire Marshal) to $1,140 (Captain, Motor Driver, and Engineer) to $1,080 (Lieutenant, Assistant Motor Driver, and Assistant Engineer) to $1,050 (Fireman I) to $840 (Fireman II).

The National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) conducted an inspection of the Evanston Fire Department in 1916, and issued its report in October. The NBFU advised the City of Evanston to either completely motorize its fire department immediately, or else build a fourth fire station to provide fire protection for the west-side of the city. Failure to do one or the other would almost certainly result in significantly higher fire insurance premiums for Evanston property owners and businesses.

EFD Chief Albert Hofstetter enthusiastically supported the NBFU’s recommendation, claiming that complete motorization of the fire department would both cut maintenance costs by 50% – AND – improve response times to areas of the city not in close proximity to a fire station.

Alderman H. E. Chandler proposed that Evanston place automobile firefighting apparatus in service at all three fire stations ASAP, and the city council responded on February 20, 1917, by authorizing the issuance of $30,000 in bonds to pay for full motorization of the EFD, pending approval by voters in the upcoming election. The bond issue was subsequently approved by Evanston voters on April 3rd, and the city immediately advertised for bids.

Chief Hofstetter listed the automobile firefighting apparatus to be purchased:

FOR FIRE STATION # 1:

1. A city service ladder truck equipped with a 55-foot ground-based rapid extension ladder that could be raised by four men using tormentor poles, ten other ladders of various types and lengths including pompier ladders and roof ladders, salvage covers, pike poles, axes, rope, and buckets, a 50-gallon chemical tank with a red-line hose reel, six hand extinguishers of various types, a heavy-duty jack capable of lifting ten tons, and a life net, replacing the ex-Chattanooga F. D. horse-drawn 1891 LaFrance / Hayes 55-ft HDA (Truck 1) that was being leased from American-LaFrance and the horse-drawn 1873 Babcock double 50-gallon chemical engine (Chemical 1);

2. A 750-GPM triple-combination pumper equipped with one 35-foot ground ladder and one 25-foot ground ladder, a 50-gallon chemical tank with a red-line hose-reel, and six hand fire extinguishers of various types, replacing the 1911 Robinson Jumbo triple-combination pumper (Motor Engine 1) that was to be transferred to Station # 3 and replace the horse-drawn 1895 Ahrens Metropolitan 600 GPM second-size steamer (Engine 3).

FOR FIRE STATION # 2:

1. A one-axle tractor to be welded to the 1906 American-LaFrance Metropolitan 700-GPM second-size steamer (Engine 2) after removal of the steamer’s three-horse hitch;

2. A chemical engine & hose truck equipped with one 35-foot ground ladder and one 25-foot ground ladder, a 50-gallon chemical tank with a red-line hose reel, and six hand fire extinguishers of various types, replacing the horse-drawn 1902 Seagrave chemical engine & ladder combination truck / hose tender (Truck 2).

FOR FIRE STATION # 3:

1. A chemical engine & hose truck equipped with one 35-foot ground ladder and one 25-foot ground ladder, a 50-gallon chemical tank with a red-line hose reel, and six hand fire extinguishers of various types, replacing the horse-drawn 1885 Davenport H&L / hose-tender (Truck 3).

The twelve horses that were still in service with the EFD in 1917 were to be retired, sold, or transferred to the street department as soon as the automobile apparatus were placed into service, although two, horse-drawn rigs – the 1895 Ahrens Metropolitan steamer and one of the 1901 four-wheeled hose wagons — would be kept in reserve, albeit with no EFD horses left to pull them.

In the event that one or both of the reserve horse-drawn rigs would need to be placed into service, it was understood that former EFD horses in service with the street department would be temporarily transferred back to the EFD. For that same reason, the stables and hay lofts located in the three fire stations would need to be maintained for as long as horse-drawn apparatus remained in reserve.

Only two companies – American-Lafrance and Seagrave – offered bids, and on May 1st the Evanston City Council announced that the Seagrave Corporation had been awarded the contract, with a winning bid of $28,800. With the left-over funds, a new chief’s buggy — a 1917 Haynes touring car — was purchased, and the 1914 Overland roadster was sold.

As part of its bid, Seagrave offered to install 300-GPM “booster pumps” (as they were called) on the two chemical & hose trucks free-of-charge, and — as was common practice at the time — assign a company engineer to Evanston to provide driver training, instruction in vehicle maintenance and pump operations, and be available 24 / 7 to make any mechanical adjustments or repairs that might be needed as the rigs were being placed into service. Replacing the leased HDA (Truck 1) was deemed the highest-priority, so Seagrave promised to build the city service truck first. The estimated delivery date was November 1917, with the other rigs to be delivered somewhat later.

