Posts Tagged Snorkel

CFD 3-11 (part 2)

Steve Redick submitted several images from the 3-11 yesterday on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago which was mentioned HERE. The fire included a response 6-3-1, one of Chicago’s foam units which deployed high-expansion foam into the building in an effort to extinguish the fire. Steve arrived on-scene later than he would have liked, but still captured many images while the suppression effort was active.

Chicago Fire Department engine 30

The deck gun from Engine 35 went to work in the rear of the building as fire vented through the roof. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department tower ladder 10

Tower 10 was in the alley with Engine 35 and was able to safely deploy the tower among the utility wires to provide an elevated master stream. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department Engine 56

Engine 56 was on a hydrant at Lincoln and Southport. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department Engine 112

Engine 112 was supplying several hand lines and with the help of the water department made an effort to keep the water in the street flowing to the sewers. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department 3-11 Lincoln Avenue

Firefighters use a hand line from the roof of an exposure building to fight the fire. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department 3-11 Lincoln avenue

Trucks 28 and 44 are located on Lincoln Avenue near the fire building with Foam unit 6-3-1. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department 3-11 Lincoln Avenue Squad 1 Snorkel

Firefighters from Squad 1 use their 55-Snorkel, 1A, in sector 1 with an elevated master stream. The curb lane and sidewalk as well as most of everything else, is covered with foam. In the background, the chute used to send the foam into the building is visible. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department Engine 55 3-11 alarm fire

Engine 55 is located in sector 1 on a hydrant and is supplying water to Tower 21. Steve Redick photo

Chicago Fire Department 3-11 alarm fire on Lincoln Avenue

An overview shot looking down Lincoln Avenue shows a huge column of smoke coming from the carpet store down the block. In the foreground, Engine 106 is pumping to companies further down the street. On the left side of the photo beyond the two buggies is the spare command van. Steve Redick photo

A complete gallery of Steve’s images and a video from this fire can be seen HERE.

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Oak Brook Terrace is on the site

Oak Brook Terrace FPD patchAnother department in MABAS Division 12 has been added to the web site. The Oak Brook Terrace Fire District operates out of one station and covers a district of 2.5 square miles with a combination of full-time and part-time personnel. This station is packed with apparatus. They have two engines, a tower ladder, two ambulances, a TRT trailer, and a pickup. As mentioned in previous posts, they just put a brand new Spartan/Marion engine into service. This unit represents a transition for the department to black over red rigs from white over red. The other engine and tower ladder are both E-ONE units and the ambulances were built by Medtec.

Chicago is well known as the birthplace for the Snorkel’s use in the fire service, and the entire Chicago metropolitan area was a mecca for Snorkels. Units could be found with every boom length that was offered and built by several different body builders. Prior to purchasing the 95′ tower ladder from E-ONE in 1991, this department had an unusual 85′ Snorkel on a conventional GMC 7000 chassis. This was one of the only Snorkels in the area that was not built on a C-Series chassis from Ford, a cab-over International, or on a custom fire truck chassis.

Oak Brook Terrace Fire District station

The headquarters station for the Oak Brook Terrace Fire District. Larry Shapiro photo

Oak Brook Terrace Fire District E-ONE engine

Oak Brook Terrace FPD Snorkel

This 1964, 85' Pitman Snorkel preceded the the E-ONE tower ladder in Oak Brook Terrace. Shown here at their old stations, the body was built by Pierce on a GMC 7000 chassis with a V-12 engine. Snorkel 86, as it was known at the time, had a 1,000-GPM pump and carried 200 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro collection

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Glen Ellyn General Alarm

Trowa Barton submitted the following information and images.

These were taken from my cell phone.  Willow Lakes Apartment fire. Engines 25, 26, and 27,  Tower 30, Snorkel 31, Squad 38, Medics 21, and 22 and Chiefs 01, 02, 03, and 04 were all on scene. York Center 77 was on scene also. Medic 22 left with what looked like a family of two or three to a hospital. This happened at around 930 at night on 11/5/10

Glen Ellyn Fire Department Snorkel

Glen Ellyn Snorkel 31

Glen Ellyn Fire Department

Glen Ellyn Engine

Glen Ellyn Fire Department

Glen Ellyn Tower 30

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Chicago sells reserve Snorkel

Dennis McGuire, Jr. provided the following update:

