A Commentary: CFD apparatus history – part 3 of 3
Part 3 of a commentary by Bill Post on the history of the Chicago Fire Department: Part 1 can be found HERE and Part 2 can be found HERE. Industrial Profiled Aluminum,Industrial Aluminum Extrusion,Customed Wuqiang Xingdou International Trade Co., Ltd , https://www.wqxingdou.comWhile Fire Commissioner Quinn did put the six Flying Manpower Squads into service, he (understandably) decided to keep Snorkel Squad 1 active. Instead, Snorkel 2 was taken out of service, and less than a year before the Maatman Report recommendations were implemented, five additional salvage squads were added. When the Flying Manpower Squads were introduced in 1969, Salvage Squad 1—recommended by the consultant to remain active—was removed from service on May 1, 1969. That same day, Flying Manpower Squad 4 was activated, using the 1954 AutoCar Squad that had previously belonged to Salvage Squad 1.
Rescue 3, which was essentially the remnants of Snorkel Squad 3, also went out of service on that day. Although the 1968 Maatman report was released in November 1968 and the six recommended Flying Manpower Squads were all in place by November 1969, Fire Commissioner Bob Quinn hadn’t yet removed Snorkel 6 from service or moved Snorkel 4 from Engine 25 to Engine 67. The south side still had more than one Snorkel assigned to it, even after Snorkel 2 was taken out of service in February 1969.
On March 9, 1970, Truck 31 was moved from Engine 104’s station on the south loop to a new location on the far southwest side. On the same day, Snorkel 4 was relocated from Engine 25 to Engine 104. Then, on July 7, 1970, the brick wall of a multi-story vacant factory in the 1700 block of North Ashland Avenue collapsed on Snorkel 7 as they were still extinguishing smoldering embers from a 5-11 alarm fire the previous day. Snorkel 7 was completely destroyed, and Firefighter Jack Walsh later died from injuries sustained during the collapse. Snorkel 7 was never replaced, leaving only Snorkel 5 on the north side of Chicago.
Several months later, in early 1971, the fire department’s consultant Gerald Maatman issued a follow-up report reviewing the department’s progress since the 1968 Maatman Report. While many of the original recommendations had been followed, some key items remained unimplemented. Because Fire Commissioner Quinn had kept Snorkel Squad 1 in service while removing Snorkel 2 and Salvage Squad 1, the consultant recommended relocating Snorkel Squad 1 to Engine 5’s station.
Snorkel Squad 1 wasn’t relocated and stayed at 1044 N. Orleans, as per the commissioner’s decision. So, not only did Quinn keep the squad active, but he also left it in its original location for as long as he remained fire commissioner. The 1971 Maatman report also suggested adding a seventh Flying Manpower Squad at Engine 108’s station on the far northwest side. This squad, known as Flying Manpower Squad 5, was meant to cover the northwest area from Engine 7 and Truck 58’s station. However, it was instead placed at Engine 114’s old station near Fullerton and Central Park, which was too far southeast to effectively serve the northwest side.
The Flying Manpower Squads were all using outdated pumpers from the 1940s and 1950s and lacked the proper equipment as recommended in the 1968 report. The consultant had specified exact types and amounts of equipment these squads should carry, along with general apparatus specifications.
There were still six active salvage squads, and the consultant had advised that Salvage Squads 6 and 7 be removed from service since their areas were already covered by the Flying Squads, creating redundancy.
Additionally, two truck companies—Trucks 43 and 46—had been recommended for removal in earlier reports but remained active. Their space was intended for Snorkel companies. Once again, the report urged their removal.
Snorkel 4 was supposed to move to Engine 67 (Truck 46), and Snorkel 7 was to go to Engine 110 (Truck 43) along with Flying Squad 6. But Snorkel 4 couldn’t be relocated while those trucks were still active. On November 16, 1971, Trucks 46 and 43 were finally taken out of service, and Snorkel 6 was moved from Engine 46 on the southeast side to Engine 110 on the north side. Snorkel 6 had originally been recommended for removal, but since Snorkel 7 was destroyed in July 1970, it was instead relocated.