As to why Evanston opted to buy a city service truck instead of an aerial-ladder truck, the master-plan had been to eventually purchase an automobile tractor for the 1907 American-LaFrance 85-foot HDA, but then it was demolished in September 1916. Granted a ground-based 55-foot extension-ladder was very heavy and required more manpower to raise than was the case with an aerial ladder of a similar length, an extension ladder cost about 50% less than an aerial ladder, and it just would not have been possible to fully motorize the EFD in 1917 for $30,000 if a new tractor-drawn aerial ladder truck (TDA) was part of the order.

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, Chicagoareafire.com/blog, Evanston Fire Chief Albert Hofstetter, Evanston Fire Department history, History of Evanston Fire Department, motorization fo the Evanston Fire Department, Phil Stenholm

Evanston Fire Department history Part 24

May 16

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History | 2 Comments

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment about History of Evanston Fire Department

The Ballad of the Lucille McQuade

On January 12, 1915, a fire was reported at the Nally livery stable, located adjacent to the Greenwood Inn (formerly known as the “French House”) at Greenwood & Hinman. The Greenwood Inn was one of Evanston’s two hotels at the time, the other being the world-famous Avenue House at Davis & Chicago. The blaze started on the 2nd floor of the stable while guests were dining in the hotel. Bessie Gallagher disobeyed police officers and ran headlong into the inferno to retrieve personal belongings, before being rescued by Evanston firefighters. She was then arrested by Evanston police and charged with disorderly conduct and failure to obey a police officer. Damage to the livery stable was estimated at $3,000, but nobody was injured and quick work by Evanston firefighters saved the hotel.

Two weeks later, in the early-morning hours of January 28th, the EFD responded to a report of a blaze at Mrs. I. C. Danwood’s boarding house at 1925 Sherman Ave. Boarder C. C. Firman sustained fractures to both ankles when he leaped from a second floor window to escape the flames prior to the arrival of firefighters. The EFD encountered fire blowing through the roof upon arrival, and although firemen rescued the other boarders without injury to civilians or firemen, fire suppression efforts were significantly hampered when a fire hydrant stem broke off while firefighters were connecting a suction hose to the plug. Firefighters did eventually connect to a different hydrant further way, but the initial delay resulted in total loss of the house and contents to the tune of $7,000. However, the EFD did manage to save surrounding structures after taking defensive positions and setting up an elevated master stream from atop the HDA’s aerial ladder and a high-pressure stream from the Eastman “deluger” on the street, both supplied by multiple 2-1/2 inch hose lines.

On April 20, 1915, voters in the Village of Wilmette approved a $20,000 bond issue authorizing purchase of a motorized automobile fire engine, and construction of a combination police / fire station on the west-side of Railroad Avenue south of Lake Ave. The Wilmette F. D. took delivery of an American-LaFrance Type 75, 750-GPM triple-combination-pumper later in the year, and the rig was in continuous front-line service with the Wilmette Fire Department as its first-due engine for more than 25 years. The police / fire station was in service for 50 years.

At 2 PM on Sunday, May 15, 1915, chemicals exploded in the film-developing room of the Will E. Horton camera shop in the Simpson Building on Davis Street. All three of the EFD’s engine companies went to work at this fire, but the camera shop was gutted and the C. H. Morgan grocery store next-door was heavily damaged by smoke before the blaze could be extinguished. $8,500 damage to the camera shop and the grocery store. .

At noon on Saturday, July 3, 1915, EFD Engine Co. 2 and Motor Engine Co. 1 responded to a report of a fire on the roof of the residence of Mrs. Margaret Patterson at 529 Lee St. The blaze was apparently sparked by an errant 4th of July bottle-rocket that had gone awry. Flames quickly communicated to the roofs of houses to the west and east, and while firemen managed to extinguish the blaze before any other structures became involved in fire, the roof and second floor of the Patterson residence, and the roofs of the neighboring Robert Larimer and John W. Fellows residences were heavily damaged. Fireman William Wilbern (Engine Co. 2) suffered only minor injuries when the roof of the Patterson residence collapsed onto him while he was attacking fire in the attic from a second floor bedroom.

EFD Chief Albert Hofstetter attended the International Association of Fire Engineers Convention in Cincinnati in September 1915, and subsequently reported to the city council that although a few fire departments were still purchasing horse-drawn steamers and aerial ladder trucks, no horse-drawn fire apparatus was displayed at the convention. He said that automobile firefighting apparatus were much improved over what was available when Evanston purchased its Robinson Jumbo in 1911, and that it was expected that horse-drawn rigs would be replaced by automobile fire trucks and engines across the country in very short order.

