This for #TBT from Mike Summa:
For TBT – Part 2, Pirsch aerials, I am sure everyone has a story about Pirsch aerials. Enjoy and comment.Mike Summa
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Posts Tagged Peter Pirsch & Sons
This from Mike Summa for #TBT:
For TBT- Pirsch fire trucks were a big part of the American fire service. Many city and suburban fire departments utilized this type of apparatus. Many years ago I mailed a letter to Pirsch asking for literature. These are a sample of what was sent.Mike Summa
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This from Brian Murphy:
These photos are of a single-family house fire on the west side of Villa Park, taken during a very cold and snowy winter afternoon in the early- to mid-1990’s. At the time the pictures were taken, units from Villa Park (including call-backs), Elmhurst, Lombard, and Addison were either on-scene or en route. Unsure if it was a General Alarm or a First-Level MABAS Box.All photos were taken using a 35mm pocket camera- no digital or smartphones back then! Hope you enjoy the brief trip down memory lane!I will send more as time permits!Best Regards,Brian Murphy
Line off of the rear of first-due engine from Villa Park Northside fire station. Brian Murphy photo
Fire venting through the roof; in foreground is Villa Park Engine 4 (reserve rig). Brian Murphy photo
Note smoke hanging low to ground- very cold day! Also note 2 1/2″ supply line from hydrant down the block at corner. Brian Murphy photo
Lots of cold smoke. Villa Park Engine 5 in background- late 60’s or early 70’s Pirsch. Brian Murphy photo
Villa Park Engine 4- late 60’s or early 70’s Pirsch, similar to Engine 5. Brian Murphy photo
Engine 4- officer’s side. Brian Murphy photo
Elmhurst Truck 1- 1977 Mack/Pirsch 100′ aerial ladder. Refurbished late 80’s or early 90’s by RPI . Brian Murphy photo
Down memory lane …
Jul 15
This from Steve Redick:
I was doing some scanning from the “wayback” files and found a few you might like to see…The first was a huge pile of RR ties in Bensenville that burned for hours and hours..early 80s. Got some rig shots including the old Bensenville International Squad rig..I remember at this fire the oxygen levels near it got low and one fireman started acting very erratically til they got him into better atmosphere..very strange but no one thought of using masks at an outside fire back then.
I got a lot of interest in the Elk Grove tiller shot too…..
Found a coupla shots of some Mt Prospect rigs, and the Wood Dale truck
Also a fire in a trailer in Morton Grove at the old OCC site (Oakton Community College)
All these should be from the early 80s and shot on Kodacolor negative film…
Steve
Bensenville engine. Steve Redick photo
Railroad ties on fire in the 1980s. Steve Redick photo
Wood Dale Pirsch ladder truck. Steve Redick photo
Railroad ties on fire in the 1980s. Steve Redick photo
Bensenville squad. Steve Redick photo
Elmhurst Mack CF engine. Steve Redick photo
Another shot of the Elmhurst engine. Steve Redick photo
Leyden Township Hendrickson/FMC engine. Steve Redick photo
Elk Grove Village Pirsch TDA. Steve Redick photo
Mount Prospect American LaFrance engine. Steve Redick photo
Mount Prospect American LaFrance engine. Steve Redick photo
Mount Prospect squad 543. Steve Redick photo
Morton Grove engine with burned out trailer. Steve Redick photo
Some additional information about the aerials purchased by the Chicago Fire Department in the late 60s and early 70s . Some have inquired about the fact that several aerials were delivered with booster reels and 300-gallon water tanks. There were several types of aerials purchased by the CFD during this time frame.
These included:
- (3) 1968 Mack CF/Pirsch 100-foot aerials (with a red cab face) (300-gallon tanks)
- (1) 1968 Seagrave aerial with an FWD chassis featuring rear steering for Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport
- (8) 1970 Seagrave rear-mounts (250-gallon tanks)
- (5) 1970 Ward LaFrance/Grove units assigned to Truck 7, Truck 12, Truck 18, Truck 21, and Truck 34 (300-gallon tanks)
- (3) 1972 Mack CF 700/Pirsch 100-foot aerials (with a silver cab face) (300-gallon tanks)
At some point in time, the shops drained the water tanks and removed the booster reels as seen in some of the photos posted HERE and below.
Future posts will show more of these aerials, but the photos here show a few examples.
This is a 1968 Seagrave Rear Admiral 100′ aerial with a 500-gallon booster tank and twin booster reels. It features an FWD chassis with rear steering and was assigned to Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport. Larry Shapiro photo
Truck 5 was assigned one of three 1972 100-foot Pirsch rear-mount aerials mounted on a Mack CF chassis with a 500-gallon water tank and twin booster reels. Larry Shapiro photo
Previous posts in this series depicted CFD trucks with boosters from 1967 and CFD trucks with boosters from 1968.
Lisle-Woodridge FPD history
Oct 11
This from Bill Friedrich:
Here is a shot that a friend sent of Lisle-Woodridge Truck 537 at it’s new home – Wellsburg VFD,WV. Sporting a new color the tower looks pretty sharp.
