From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment 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, followed by Station #2 on March 12th at 702 Madison Street, and Station #3 on September 3rd at 1105 Central Street.
Before the new facilities 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 was closed on January 25th, and during its final days, the apparatus floor was supported by temporary wooden beams in the basement. Because Engine Co. 23 needed to move quickly, Engine Co. 25 stayed at Station #1 for most of 1955 and didn’t move to Station #5 until Station #3 was fully operational in September.
Chief Dorband, the Fire Prevention Bureau, and Truck Company 22 relocated from Station #1 to the new Station #2 on Madison Street on March 12th. Two assistant chiefs who had served as 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 FD 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 expanded 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. Firefighters James Wheeler and William Windelborn were promoted to captain, replacing the two platoon commanders as company officers.
Squad 21 continued to handle all inhalator calls and special rescues, but starting April 1st, it also responded to every fire call citywide with a four-man crew, or three if someone was missing. Squad 21 didn’t have a company officer, so the platoon equipment mechanic usually took charge. 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 assist with small fires or provide a limited attack if no engine company was on the 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 F-2 driver (for the platoon commander) was assigned to Squad 21, and the F-1 driver (for the chief) was assigned to Engine Co. 22, meaning those two units had one fewer man available each shift.
One person each shift was on a Kelly Day, so staffing varied. On average, 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 on duty, or four if short-staffed. Engine Co. 23 and 24 typically had four or three, depending on availability. The truck company often borrowed a man from the engine company if they were down a member.
Each shift had a platoon commander, plus a driver and radio operator for the platoon commander (F-2), and a driver and administrative assistant for the chief (F-1). Buggy drivers also served as EFD photographers. One person 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. Companies usually operated at full strength from November to March when vacations weren’t allowed, and sometimes ran short in the warmer months when vacation time was permitted. 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. Alongside new equipment and new stations, restoring pre-WWII staffing levels was one of the main goals of Chief Dorband’s modernization plan.
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