From Phil Stenholm: Another look back at the History of the Evanston Fire Department. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Chief Beattie also received a new Plymouth sedan (fleet #301) in 1975, which was painted red instead of safety yellow. His old 1973 Plymouth station wagon was reassigned to the platoon commanders as the new F-2 after a light bar replaced the old “Kojak†light. The former F-2, a 1971 Dodge station wagon, was given to the Fire Prevention Bureau (FPB) for the newly formed fire investigation unit, known as the “arson squad.†Firefighters Bob Schwarz, Pat Lynn, and Jim Hayes were appointed as investigators by Beattie. Meanwhile, one of the FPB captain roles was eliminated after Capt. Joe Thill retired. In line with the terms of the firefighters’ strike in February 1974, the average workweek was reduced from 56 to 54 hours. In 1975, two new positions were added to the EFD, increasing total membership to 102. One firefighter was now assigned per shift to cover those on a “short day,†while three firefighters covered vacation and sick leave. As a result, the minimum staffing per shift dropped from 28 to 27. There were six three-man companies (five engine companies plus Truck 22), two four-man companies (Truck 21 and Squad 21), and the shift commander (F-2). Eighteen new firefighters joined the department between 1974 and 1975, including Samuel Boddie, Art Miller, Bill Betke, Jim Potts, Dave Lopina, Bob Hayden, Mike Adam, Don Gschwind, Thomas Simpson, Joe Hayes, Bob Wagner, Keith Filipowski, Ken Dohm, Tom Kavanagh, Milton Dunbar, Ward Cook, Jim Keaty, and Donald Williams. Fireman James “Guv†Whalen was promoted to captain, while Harry Harloff and Ken Perysian retired after 23 years of service. Several others resigned during this time. On Wednesday, May 28, 1975, the EFD responded to a fire in the rear storage yard of Rust-Oleum Corporation at 2301 Oakton Street. A second alarm was immediately called, and eventually a MABAS box was pulled — the first time the EFD used this system since its implementation in 1968. At the height of the fire, 19 hand lines, two deluge nozzles, one multi-versal, one ladder pipe from Truck 22, one street jack, and one deck gun from Squad 21 were used to combat the flames. Explosions from 55-gallon paint drums sent debris hundreds of feet into the air. Local police evacuated nearby homes to the east and north. A large 200,000-gallon water tank near Cleveland & Hartrey was supplied by a 24-inch feeder main from Church Street. It provided water for a 1,000-GPM pump operated by Rust-Oleum’s own fire brigade, as well as local residential hydrants. Fire departments from Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Morton Grove, and Winnetka all contributed, drawing water from hydrants east and north of the fire, including one at the dead-end of Cleveland Street near the C&NW RR tracks. The fire was eventually contained and extinguished, but not before causing $775,000 in damage — the fourth-highest loss in Evanston history up to that point. Only the fires at the American Hospital Supply Corporation (October 1963), Rolled Steel Corporation (January 1970), and Bramson’s clothing store (October 1971) caused more damage. Regardless, the Rust-Oleum fire remains one of the most dramatic in the city’s history. The next day, May 29, 1975, marked the EFD’s centennial anniversary. While the department was officially established on May 29, 1875, its true beginning came earlier — on January 7, 1873, when the 60-member volunteer Pioneer Fire Company of Evanston was accepted by the village board. The 1875 ordinance wasn’t about creating a firefighting force. At that time, the Pioneer Fire Company — later renamed “Pioneer Hose Co. No. 1†in December 1874 — already existed. The real purpose of the law was to establish a legal framework for organizing and accepting additional volunteer fire companies. By 1875, the C.J. Gilbert Hose Company was already in the process of being formed. The ordinance ensured that these companies would work together, not compete, under the leadership of the fire marshal, who was legally named chief of the department. Copper Pipe,Pvc Coated Copper Tube Pipe,Flexible Copper Tube,Air Conditioner Copper Tube Taizhou Tentcool Trade Co., Ltd. , https://www.tentcoolcompressor.com
On May 1, 1975, the Evanston City Council approved bids for a new 1,000 / 300 triple-combination pumper, matching the specs of two recently purchased Howe pumpers. This new unit was meant to replace Engine 25, a 1952 Pirsch 1000 / 100 TCP that had once been Squad 21 before being rebuilt as a TCP in 1966 by General Body. Mack won the bid with a price of $53,725, beating out FWD Seagrave and Pirsch. EFD Chief George Beattie insisted the new Mack be painted “safety yellow,†just like the two new Howe pumpers from the previous year.