Chicago Fire Department

[California Red 11]

I have been looking for messageboards similar to this, but that deal with (or at least include) the Chicago Fire Department. I feel like that chicagoareafire.com side should have a forum area, but it seems not to. I just kind of got curious when seeing a picture of an older vehicle operating as 5-6-2, a "jump bag" unit. This was a really cool former ambulance that was repurposed as a "jump bag" unit. 

 

ETA: Right here, actually. http://www.cfdshopnumbers.com/c-series/804

 

So, a jump bag, as I know (?) now, is an EMS tool bag, so to speak (maybe similar to a FA kit, but bigger). So, I'm not sure what a jump bag unit would do. Resupply?

Maybe this could have been its own thread, but it seemed related to this one.

[e5911 23]

likely a MCI unit or something of that nature.  We have a unit with 5 fully stocked jump bags with 10 backboards and associated supplies  for large patient Traffic Accidents.

Not sure but the pic might be a dedicated dept transport for fighters or a MCI supply unit

[E0001 62]

Carries the inflatable bag used to stop jumpers from smacking the ground at full speed. LA County calls them “rescue air cushions”.

[EMT_FS46 23]

What’s with the switch to red and blue emergency lights 

Edited September 11, 2020 by EMT_FS46

[Fumarin 6]

14 hours ago, EMT_FS46 said:

What’s with the switch to red and blue emergency lights 

Chicago (and a lot of surrounding agencies) run red and green lights.  The green lights, I believe, were inspired by boating MANY years back then it became tradition

[California Red 11]

Yes, the green and red is a maritime tradition and is very common in Chicagoland, and occurs elsewhere as well (SFFD, for instance, to tell between a ladder and an engine). And blue is pretty common all over Illinois (and many other states). Has been for decades. Becoming more so.

[EMT_FS46 23]

These are the lights I was referring too. The new squads and some other rigs also have red and blue and not red and green 

 

[firepost 15]

On 9/13/2020 at 8:59 PM, California Red said:

Yes, the green and red is a maritime tradition and is very common in Chicagoland, and occurs elsewhere as well (SFFD, for instance, to tell between a ladder and an engine). And blue is pretty common all over Illinois (and many other states). Has been for decades. Becoming more so.

The Chicago Fire Department started the famous Red and Green Light Tradition roughly between 1927 and 1931 when Albert Goodrich was the Fire Commissioner. His family had owned a Steamship company and to honor the "maritime tradition" he not only applied Green and Red Lights to the fire apparatus but also each fire station had a small green light on one side of the bay door or doors to the station and a small red light on the other side. They symbolize the Port and Starboard sides of a ship.

[firepost 15]

On 9/10/2020 at 8:14 PM, EMT_FS46 said:

What’s with the switch to red and blue emergency lights 

 I believe that someone  in the department of Fleet Management  wasn't making a big

 deal about the green lights missing and since  most of the light bars tend more commonly be built with blue and red lighting for the Police and other Fire Departments that don't use green lights.

they just let it happen. If you notice on some of the youtube videos from Chicago there still is a smaller green flashing light built next to the front grill or fender area of the new Squads. Even the video of Battalion 1 leaving it's quarter's has a smaller green light below the grill..

You may or may not know that a few years ago(in 2016) the CFD had gotten several solid red Chiefs "buggies" (as we call them in Chicago) and  the following order  ( in 2018)we went back to black over red. Well now disappointing as it may be to us traditionalists the latest group of  buggies are once again solid red however the new light bars do have a green light on them now.

Here is a photo of Chicago;s latest buggies that were recently put in service.

We just also received  several solid black suvs for the Commissioner and some of the High Ranking "Brass".

Edited September 25, 2020 by firepost

[firepost 15]

On 8/27/2020 at 11:56 AM, California Red said:

I have been looking for messageboards similar to this, but that deal with (or at least include) the Chicago Fire Department. I feel like that chicagoareafire.com side should have a forum area, but it seems not to. I just kind of got curious when seeing a picture of an older vehicle operating as 5-6-2, a "jump bag" unit. This was a really cool former ambulance that was repurposed as a "jump bag" unit. 

 

ETA: Right here, actually. http://www.cfdshopnumbers.com/c-series/804

 

So, a jump bag, as I know (?) now, is an EMS tool bag, so to speak (maybe similar to a FA kit, but bigger). So, I'm not sure what a jump bag unit would do. Resupply?

Maybe this could have been its own thread, but it seemed related to this one.

California Red I agree that it would be nice if Chicago had a message board however when ever there is a new posting on the Chicago Area fire departments website is there is an open "Comments" section that you are allowed to post observations and opinions on and the comment section does end up being a message board  as long as the message is related more or less to the article or the photo that was posted. The FDNY does have an excellent "Forum Board" where not only can you post questions but  the there are many forums on that board that allows to you categorize the  your question or statement as to what it is related to on the FDNY. 

