From Phil Stenholm:
Another chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
On May 1, 1975, the Evanston City Council accepted bids for a new 1,000/300 triple-combination pumper. This was the same model as the two Howe pumpers purchased the previous year. The new unit would replace Engine 25, a 1952 Pirsch 1000/100 TCP that had once been Squad 21 before being rebuilt as a TCP by General Body in 1966. Mack won the contract with a bid of $53,725, beating out FWD Seagrave, Pirsch, and other manufacturers. EFD Chief George Beattie insisted the new Mack pumper be painted “safety yellow,†just like the two new Howe units delivered in 1974 and 1975.
In addition, Chief Beattie received a new Plymouth sedan (fleet #301) in 1975, which was painted red instead of the standard safety yellow. His old 1973 Plymouth station wagon was transferred to the platoon commanders as the new F-2 after a light bar was installed on the roof, replacing the portable “Kojak light.†The former F-2, a 1971 Dodge station wagon, was moved to the Fire Prevention Bureau (FPB) to serve the newly formed fire investigation unit, also known as the “arson squad.†Three firefighters—Bob Schwarz, Pat Lynn, and Jim Hayes—were appointed as investigators by Chief Beattie. As part of the reorganization, one of the FPB captain positions was eliminated after Captain Joe Thill retired.
Also, as part of the agreement following the February 1974 firefighters’ strike, the average workweek for EFD members was reduced from 56 to 54 hours. Two new positions were added in 1975, increasing the total number of firefighters from 100 to 102. One firefighter was now assigned to each shift to cover for those taking a “short day†(formerly called a “Kelly Dayâ€), while three firefighters per shift handled vacations and sick leave. This led to a slight reduction in the de facto minimum staffing, from 28 to 27, with 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 in 1974–1975, 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 the Rust-Oleum Corporation at 2301 Oakton Street. A second alarm was immediately called, and eventually a MABAS box was pulled—the first time since the system began 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 attack the flames. Explosions of 55-gallon paint drums sent debris hundreds of feet into the air. Nearby residents were temporarily evacuated by the Evanston police.
A 200,000-gallon water tank at the southwest corner of Cleveland and Hartrey was supplied by a 24-inch feeder main extending south from Church Street. This tank provided water for a 1,000-GPM pump operated by Rust-Oleum’s own fire brigade, as well as the neighborhood’s residential hydrants. Firefighters from Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Morton Grove, and Winnetka pumped water from multiple hydrants, including one at the dead-end of Cleveland Street, just a quarter-mile north of the Rust-Oleum site near the C&NW RR tracks.
The fire was eventually contained and extinguished, but not before causing $775,000 in damage. It became the fourth-highest loss in Evanston’s history at the time, behind fires at the American Hospital Supply Corporation (October 1963), Rolled Steel Corporation (January 1970), and Bramson’s clothing store (October 1971). The Rust-Oleum fire was undoubtedly the most dramatic in the city’s history.
The next day, May 29, 1975, the Evanston Fire Department celebrated its centennial. While the official establishment date was May 29, 1875, the true beginning of the village’s fire department came earlier, on January 7, 1873, when the 60-man volunteer Pioneer Fire Company was accepted for service by the village board.
The fire department ordinance passed on May 29, 1875, wasn’t meant to create a firefighting force—it was already in place. The Pioneer Fire Company, renamed “Pioneer Hose Co. No. 1†in December 1874, had existed for over two years. The real purpose of the ordinance was to provide a legal framework for forming additional volunteer companies. By 1875, the C.J. Gilbert Hose Company was already in the process of being organized. The law ensured that these companies would work together rather than compete, with the fire marshal serving as chief. This set the stage for a unified and cooperative fire department moving forward.
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