Evanston Fire Department history Part 62

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

In 1962, a major development shook the city of Evanston when plans were announced for a new high-rise office building called “State Bank Plaza” to be built downtown. This news prompted Chief Geishecker to request that the city purchase a 100-foot aerial ladder truck for Station #1. In exchange, the 1951 Pirsch TDA at Station #1 would be moved to Station #3, replacing the aging 1937 Seagrave 65-foot ladder truck, which was no longer considered suitable for frontline service.

At the time, Truck Company 23 was responding to only about two calls per week, so the city manager didn’t support the chief’s recommendation. As a result, the city council did not approve funds for a new TDA. Faced with this decision, Chief Geishecker had two options: either move the 1951 Pirsch TDA from Truck Co. 21 to Station #3 as Truck 23, or take Truck 23 out of service and transfer its personnel to Squad 21.

Choosing to reassign Truck Co. 21’s crew to Squad 21 and move the Pirsch TDA to Station #3 would have kept Truck 23 active, maintained staffing levels at Station #1, and ensured that a truck company remained within 2-1/2 miles of all insured buildings in the city. However, it also meant that the downtown “high-value district”—where most of the city’s tax revenue came from—would lose its aerial ladder truck. With businesses already moving to Old Orchard in Skokie, keeping downtown merchants satisfied was a top priority for city officials.

According to NBFU standards, even having two truck companies (Truck 22 and Truck 23) within 1-1/4 miles of Fountain Square wasn’t enough for proper coverage of the downtown area. In fact, following an inspection in 1959, the NBFU had recommended adding an additional engine company at Station #1 to replace Engine Co. 25, which had been relocated to Station #5 in 1955. By bringing Squad 21 back into service, the department could add three more firefighters per shift and increase the number of personnel responding to all fire alarms citywide.

Ultimately, Chief Geishecker decided to remove Truck 23 from frontline service, effective January 1, 1963, and transfer its personnel to Squad 21 at Station #1. The old 1937 Seagrave 65-foot ladder truck became the EFD’s reserve unit. While this change improved overall efficiency, it also meant that the closest truck company to Willard School and the Presbyterian Retirement Home in northwest Evanston was now three miles away, and nearly four miles from the High Ridge area in the far northwest part of the city.

Squad 21 had previously operated as a frontline unit from April 1, 1955, to April 1, 1957, during which time it was the busiest company in the EFD. It was taken out of service in 1957 due to staffing cuts caused by the implementation of the three-platoon schedule, and because maintaining a third truck company was seen as more important at the time. From 1957 to 1962, Squad 21 remained on ready reserve, with very few calls each year. It was manned by Engine Co. 21 for inhalator calls (around 100 per year) until inhalators were installed on all five front-line engines in 1959. If needed, the squad could be driven to a fire by a fire equipment mechanic.

Despite the increased response times for northwest Evanston, replacing Truck 23 with Squad 21 worked well for the EFD. After being reinstated, Squad 21 quickly became the busiest unit again. It responded to all fire calls citywide as a rescue and manpower unit, as well as inhalator calls, minor fires, and other details in its district, allowing Engine 21 to focus on structure fires.

Although Squad 21 was equipped with a 1000-GPM pump and a 100-gallon water tank, it didn’t carry a standard hose load. Instead, it had two 50-foot lengths of 1-1/2 inch hose (“donuts”) in one of its compartments, which could be connected to a side discharge port. However, it was often quicker to use the booster line (“red line”) if the squad was dispatched to a gas wash, vehicle fire, or trash fire, or if it arrived at a working structure fire before an engine company.

Engine 21 carried 300 feet of 1-1/2 inch hose, while Engines 22 and 25 each had 250 feet. Engines 23 and 24 (the 1958 Seagrave pumpers) each had 650 feet of 1-1/2 inch line, including two pre-connected leads to rear discharge ports. Engine 21 also carried 1,800 feet of 2-1/2 inch line, while the other four front-line engines each had 1,500 feet. Since it was the first-due engine to the downtown “high-value district,” Engine 21 had both 1-1/2 inch and 2-1/2 inch “hotel loads.”

All five front-line engines carried two sections of rarely used hard suction hose, plus additional leads of soft-sleeve suction hose that weren’t pre-connected. Squad 22 (the high-pressure/hose truck) had 1,750 feet of three-inch “fireboat” hose, and the ladder trucks each carried two 50-foot lengths of three-inch hose for elevated master streams. Even though they weren’t in frontline service, the three reserve engines each had a full hose load (250 feet of 1-1/2 inch and 1,500 feet of 2-1/2 inch), plus three sections of hard suction hose and two leads of soft-sleeve suction hose.

Each of the front-line engines, along with Squad 21, Truck 23, and the three reserve engines, was equipped with one-inch rubber booster line (“red line”) on a hose reel. Additional hose was stored at each station: 700 feet of 1-1/2 inch at Station #1, 250 feet each at Stations #2 and #5, and 650 feet each at Stations #3 and #4. Each station also kept 1,500 feet of 2-1/2 inch hose, which was rotated regularly.