Evanston Fire Department history Part 62

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

In 1962, a major development was announced: a new high-rise office building called “State Bank Plaza” was set to be built in downtown Evanston. 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 active duty.

Truck Company 23 had been running only about two calls per week, so the city manager didn’t support the chief’s recommendation, and the city council didn’t allocate funds for a new TDA. Chief Geishecker now faced a tough decision: either transfer the manpower from Truck 21 to Squad 21 and move its 1951 Pirsch 85-foot 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 in service, maintained staffing at Station #1, and ensured coverage within 2.5 miles of all insured buildings in the city. However, it would also have removed the only aerial ladder truck from the downtown “high-value district,” where the city’s main tax base and significant fire insurance premiums were located. At the time, businesses were already relocating to Old Orchard in Skokie, making it crucial for the city to keep downtown merchants satisfied.

The National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) had previously recommended adding an extra engine company at Station #1 after Engine Co. 25 was relocated in 1955. By reactivating Squad 21, the EFD could add three more firefighters to each shift and increase the number of responders on general alarms. Despite this, the city opted to take Truck 23 out of front-line service and assign its crew to Squad 21 at Station #1.

This change meant that the closest fire company to Willard School and the Presbyterian Retirement Home in northwest Evanston would now be three miles away, and nearly four miles from the High Ridge area. But overall, the shift worked well. Squad 21, once the busiest unit in the EFD from 1955 to 1957, became active again and quickly returned to being the most frequently dispatched unit.

Squad 21 was equipped with a 1000-GPM pump and a 100-gallon water tank but did not carry a standard hose load. It had two 50-foot lengths of 1.5-inch hose in one compartment, which could be used for smaller fires or connected to side discharge ports. For gas washes, vehicle fires, or trash fires, it was often faster to use the red booster line instead.

In contrast, Engine 21 carried 1,800 feet of 2.5-inch hose, while the other engines had between 1,500 and 650 feet of 1.5-inch hose. Each ladder truck carried two 50-foot lengths of 3-inch hose for elevated master streams. Even the reserve engines were fully equipped with full hose loads, including hard suction hose and soft-sleeve leads.

The EFD had a well-organized system for managing hose inventory across all stations, with additional supplies kept in storage and rotated regularly to ensure readiness. This attention to detail reflected the department's commitment to maintaining a high level of preparedness, even during times of budget constraints and operational adjustments.