In addition, Hofstetter noted that a new fully-automated aerial ladder was demonstrated at the convention. Built by Ahrens-Fox on a Couple Gear chassis and combining the Dahill Air Hoist system with an 85-ft wooden aerial-ladder supplied by Pirsch, the stick could be raised by one man in just 11 seconds, Conversely, the 1907 American-LaFrance 85-ft HDA in service with the Evanston Fire Department at that time had a spring-loaded aerial-ladder that was fully-raised by a windlass, and two men were required to crank the winch.

On Saturday night, January 8, 1916, fire gutted Rosenberg’s Department Store at 820 Davis St. As was the case at the Heck Hall fire two years earlier, two Chicago F. D. engine companies assisted. This time, both of the CFD companies sent to Evanston — Engine Co. 102 and Engine Co. 110 — were equipped with modern gasoline-powered automobile pumpers. Engine 102 had a brand-new Seagrave, and Engine 110 had the 1912 Webb that previously was assigned to Engine Co. 102. With EFD Motor Engine No. 1 (the Robinson “Jumbo”) also working at the scene, it was a chance for Evanston officials to compare the performance of the three automobile pumpers under “game” conditions.

Two thousand spectators gathered at Fountain Square, as Evanston and Chicago firemen fought the blaze well into Sunday morning. All three of the automobile pumpers ran out of gas after the EFD’s reserve fuel supply of 120 gallons was exhausted, but more gasoline was eventually located at a nearby garage. EFD Capt. Ed Johnson (Motor Engine Co. 1) was seriously injured at this fire, but eventually recovered and returned to duty. The $58,700 loss set a new mark for the 2nd-highest from a fire in Evanston’s history up to that point in time.

The American-LaFrance horse-drawn 85-foot windlass-operated aerial-ladder truck (HDA) with a four-horse hitch that was purchased by Evanston in 1907 for $6,700 was in service for only nine years. It was demolished in a collision with an Evanston Street Railway Company streetcar at Grove & Sherman while responding to an alarm on Hinman Avenue in the early-evening hours of September 18, 1916. Two firemen — Dan McKimmons and Orville Wheeler — were thrown to the ground when the rig tipped over and were seriously injured in the crash.

The Evanston Street Railway Company claimed the crash was unavoidable and refused to accept responsibility for the accident, and so the City of Evanston began civil litigation to force the ESRC’s insurance company to pay for a new HDA. Unfortunately, the City of Evanston had somehow neglected to insure the HDA, so winning the court case was the only way the city could pay for a new one without a significant emergency appropriation or a voter-approved bond issue.

While waiting for the lawsuit to be settled, the Evanston City Council came up with a plan to sell two of the four horses that had been assigned to pull the demolished HDA, and use the money to lease a relatively new hook & ladder truck (without an aerial-ladder) @ $60 per month from the Chicago sales office of American LaFrance. This two-horse H&L — which had previously been in service in Peru, Indiana — was in excellent condition, and it ran as EFD Truck No. 1 for about six months while it was being advertised for sale.

American LaFrance sold the ex-Peru rig to the fire department of Toronto, Ontario, in March 1917. The EFD then leased an 1891 LaFrance / Hayes 55-ft aerial ladder truck with a three-horse hitch known as the “Lucille M. McQuade” that had been in service for 25 years as Chattanooga Fire Department Truck No. 1. The Chattanooga F. D. had just recently purchased an automobile 75-foot TDA from American-LaFrance, and the old HDA was traded-in as part of the deal. This early vintage of HDA was peculiar in that the tillerman rode – BELOW – the aerial-ladder!

Receiving the ex-Chattanooga HDA with a three-horse hitch as the replacement for the ex-Peru H&L with a two-horse hitch required the EFD to find another horse, so the venerable 1873 Babcock double-50-gallon chemical engine was taken out of front-line service and its horse was transferred to the HDA. The EFD returned the Lucille McQuade to American-LaFrance and the three horses that had been used to pull it were retired after a new automobile city service ladder truck arrived from Seagrave in November 1917. It was part of the $30,000 bond issue passed by Evanston voters in April 1917 that fully-motorized the EFD.

