Evanston Fire Department history – part 4

In the spring of 1882, the village trustees made a serious attempt to establish a paid fire department. They allocated $850 to cover the costs of the Fire Marshal and other firefighters. The Fire Marshal was set to receive $100 annually, while each of the nine part-time firefighters would be paid $50 per year. Additionally, a full-time officer who combined the roles of police and fire services was offered a $600 salary, split evenly between the two departments.

Although Fire Marshal Bailey received his payment and Austin McDonough was appointed as the full-time officer, the proposed part-time fire company never fully came together. By 1885, the position was abolished, highlighting the challenges of maintaining a consistent fire service in Evanston at the time.

On May 1, 1883, after years of unfulfilled promises, Chief Bailey resigned for the second time. This time, the trustees accepted his resignation. By that point, most of the original board members had been replaced, leaving only President J. J. Parkhurst. New trustees, including Alexander Drummond, a former firefighter from Evanston, recognized the need for an effective fire department, one that could match the efficiency of the old Pioneer and Gilbert Hose Companies and provide fair compensation for service.

On July 17, 1883, the village board appointed Sam Harrison, a merchant on Davis Street and a former member of the C. J. Gilbert Hose Company, as the new Fire Marshal. He was tasked with forming a part-time fire company. On July 28, Harrison, like his predecessor, ran a butcher shop, and he presented a 12-man team to the board. The company was officially accepted on November 6, 1883, with each member receiving $40 per year in compensation.

The EFD’s first horse-drawn hose wagon, built by local craftsman Gerhard Brienen and pulled by a horse named Dave, was put into service in October 1883. It was stationed in a remodeled paint shop at the northwest corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street, later becoming the site of the first city parking garage.

Alongside the Fire Patrol, a single-horse hose wagon, and the Babcock chemical engine (converted to a horse-drawn unit in 1884), a Davenport hook-and-ladder truck was added in 1885. The two horses used to pull it were also occasionally loaned to the street department for garbage collection. This truck served for over 32 years before being retired in 1918.

Harrison's company became the foundation of Engine Co. 1, later known as Engine Co. 21. He led the department for several years before handing over command to J. E. “Jack” Sweeting in 1895. Sweeting became the first Assistant Chief Fire Marshal in 1905 and spent all 25 years of his career with the EFD. He passed away on Christmas Day 1912 and held the record for the longest tenure until George Hargreaves in 1918.

On September 25, 1883, the new fire company responded to a fire at the Dwight-Buell stable behind the Avenue House hotel. A coachman named George Gale was found dead from smoke inhalation. The fire was ruled a homicide, and although there were suspicions of arson linked to previous fires, no one was ever charged.

A month later, on December 20, 1883, a fire broke out at the newly opened Evanston Township High School. With no prior experience navigating the building, the EFD struggled to control the blaze. Chief Harrison sent a telegram to the Chicago Fire Department, marking the first mutual aid request in EFD history. Within 19 minutes, a train carrying equipment and personnel arrived, helping to save the school with minimal damage.

Not all calls ended successfully. In November 1884, the First Congregational Church was destroyed after a ventilation effort caused a small fire to spread rapidly. Rookie firefighter Tim Kelleher suffered from smoke inhalation and died three years later from tuberculosis, though the direct cause of his death remains uncertain.