Lisle-Woodridge FPD Truck 537, a 1979 Pirsch 1250/200 LTI 85′ tower ladder. This was the only Pirsch/LTI combination ever built. Bill Friedrich photo
The Wellsburg VFD in West Virginia purchased the 1979 Pirsch/LTI from Lisle–Woodridge and repainted it. Bill Friedrich collection
Anyone have a shot of this working at a fire in Lisle?
Elmhurst added to the site
Sep 26
The Elmhurst Fire Department in MABAS Division 12 has been added to the site. Dennis McGuire, Jr. submitted the images. Elmhurst recently underwent a color change from their long standing white over school bus yellow with green striping to a more traditional white over red. They also changed from a E-ONE to Pierce.
EMS units are staffed by contract personnel while the fire suppression units have career firefighters.
Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo
Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo
Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo
Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo
Previously, Elmhurst had American LaFrance, Pierce, Mack, and Darley engines. The former aerials were both 100′ rear mounts from Pirsch.
1974 Hendrickson 1871S/Pierce Suburban engine with a 1,500-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo
This 1000 Series American LaFrance engine was built in 1971 with a 1,250-GPM ump and 500 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo
Elmhurst Truck 1 was previously a 1978 Mack CF/Pirsch that was refurbished in 1992 by RPI. The 100′ rear-mount aerial had a 250-GPM PTO pump with 150 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo
Elmhurst Truck 2 used o have this 1981 Pirsch aerial ladder that was also refurbished by RPI in 1992. Larry Shapiro photo
As a follow-up to the recent article about the 1968 Mack CF/Pirsch 100-foot aerials with booster tanks, Bill Freidrich submitted these replications of Pirsch literature featuring a Chicago unit.
Vintage brochure from Peter Pirsch & Sons Company featuring a Chicago ladder truck. Bill Friedrich collection
Another page of the brochure showing the aerial raised and the jacks deployed. Bill Friedrich collection
The Chicago Fire Department purchased aerial ladder trucks with booster tanks and pumps for several years. Beginning in 1966 and spanning through 1973, 31 aerials were delivered from different manufacturers with on-board water. Seven of these were mid-ship aerials and the balance were rear-mounts. Units were built by Seagrave, Pirsch, Ward LaFrance (Grove), and American LaFrance.
This is the second of several posts that will highlight the progression of these truck companies in Chicago. The numbers listed above are revisions from what was originally included in the 1st post.
IN 1968, CHICAGO RECEIVED THREE PIRSCH REAR MOUNTED AERIALS …
These trucks were built on Mack chassis with CF Series cabs. Each truck had a 100-foot rear mounted aluminum ladder, 300 gallons of water, and a 60-GPM pump.
Pirsch delivery photo of a 1968 100′ rear mount on a Mack CF chassis for the Chicago Fire Department. Jack Connors collection
- The first of these 1968 Mack/Pirsch aerials (Shop #E-170) was assigned to Truck 22. This unit was eventually reassigned to Trucks 47, 16, 35, and 34.
Chicago Truck 22 was assigned Shop #E-170 in 1968. This was a Pirsch 100-foot rear mounted aerial on a Mack CF chassis. It carried 300 gallons of water and had a 60-GPM pump. Jack Connor photo
Shop #E-170 was assigned to Truck 47 after it had been running as Truck 22. This photo shows a canvas cover for the rear jacks instead of the metal doors that were delivered in that area. Jack Connor photo
This image shows the rear of E-170 after it was on it’s 4th assignment now as Truck 35. The booster reel is still mounted on the unit, but it is empty. Jack Connor photo
Shop #E-170 was assigned to Truck 16 after it served truck 47. This was the second 1968 Mack/Pirsch for Truck 16. Bill Friedrich photo
After some rehab work and the removal of the booster reels, E-170 was assigned for the last time as Truck 34. Larry Shapiro photo
Another image of Truck 34 on-scene this time after the booster tank and reels were removed. Steve Redick photo
- The next (Shop #E-171) was assigned to Truck 16.
Shop #E-171 was reassigned to Truck 16. Jack Connors photo
- The third (Shop #E-172) went initially to Truck 15, then was reassigned to Truck 37 and then Truck 42.
The 3rd Pirsch in 1968 went to Truck 15. The rear jacks have no cover in this photo. Jack Connors photo
Shop #E-172 was reassigned to Truck 37 after seeing service as Truck 15. Jack Connor photo
Vintage Pirsch ad with CFD
May 13
In this reprint from a September, 1953 issue of Fire Engineering Magazine, the Peter Pirsch & Sons Co. of Kenosha, WI highlights 50 years of building fire engines for the Chicago Fire Department. The ad states that they started with 27 Pirsch Horse Drawn Wagons built in 1907, then there were 3 Pirsch equipped motorized chemical and hose cars in 1912 (the first motorized apparatus in Chicago), followed by 2 Pirsch equipped 600-gallon pumpers in 1916, and then 15 Pirsch 1,000-GPM 2-door cab pumpers built in 1953.
Bill Friedrich collection
