Evanston Fire Department history Part 62

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

In 1962, a major development shook Evanston when it was announced that a new high-rise office building called “State Bank Plaza” would be built downtown. In response, Chief Geishecker pushed for the city to purchase a 100-foot aerial ladder truck for Station #1. This would allow the older 1951 Pirsch TDA from Station #1 to be moved to Station #3, replacing the 1937 Seagrave 65-foot ladder truck, which had been deemed outdated and no longer suitable for frontline service.

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

Moving the Pirsch TDA to Station #3 would have kept Truck 23 active, maintained staffing at Station #1, and ensured coverage within 2.5 miles of all insured buildings. However, it would also mean that there would be no aerial ladder truck in the downtown high-value district—a critical area where most of the city’s tax revenue came from. With businesses already relocating to Old Orchard in Skokie, keeping local merchants happy was a top priority for the city leadership.

Even having two truck companies (Truck 22 and Truck 23) within 1.25 miles of Fountain Square wasn’t enough to meet NBFU standards for the downtown area. In fact, the NBFU had previously recommended adding an additional engine company at Station #1 after Engine Co. 25 was moved to Station #5 in 1955. By bringing Squad 21 back into service, the fire department could add three more firefighters per shift and increase the number of personnel responding to alarms citywide.

Despite the drawbacks, Chief Geishecker decided to take Truck 23 out of front-line service in January 1963 and transfer its crew to Squad 21 at Station #1. The old Seagrave 65-foot ladder truck became the EFD’s reserve unit. While this change meant that the closest truck company to Willard School and the Presbyterian Retirement Home was now three miles away, it ultimately worked well for the department.

Squad 21 had previously served as a frontline unit from 1955 to 1957, during which it was the busiest company in the EFD. It was taken out of service in 1957 due to staffing cuts from the three-platoon system and because maintaining a third truck company was seen as more important at the time. From 1957 to 1962, Squad 21 remained in reserve, handling only a few calls annually. It was manned by Engine 21 for inhalator emergencies until 1959, when inhalators were installed on all engines. If needed, the squad could be driven to a fire by the equipment mechanic.

Replacing Truck 23 with Squad 21 proved beneficial overall. After being reactivated, Squad 21 quickly became the busiest unit again. It responded to all citywide fire calls as a rescue and manpower unit, as well as inhalator calls, minor fires, and other tasks in its district, allowing Engine 21 to focus on structure fires.

Squad 21 was equipped with a 1000-GPM pump and a 100-gallon water tank but lacked a hose bed. Instead, it carried two 50-foot lengths of 1.5-inch hose ("donuts") that could be connected to a side discharge. However, it was usually faster to use the red booster line for gas washes, vehicle fires, or trash fires, especially if the squad arrived before an engine company.

In comparison, Engine 21 carried 300 feet of 1.5-inch hose, while Engines 22 and 25 each had 250 feet. Engines 23 and 24, both 1958 Seagraves, had 650 feet of 1.5-inch hose, including two pre-connected leads. Engine 21 also carried 1,800 feet of 2.5-inch hose, while the other four engines had 1,500 feet. As the first-due engine to the downtown high-value district, Engine 21 had a "hotel load" of both 1.5-inch and 2.5-inch hose.

All five front-line engines had a lead of soft-sleeve suction hose pre-connected to an intake port, with some additional leads stored onboard. Each engine also carried two sections of rarely used hard suction hose. Squad 22, the high-pressure/hose truck, had 1,750 feet of 3-inch "fireboat" hose, and the ladder trucks each had two 50-foot lengths of 3-inch hose for elevated master streams.

Even the reserve engines carried full hose loads, including 250 feet of 1.5-inch and 1,500 feet of 2.5-inch hose, along with hard and soft suction lines. All units, including Engine 21, Engine 22, Engine 25, Squad 21, Truck 23, and the three reserve engines, were equipped with one-inch rubber booster line ("red line") on a reel.

Additional hose was stored at each station: 700 feet of 1.5-inch at Station #1, 250 feet at Stations #2 and #5, and 650 feet at Stations #3 and #4. Each station also kept 1,500 feet of 2.5-inch hose, with all hose rotated regularly to maintain quality and availability.