Tags: Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company, American-LaFrance Type 75 750-GPM triple-combination-pumper, Chattanooga Fire Department Truck No. 1, chicagoareafire.com, Chicagoareafire.com/blog, Evanston FD Captain Ed Johnson, Evanston Fire Chief Albert Hofstetter, Evanston Fire Department history, Evanston Fireman William Wilbern, history of the Evanston Fire Departmnet, International Association of Fire Engineers Convention, Lucille M. McQuade, Phil Stenholm, Wilmette Fire Department

Evanston Fire Department history

Dec 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department History, Historic fire apparatus | 1 Comment

From Phil Stenholm:

HISTORY OF EVANSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT SQUAD 21:

Prior to 1952, the Evanston Fire Department had no squad. EFD Chief Albert Hofstetter wanted to place a squad into service back in the 1930’s, but budget cuts stemming from the Great Depression put that on hold. And so the EFD’s specialized fire-ground support and rescue equipment (including inhalator since 1913) were stored at Fire Station #1 and would be loaded onto an engine and transported to the scene of an incident only when needed.

1. The First Squad was a 1952 Pirsch 1000-GPM / 100-gallon pumper-squad. One of five rigs purchased by Evanston from Pirsch 1951-52, this was the original Squad 21 from 1952-65, and while it had a 1000-GPM pump, it had no hose bed but there was a “red-line” booster hose reel and 100 gallons of water on board that could be used to extinguish a minor fire. This rig was initially staffed by two firefighters and responded to about 100 inhalator calls city-wide per year from 1952-1959 and to working fires and specialized rescue calls when requested. Inhalators were placed into service with all five engine companies in 1959, so Squad 21 was staffed by just one firefighter (usually the shift mechanic) and responded only to working structure fires and specialized rescue calls when requested 1959-62. It was placed back into front-line service in January 1963 as a four-man company when Truck Co. 23 was taken out of service. It ran as a manpower & rescue company from that point onward, responding to all fire calls (not just working fires) and specialized rescue calls city-wide. It was also the primary inhalator company for Station #1 (keeping Engine 21 available for alarms in the downtown high-value district). Without a hose bed, the 1000-GPM pump was essentially wasted. The original squad body was removed and replaced with a new pumper body in 1966, after-which it ran as Engine 22 from 1966-70 and then as Engine 25 from 1970-76. It was retired and gutted for spare parts in 1980 (there were two other 1952 Pirsch pumpers still in reserve through 1983) and then it became playground equipment at Kamen Park at Asbury & South Blvd.

Bill Friedrich photo

2. The SS-1 of the Evanston Fire Department was a 1965 International / General Body pumper-squad. This rig replaced the 1952 Pirsch pumper-squad so that the Pirsch could be converted into a triple-combination pumper (see above). The work-horse of the Evanston Fire Department between 1966-76, this “Frankenstein” rig was constructed by General Body Co. at their Chicago factory using an International cab & chassis like the ones used by City of Evanston garbage trucks back at that time. General Body (makers of the legendary CFD Autocar squads, the Oscar Mayer “Wienermobile,” bookmobiles, and other specialty vehicles) fabricated the body and put it all together. Included on this rig was a split hose-bed with two leads of pre-connected 1-1/2 hose-lines designed for rapid fire-attack, a heavy-duty front bumper-mounted winch (used mainly to haul vehicles out of Lake Michigan and fire trucks out of snow drifts), extendable quartz lights, and a high-pressure deck gun master-stream nozzle. This version of Squad 21 was staffed by four firefighters and responded to all fire calls (not just working fires) and specialized rescue calls city-wide, as well as to inhalator calls and minor fires (vehicle, trash, prairie, etc) in Station #1’s district. It was, by far, the busiest company in the EFD the years it was in service, and so new firefighters were often assigned to Squad 21 so they could gain a lot of experience as quickly as possible.

Bill Friedrich photo

3. The Pie Truck – a 1977 Chevrolet / Penn Versatile Van. Known by Evanston firefighters as the “pie truck,” this third version of Squad 21 replaced the 1965 International / General Body squad, mainly because the amount of specialized HazMat, rescue equipment, and dive-team gear added by the EFD in the 1970s exceeded what could be carried on a pumper-squad. Also, Squad 21’s manpower was reassigned to the two MICU ambulances that were placed into service 1976-77, so Squad 21 became an unmanned “jump rig” that was staffed by manpower from Station #1 only when needed at a working fire, HazMat incident, specialized rescue, dive team call, etc. Thus Squad 21 was no longer the SS-1 of the EFD. It was later reassigned as the Dive Team support truck.

Larry Shapiro photo

4. The Gladiator : A 2006 Spartan Gladiator / Marion “walk-in” heavy-rescue squad. Like the Chevrolet / Penn van that came before it, this newer version of Squad 21 is a “jump rig” at Station #1 and is staffed only when needed, but the 2006 version of Squad 21 can carry much more equipment than could the Chevy. Besides an air cascade, heavy-duty winch, portable power & lights, and lots of room for specialized equipment and gear, the 2006 Squad 21 also features rehab facilities for extended incidents.