Year:  1987

Chassis Manufacturer:  SPARTAN

Body Manufacturer:  E-ONE

Aerial Device: 55′ SNORKEL

Hours:  748

VIN:  158BT0L07HC185046

Running Condition:  DOES NOT RUN

Sold for $4550.00

City of Chicago – City of Chicago Online Auctions

Chicago Reserve Snorkel

Decommissioned Chicago Reserve Snorkel. Chicago Auction Site photo

Chicago Reserve Snorkel

Driver's side of decommissioned Snorkel. Chicago Auction Site photo

Chicago reserve Snorkel

E-ONE body and 55' Snorkel boom of the decommissioned Snorkel. Chicago Auction Site photo

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Glen Ellyn is on the site

Glen Ellyn FC 1926 Seagrave pumper

The Glen Ellyn Fire Company becomes only the second department posted to date representing Division 12. They are a volunteer department with a paid chief and contract medics who staff one ambulance in each station. Glen Ellyn has a reputation for purchasing interesting apparatus that are not the ‘norm’ for the area. Unique to them, they order engines in pairs so that they can place identical units in each station. They have two pair of engines that were purchased like this; one pair from 1983 built by 3D on Spartan Silent Knight (rear engine) chassis and the other pair was purchased in 1993 that are on Spartan Gladiator chassis with Saulsbury bodies.

Glen Ellyn has a truck in each station and various squad units. For many years now one of their trucks has been a Snorkel. Currently they have a 2000 Spartan Gladiator/Marion 75′ Snorkel in the downtown house and a 102′ Grumman AerialCat in the Taft Avenue station.

Glen Ellyn Spartan/Marion/Snorkel

They have a beautiful statue outside their headquarters building, the money for which was donated to the department by an individual in recognition of the fire company celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2007.

Firefighter bronze statue Glen Ellyn

The money for this statue which resides at Glen Ellyn Station 1 was donated by an individual in recognition of the Glen Ellyn Fire Company Centennial in 2007. Larry Shairo photo

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Bedford Park is on the site

The Bedford Park Fire Department in Division 21 has three stations. They have a Pierce department with three engines including a brand new 2010 Impel. They also have a tower ladder and a Snorkel. Bedford Park was home to one of the first Pittman Snorkel units on a GMC chassis for the fire service. The first Snorkel was in Chicago, retrofitted by the shops on a truck that was bought by and built for the streets department and then ‘obtained’ by the fire department. Bedford Park’s original Snorkel is stored in town and evidently in need of restoration. They have since had several Snorkel aerials including the most recent which was built by Pierce in 1997. All three Bedford Park Snorkels can be seen in the header of the department website HERE. They have a well written and very informative history on their site that’s worth a read. Bedford Park also has the regional Haz Mat Unit which uses a 1991 Pierce Lance with the early series Lance cab. Thanks to Karl Klotz for supplying the images.

Bedford Park Fire Department Pierce Impel pumper

Bedford Park Fire Department Pierce Snorkel

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New life for old Snorkel

The Riverdale Fire Department in Division 24 recently acquired a 1971 Maxim/Pierce 75′ Snorkel from Munster, Indiana. Dennis McGuire, Jr. submitted a photo of the rig which has some basic modifications of the original lettering. Dennis also reports that Riverdale has a a used Snorkel from Oak Forest, IL which has not yet been lettered or put into service. Dennis will photograph this unit when it is ready.

According to Munster Town Council Minutes from May 2008, the following was discussed:

DISPOSAL OF EQUIPMENT: SURPLUS SNORKEL

Resolution 1736 authorized the long term loan of the 1971 Pierce Maxim Snorkel to the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago. The apparatus has been stored at the bus barn of the School Town of Munster until the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago has a permanent location to display it.

The School Town needs the space where the snorkel is currently stored and had requested its removal from the bus barn. The Fire Museum has informed the Town that they are unable to accept the snorkel due to space limitations. Other fire museums in the area have been contacted and none have the necessary space. The equipment is only valuable to a collector as it is no longer certified as firefighting equipment. Staff is seeking authority to appraise the snorkel and sell it to the highest bidder. A minimum bid amount will be set based on the appraisal.

Riverdale IL 1971 Maxim Pierce Snorkel

1971 Maxim Pierce 75' Snorkel in it's new home in Riverdale, IL. Formerly of Munster, IN, this unit was also the prototype for the Franklin Mint die-cast model several years ago. Photo by Dennis McGuire, Jr.

Franklin Mint die-cast fashioned after the Munster Snorkel. This was offered in red or yellow.

Franklin Mint Maxim Pierce Snorkel die-cast model

Another version of the Franklin Mint model.

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