Snorkel 4 wasn’t moved to Engine 67 until June 1972. After that, not only was Snorkel 3 the only Snorkel left on the south side, but Snorkel 4, which had been stationed in the south loop and served as second-due, was now much farther away, stationed on the far west side. It was ironic that there were now two Snorkels on the north side, one on the west, and only one on the south. There were no Snorkels downtown, unless you counted Snorkel Squad 1 with its 50-foot Snorkel on the near north side. To be fair, Snorkel 5 was located in a high-fire area at the time, and Snorkel 6 was just west of a high-risk zone.
Because the south side was so far from a second Snorkel company, Snorkel 5 automatically responded to Snorkel 3 on Still and Box Alarms when Snorkel 3 was due. Snorkel 5 wasn’t relocated to Engine 5 (from Engine 57) until about two and a half years later, in January 1975. This brought them closer to the south side by placing them in the west loop. Two years later, in 1977, Snorkel 5 was once again moved, this time to Engine 23’s station on the west side. It wasn’t until April 1981 that the south side regained a second Snorkel. A new Snorkel 4, equipped with a 55-foot Hendrickson Pierce Snorkel from Snorkel Squad 1, was put in service at Engine 123’s station.
One month later, Snorkel 3 was renumbered as Snorkel 5 (to match its new fire district) and relocated to Engine 72’s station. In May 1981, each Snorkel was renumbered and relocated to align with the five new fire districts. These districts had replaced the seven old fire divisions on April 11, 1981. Snorkel 5 became Snorkel 1, Snorkel 4 became Snorkel 2, Snorkel 6 became Snorkel 3, and Snorkel 4 became a new company. Snorkel 3 became Snorkel 5. Snorkel Squad 1 was taken out of service on October 3, 1980.
So, Mike, Commissioner Quinn literally saved Snorkel Squad 1 and kept it from being retired in 1969. He also delayed the relocation of other Snorkels, but after Snorkel 7 was destroyed, he had to move Snorkel 6 to the north side. Again, the city didn’t want to hire more firefighters to properly staff all the companies after 1967, so the consultant, Gerald Maatman, was tasked with finding ways to run the department on the same budget without hiring more men.
Some of his recommendations were good, including adding useful tools like K-12 saws, ladder pipes, and multi-versals to trucks. He also recommended air masks be installed on engines and trucks, which the CFD was extremely slow to implement. This only happened in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Compared to other departments, the CFD was way behind in some basic concepts.
Many of the new fire stations built in the 1970s were a direct result of the report’s recommendations. For example, the new station for Engine 70 and Truck 47 was suggested by Maatman in 1968. If the city had been willing to hire more firefighters, the report wouldn’t have needed to suggest reducing company sizes and cutting special units. By the way, did you know that in 1968, the last full year that Snorkel Squad 3 and Snorkel Squad 2 were active, they were the busiest companies in Chicago? Snorkel Squad 3 had over 5,952 incidents, and Snorkel Squad 2 had gone out on 5,117 runs.
This wasn’t bad considering that Snorkel Squad 3 hadn’t used a Snorkel since January 1967, and Snorkel Squad 2 had stopped using one by mid-1968. At that time, all the different squad types were automatically dispatched on still alarms with engines and trucks, without waiting for confirmation of an actual fire. As a result, there were many “hold the squad†messages and turnbacks.
Since the Snorkel Squads were the only ones equipped with K-12 saws, multi-versals, and back-mounted air masks, they would respond to every 2-11 alarm across the city. In 1967 and 1968, power saws were first introduced on truck companies, and multi-versals on engines, which reduced the need for the Snorkel Squads for basic equipment. Air masks weren’t added to engines and trucks until the latter half of the 1970s.