Evanston Fire Department history Part 52

Another installment in our ongoing series on the History of the Evanston Fire Department.

Following the introduction of Squad 21 into service in September 1952, there were some changes in staffing at Station #1. The two extra personnel who had previously been assigned to Engine 25 and Truck 21—two of the downtown "high-value district" companies—were now reassigned to Squad 21. This allowed the squad to respond with a two-man crew to all inhalator calls, which numbered around 100 per year during the 1950s. In doing so, Squad 21 replaced Engine 21 as the city-wide inhalator unit, ensuring that Engine 21 remained available for fire incidents. Additional inhalators were also kept on standby at Station #1 and could be loaded onto any EFD vehicle if Squad 21 was unavailable.

Squad 21 wasn’t just limited to inhalator calls. Equipped with four mounted searchlights, a portable gas-powered generator, power tools, smoke-ejector fans, floodlights, extra salvage covers, two portable turret nozzles, a backboard, a Stokes basket, a large supply of rope, rappelling gear, and an oxygen-acetylene cutting torch, the squad was ready to handle working structure fires, rescue operations, and any other incident requiring specialized equipment.

The deployment of Squad 21 with a two-person crew meant that each engine and truck company at Station #1 now operated with a maximum of five personnel per shift. However, if one member was absent due to vacation, illness, or injury, they could run with just four. With Squad 21 always staffed by two members and a chief’s driver always present, the total number of firefighters on duty at Station #1 per shift never dropped below 23, though it could fall as low as 19 if all four companies were short-staffed.

The other three fire stations continued operating with four-person crews per shift, as had been the case since the addition of the Kelly Day in 1948. These crews could also operate with three members if needed. This resulted in a maximum of 35 firefighters across all four stations on any given day, with a minimum of 28 if all seven companies were one person short. Due to restrictions on vacations and overtime during November through March, many shifts ran at full strength during the winter. Conversely, in spring, summer, and early fall, it wasn’t unusual for several companies—or even all—to be short-handed.

Annual salaries in the Evanston Fire Department in 1953 varied significantly. The Chief Fire Marshal earned $7,200, while the Assistant Chief Fire Marshal made $5,484. Captains earned $5,100, Lieutenants $4,770, and both Mechanics and Administrative Assistants received $4,620. Firemen I, II, and III earned $4,332, $4,272, and $4,200 respectively, while Fireman Recruits started at $4,080.

In 1953, Captain Lincoln Dickinson of Engine Co. 23 retired after 20 years of service, and Lieutenant Knud Hanson of Truck Co. 22 retired after 26 years. Captain Dickinson had been one of three firefighters laid off on January 1, 1933, during the Great Depression, and his service was split between two separate periods. Those laid off during the Depression did not receive credit toward retirement while unemployed.

To replace Dickinson and Hanson, Lieutenant Erv Lindeman was promoted to Captain and took over Engine Co. 24. Captain Ronald Ford moved from Engine Co. 24 to 23, and Firemen Harry Schaeffer Jr. and Richard Schumacher were promoted to Lieutenant in 1954. Schumacher was the first firefighter hired after World War II to reach that rank. Both would eventually retire as Assistant Chiefs.

After the wave of retirements in the 1940s, only seven non-officers retired in the 1950s. These included John Lee (26 years), Bernard Lindberg (26), John Linster (26), William Schreiber (22) in 1950; Francis Williams (24) in 1951; John Kabel (20) in 1953; and Charles Bammesberger (28) in 1955. Like Captain Dickinson, Kabel had been laid off in 1933, so his service spanned two separate tours.

Although MABAS was officially created in 1968 as a mutual-aid box alarm system, its roots can be traced back to July 1953. At that time, several North Shore departments—including Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook, Highland Park, and the Glenview Naval Air Station—participated in a joint training exercise organized by the Northeastern Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. The event was prompted by a fire in Wilmette in November 1952, where multiple departments responded to assist. While mutual aid had existed before MABAS, it was often disorganized and chaotic, as seen in that incident.

The 1953 training exercise allowed these departments to practice coordinated responses to complex emergencies. The Evanston Fire Department was represented by Engine Co. 23, Truck Co. 23, Engine Co. 25, Squad 22, Truck Co. 22, and Squad 21. Engine Co. 25 was led by Capt. Ed Fahrbach, and Truck Co. 22 by Assistant Chief Michael Garrity. Recently promoted Assistant Chief William Murphy, head of the Fire Prevention Bureau, stayed behind in Evanston as acting platoon commander, with Engine Co. 21, 22, 24, and Truck Co. 21 covering the city while others were in Winnetka.

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