From Phil Stenholm:
Another part in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
ALMOST DONE
By 1955, all three new fire stations in Evanston were completed and officially put into service. Station #5 opened on January 25th at 2830 Central Street, followed by Station #2 on March 12th at 702 Madison Street, and finally Station #3 on September 3rd at 1105 Central Street.
Before the new buildings were 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 closed on January 25th, and during its last days as a functioning station, the apparatus floor was supported by temporary wooden beams in the basement. Because Engine Co. 23 had to leave quickly, Engine Co. 25 stayed at Station #1 for most of 1955, only moving to Station #5 after Station #3 reopened in September.
Chief Dorband, along with the Fire Prevention Bureau and Truck Company 22, relocated to the new Station #2 on Madison Street on March 12th. At this time, the two assistant chiefs who had been platoon commanders at Station #1 were relieved of their company officer duties and were given a Chevrolet station wagon (called “F-2â€) and a driver. This made them more like Chicago Fire Department battalion chiefs. Chief Dorband only responded to active fires. If he was off-duty, his driver would pick him up at his home on Wesley Avenue and take him to the scene.
On April 1, 1955, the Evanston Fire Department expanded from 88 to 100 members. New hires included 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 returned from leave. Firefighters James Wheeler and William Windelborn were promoted to captain, replacing the previous platoon commanders as company officers.
Squad 21 continued responding to inhalator calls and special rescues, but starting April 1st, it also handled all fire calls city-wide with a four-person crew, or three if someone was missing. Squad 21 didn’t have a company officer, so the platoon equipment mechanic usually led the team. 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 operate as a full engine company. However, it could handle small fires or assist in limited fire suppression when no engine was on scene.
Engine Co. 21, Truck Co. 21, Engine Co. 25, Squad 21, Engine Co. 22, and Truck Co. 22 were twelve-man companies, with six men per platoon. Engine Co. 23 and 24 were ten-man companies, with five per platoon. However, the driver of the platoon commander’s car (F-2) was administratively assigned to Squad 21, and the driver for the Fire Marshal (F-1) was assigned to Engine Co. 22, meaning those two units had one fewer person each shift.
Each shift had one man on a Kelly Day, so staffing varied: five people on most companies, or four if someone was missing. Engine Co. 23 and 24 typically had four, sometimes three. The truck company often took an extra man from the engine company if needed.
Each shift had a platoon commander, plus a driver and radio operator for F-2, and a driver/admin assistant for the chief (F-1). These drivers also served as EFD 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 one person. Companies usually operated at full strength from November to March, then sometimes ran short in the spring, summer, and early fall when vacations were allowed. Overtime days earned in winter could be used then.
The 39-to-31 staffing range brought EFD shift numbers back to levels seen between 1933 and 1942, before Kelly Days were introduced. Along with new equipment and new stations, restoring staffing to pre-WWII levels was one of Chief Dorband’s main goals in his modernization plan.
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