Posts Tagged W.S. Darley

The Color of Fire Trucks (part 11) Division 11

Sep 23

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department History, Fire Truck photos, Historic fire apparatus | 5 Comments

It’s been a while since our last article in The Color of Fire Trucks series. We are up to MABAS Division 11 this time with only one department to feature which previously ran with apparatus that was not red.

The Cicero Fire Department purchased several units in the 1970s and 1980s that were solid white. They had a Ford/Grove 100′ rear-mount aerial, a Ford/Darly top-mount engine, and a unique squad on a Ford F chassis with a light-weight ladder similar to those used by outdoor sign companies.

Cicero Fire Department Ford Grove aerial ladder

Cicero Truck 1 ran with this 1973 100′ rear-mounted Grove aerial ladder mounted on a Ford C-Series chassis. The body was built by American Fire Apparatus. Larry Shapiro photo

Cicero Fire Department Engine 3 Ford C-8000 Darley engine

Shortly after being delivered to Cicero by the W.S. Darley Company in 1981, Engine 3 was photographed outside the station. Built on a Ford C-8000 chassis with a rear custom canopy cab with a top-mounted control panel, this engine had a 1,000-GPM pump and carried 500 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: Bill Friedrich, Cicero Fire Department, different colors for fire trucks, Ford Darley engine, Grove aerial ladder, Larry Shapiro, MABAS Division 11, the color of fire engines, W.S. Darley, white fire trucks

Northlake Fire Department apparatus

Jul 20

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News | Comments off

Steve Redick submitted several images of Northlake apparatus from a recent photo excursion with several other area photographers.

NorthLake Truck 803 is a 2008 Spartan Gladiator Evolution/Darley/RK. Steve Redick photo

Northlake’s new utility vehicle. Steve Redick photo

Northlake Fire Protection District Engine 803 is a 2012 Spartan Metro Star Evolution/Marion 1500/750/50. Steve Redick photo

The pump panel for Northlake Engine 803 is behind a roll-up door. Steve Redick photo

Side view with all of the compartments open. Steve Redick photo

A close-up of the compartments and the pump panel. Steve Redick photo

Tags: Marion Body Works, Marion Fire and Rescue Apparatus, new engine for the Northlake Fire District, Northlake Fire Department, Northlake Fire Protection District, RK Aerial, Spartan Gladiator Evolution, Spartan Metro Star Evolution, Steve Redick, W.S. Darley

Orland apparatus photos

Nov 4

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Reader submission | 3 Comments

Scott Peterson visited the Orland Fire Protection District recently for some training and submitted photos of several rigs.

Orland Fire Protection District Engine 2 Spartan Darley

Orland Engine 2 is one of three 2008 Darley engines built with a Spartan Gladiator cab and chassis. Scott Peterson photo

Orland Fire Protection District Engine 8 Pierce Saber

Orland Engine 8 is a 1999 Pierce Saber out of Station 3 as a spare. This was formerly Engine 3. Scott Peterson photo

… and another area 55′ Snorkel!!!!!

Orland Fire Protection District Snorkel 6604 Spartan Darley

This 1988 55' Snorkel built by Darley on a Spartan Gladiator chassis is out of service. Scott Peterson photo

Tags: 55' Snorkel, Darley, Orland Fire Protection District, Pierce Saber pumper, Scott Peterson, Snorkel, Spartan Gladiator, W.S. Darley

Looking back at another area rig

Jun 16

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department History, Fire Department News, Fire Service News | 2 Comments

Firegeezer.com has again posted a Chicago area rig in his section called ‘Looking Back.’ This time, he’s posted an ad for W.S. Darley & Company that was printed in the April issue of Fire Engineering from 1972. In the ad, there’s a traditional Darley delivery photo of a squad from Itasca.

WS Darley ad from Fire Engineering magazine April 1972

Itasca Fire Protection District 1972 Chevy Darley squad

The unit featured in the ad as photographed some years later. Larry Shapiro collection

The Itasca squad featured in the 1972 Darley ad was re-numbered to Squad 8 and had updated emergency lighting added sometime prior to this photo being taken by Larry Shapiro

Tags: antique fire apparatus, Fire Engineering Magazine, Firegeezer.com, Itasca Fire Department, Larry Shapiro, W.S. Darley

Sauk Village is added to the site

Feb 6

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, Fire Service News, New Listing, Patch | Comments off

The Sauk Village Fire Station. Karl Klotz photo

The Sauk Village Fire Department in MABAS Division 27 has been added to the site. Sauk Village has a relatively new fleet of Crimson apparatus on Spartan chassis with Gladiator cabs featuring the Evolution trim package. The rigs are black over red with a gold stripe. This scheme replaces white apparatus with a blue strip that the department has been running for quite some time. There is still one white engine left in the fleet, a 1995 Spartan Gladiator/S&S TM engine.

Sauk Village Fire Department Spartan Crimson tower ladder

Among the units from Crimson are an engine, a pumper/squad, and one of the area’s few mid-mount tower ladders. Previously, Sauk Village ran with a Hendrickson/3D/Darley/65′ Snorkel and another engine from S&S on a Spartan chassis.

Sauk Village recently retired this 1980 Hendrickson 1871L/3D/Darley 65' Snorkel and replaced it with a 2008 Spartan Gladiator Crimson mid-mount tower ladder. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: Crimson, Darley, Dennis MGuire Jr, Hendrickson chassis, MABAS Division 27, mid-mount tower ladder, patch, S&S Fire Apparatus, Sauk Village Fire Department, Snorkel, Spartan Gladiator, Spartan Gladiator Evolution, W.S. Darley