I don't really know if you are into the New York City Fire Department or not but if you are here's the link https://www.nycfire.net/forums/.

Getting back to Chicago's Jump Bag Units, as someone else mentioned here  the Jump Bags that they are talking about are these large inflatable "Cushion" type bags for Jumpers or people threatening to Jump. They are  what have replaced the the old time lifenets that Truck companies used carry as standard equipment. 

Chicago unit 562 was unfortunately taken out of service  3 years ago on September 5th 2017. I really don't understand why it was taken out of service because it was an unmanned unit and when it would be needed the Truck or Engine company that it was quartered with would drive the Van to the scene if requested. Chicago  was running with 3 Jump Bag Units and they were designated 561,562 and 563. 561 was located more or less in the Center of City at Engine 4 and Tower Ladder 10's house on the near north side,562 was located on the northside at Engine 124 and Truck 38's quarters and 563 was located on the southside at Engine 47 and Truck 30's quarters. As far as I know units 561 and 563 are still in service but the North Side Jump bag unit 562 is not in service. When the jump bag units were initially put in service around the late 80s they were colocated with Chicago's Squad companies of which there were  and still are 4 of them in service. Three of them are in the City Proper  and a 4th one is located at O"Hare International Airport which is on City Property but is actually beyond the City Limits. Since the around 2000 the Air Bag Units were relocated else where.

Since you are from Los Angeles, I presume, I have a question for you. I know that several of  your Truck companies (Light Forces) have been equipped with Jump Bags and I was wondering if the Jump Bags are actually  carried on the Ladder Trucks or is there seperate vehicle or Van that goes with the Light Force when the Jump Bags are needed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

On the subject of Lifting Airbags I know that the Ladder units in Los Angeles carry alot of equipment on them. Chicago's Trucks do  carry Hurst tools on them however the Truck companies here don't carry any Airbags for lifting and only our Squads carry the Lifting bags. I think that it would be a good idea if some of Chicago's Truck companies would carry Lifting bags like they do in Los Angeles so that we wouldn't always have to wait for a Squad company to show up in order to use the bags.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by firepost

[EMT_FS46 23]

All the truck companies ( lightforce) carry jump bags which we call rescue air cushions. ( LA City Fire )

[firepost 15]

18 hours ago, EMT_FS46 said:

All the truck companies ( lightforce) carry jump bags which we call rescue air cushions. ( LA City Fire )

Thanks for the reply EMT_FS46. I had read  a few years ago that some of the LAFD Trucks carried some extra  large air cushions as well. The  Trucks in LA must  have  alot of cabinet space to carry those bags. It's interesting that Truck 9 is not part of Light Force since Engine 209 became a fully manned Engine company. You might know that at one time Station 9 actully had run with 3 Triples as you call them as it was one of  4 Heavy Duty Task Force stations where there was a Wagon , a Pump and a 2 hundred series Engine which ran as a fully manned company. I believe that the 200 series Engine might have been equipped with a Tele Squirt device on the apparatus. I think that the Pump was actually the Light Force Engine that ran attached to Truck 9. Those Heavy Duty Task Forces were eliminated in 1978 when the Jarvis amendment was passed in the California State Legislature which cut funding for the California fire departments and other agencies. 

[EMT_FS46 23]

Yes unfortunately the heavy duty task force no longer exist although you can consider station 9 a heavy duty task force. Station 9 is unique being the district is the smallest in the city. However being on Skid Row. They have the largest homeless population in the city as well as in the country. Most of which have drug addiction and mental Heath problems. I was there in the late 90’s and early 2000’s before and after the upgrade. We would run 30 plus calls in a 24 hour shit with a traditional task force ( light force 9, engine 9, rescue 9 and rescue 809 ). In 2000 or 2001 somewhere around there. Engine 209 was fully staffed with 4 members, truck 9 with 5 and split into separate companies. Rescue 809 was upgraded to a paramedic rescue ( Rescue 209 ). Since those days station 9 has been upgraded again due to call volume. 9’s now runs Engine 9, Engine 209, Truck 9, Rescue 9, Rescue 209, Rescue 809, Rescue 900, and FR 9 ( fast response ). The fast response unit is ALS but doesn’t run the whole 24 hour shift. I’m not sure if Rescue 900 runs the whole 24 hours either. Welp there you have it. A little insight on station 9 lol. Also at one time in the 60’s or 70’s station 9 had a heavy utility truck ( heavy rescue ) and a salvage unit ( squad ).

[mikesaccount 4]

why doesn't Chicago fire use TDA aerial ladders?

[Monrovia1 21]

Has Chicago FD ever used tillers? I saw one in the opening scenes of Backdraft.

[firepost 15]

15 hours ago, Monrovia1 said:

Has Chicago FD ever used tillers? I saw one in the opening scenes of Backdraft.

On 9/28/2020 at 1:10 AM, mikesaccount said:

why doesn't Chicago fire use TDA aerial ladders?

