Evanston Fire Department history Part 55

Another part in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.

ALMOST DONE

All three of Evanston’s new fire stations were completed and put into service in 1955. Station #5 opened on January 25th at 2830 Central Street, Station #2 on March 12th at 702 Madison Street, and Station #3 on September 3rd at 1105 Central Street.

Before the new station was ready, Engine Company 23 and the reserve truck were temporarily moved from Fire Station #3 on Green Bay Road to the newly built Station #5 in northwest Evanston. Station #3 was closed on January 25th, and during its last days as an active station, the apparatus floor was supported by wooden beams placed in the basement. Because Engine Co. 23 had to move out quickly, Engine Co. 25 stayed at Station #1 for most of 1955. They didn’t move to Station #5 until Station #3 was fully operational in September.

Chief Dorband, the Fire Prevention Bureau, and Truck Company 22 moved from Station #1 to the new Station #2 on Madison Street on March 12th. The two assistant chiefs who served as platoon commanders at Station #1 were relieved of their company officer duties and were given a Chevrolet station wagon (called “F-2”) and a driver. This made them more like Chicago Fire Department battalion chiefs. Chief Dorband only responded to working fires. If he was off-duty, his driver would pick him up at his home on Wesley Avenue and bring him to the scene.

The Evanston Fire Department grew from 88 to 100 members on April 1, 1955, with the hiring of Peter Erpelding, David Henderson, Roger Lecey, Roger Schumacher, Joseph Burton, Patrick Morrison, Robert Pritza, Richard Ruske, Donald Searles, Frank Sherry Jr., and Richard Zrazik, plus Edward Pettinger returning from leave. Firemen James Wheeler and William Windelborn were promoted to captain, replacing the previous platoon commanders as company officers.

Squad 21 continued responding to all inhalator calls and special rescues, but starting April 1st, it also took all fire calls city-wide. It operated with a four-man crew or three if someone was absent. Squad 21 didn’t have a company officer, so the platoon equipment mechanic usually led the crew. In 1956, Squad 21 responded to over 400 calls—25% more than the busiest engine company, Engine Co. 24.

Although Squad 21 had a 1000-GPM pump, a 100-gallon water tank, and a booster hose reel, it lacked a hose bed and standard hose load, so it couldn’t function as an engine company. However, it could respond to minor fires or assist in initial suppression if no engine company was on scene.

Engine Companies 21, 25, 22, and 23, along with Truck Companies 21 and 22, had twelve men each, split between two platoons. Engine Companies 23 and 24 had ten men each. The driver for the platoon commander (F-2) was assigned administratively to Squad 21, and the driver for the Chief Fire Marshal (F-1) was assigned to Engine Co. 22. So Squad 21 and Engine Co. 22 had one fewer man available per shift compared to other companies.

One person each shift was on a Kelly Day, so staffing varied. On most shifts, Engine Co. 21, Truck Co. 21, Engine Co. 25, Squad 21 (including F-2 driver), Engine Co. 22 (including F-1 driver), and Truck Co. 22 had five people, or four if short-staffed. Engine Co. 23 and 24 typically had four, or three if missing a member. If a truck company was short, they often borrowed a man from the nearby engine company.

Each shift had a platoon commander, plus a driver and radio operator for F-2, and a driver and administrative assistant for F-1. These drivers also served as the department’s photographers. One man was assigned as a fire prevention inspector and assistant to the FPB chief (F-3).

As of April 1, 1955, the maximum shift staffing was 39 if all companies were full, and the minimum was 31 if all were short-staffed. Companies usually ran full from November to March, when vacations weren’t allowed, and sometimes ran short in spring, summer, and early fall when vacation time was permitted. Overtime days accumulated in winter could be used then.

This staffing level of 39 to 31 restored the EFD’s shift strength to the years 1933–1942, before the first Kelly Days. Along with new equipment and new fire stations, restoring pre-WWII staffing levels was one of Chief Dorband’s main goals in his modernization plan.

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