The Chicago Fire Department had used Tillered Aerial Ladders for years just like many other big city fire departments did. In 1965 of Chicago's then 62 Truck companies 58 of them were using TDA's and the other 4 were Mack/Magirus rear mounted Aerial Ladders whose Ladders were manufactured in Germany by the Magirus  company. They were purchased in 1959 and 2 were 100 feet in height while the other 2 were 144 feet in Height and amongst the Tallest Aerial Ladders in the United States at the time. 

Most of Chicago's TDA's had 85 foot Wooden Aerials on them and only 5 of them had Metal Telescopic Aerials and of those 5 two of them were retrofitted on two older trailers that had wooden ladders on them when delivered. Chicago was still purchasing Wooden Tillered Aerial Ladders in the 1950s and from 1954 through 1956 the CFD  purchased 25 Wooden TIllered Aerials. Of the 5 metal TDA"s 3 of them were purchased in 1942 and of the 2 retrofits one was done in 1959 and the other was done in 1963.

Chicago began a large scale fire apparatus replacement program beginning in 1966 and by 1976 most all of Chicago's TDA's had been replaced by new Non Tillered Aerials with the vast majority being rear mounted ladders. Chicago's famous Fire Commissioner Robert J Quinn who had been the Fire Commissioner from 1957 until 1978 decided to give the idea of Tillered Aerials a last hurrah and in 1975 he sent 5 1954 model TDA trailers to the Seagrave company in Clintonville Wisconsin where they totally rehabbed and rebuilt the trailers and they also installed brand new 100 foot Metal Retractable Aerial Ladders on the trailers and the CFD had also purchased 5 International Harvest Cargostar Tractors for the "new" Aerial Ladder trailers and they were put in service in 1976. Chicago ran them in frontline service until between 1988 and 1989 when most of them of them were taken out of frontline service and it was one of those TDA's that was used as "Truck" 46 in the beginning of the movie Back Draft. In Chicago the Highest number Truck company is Tower Ladder 63 at O"Hare Airport. Chicago's Truck's 46 and 43 were both taken out of service on November 16th 1971 so Chicago is currently running with 61 Truck companies of which 10 of them are Tower Ladders and the remainder are rearmounted Aerial Ladders. Of the 51 rear mounted Aerial Ladders 49 of them range in Height from 100 to 103 feet and Truck 8 recently received a 2019 model 137 foot E/One Aerial Ladder with a Prepiped Waterway and so it is Officially called Aerial Tower 8. Truck 1 has a 2006 model Pierce Heavy Duty Aerial Ladder with a Prepiped  Waterway   and it is officially designated as Aerial Tower 1. None of our other front line straight Truck companies are equipped with Prepiped Waterways however we have a 1988 model E/One 135 foot rear mounted Aerial Ladder that acts as a spare rig for the other two Aerial Tower companies and it used to be assigned as Aerial Tower 1 before it was replaced in 2006.

As to why Chicago doesn't use TDA's the bottom line is probably the cost involved in purchasing the apparatus which wouldn't match the other Truck companies and having to train and qualify some members to be Tillered Ladder drivers on those rigs.                                                               Many fire departments went away from using TDAs years ago however there are some fire departments that use them exclusively due to some tight streets and some narrow turns where they can be more easily be maneuvered. New York City got rid of most of their TDA's  except for 13 Ladder companies that are located in some areas were they have very narrow streets and they need to have them there. Boston took all of theirs out of service and Houston and San Antonio no longer uses them however Dallas runs with 7 of them. San Francisco runs with them completely because of the hills and some narrow streets where they  are more maneuverable.

A case can be made for them in a few congested areas of Chicago which tend to be near the Lakefront due to some narrow streets however there are no plans for any at the moment.

I know that Los Angeles uses them exclusively  as they needed them in the narrow streets and some of the curves in the Santa Monica Mountains however I have also seen some pretty wide streets in Los Angeles where they could probably manage without them also.

On 9/28/2020 at 1:10 AM, mikesaccount said:

why doesn't Chicago fire use TDA aerial ladders?

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by firepost

[firepost 15]

On 9/27/2020 at 7:39 PM, EMT_FS46 said:

Yes unfortunately the heavy duty task force no longer exist although you can consider station 9 a heavy duty task force. Station 9 is unique being the district is the smallest in the city. However being on Skid Row. They have the largest homeless population in the city as well as in the country. Most of which have drug addiction and mental Heath problems. I was there in the late 90’s and early 2000’s before and after the upgrade. We would run 30 plus calls in a 24 hour shit with a traditional task force ( light force 9, engine 9, rescue 9 and rescue 809 ). In 2000 or 2001 somewhere around there. Engine 209 was fully staffed with 4 members, truck 9 with 5 and split into separate companies. Rescue 809 was upgraded to a paramedic rescue ( Rescue 209 ). Since those days station 9 has been upgraded again due to call volume. 9’s now runs Engine 9, Engine 209, Truck 9, Rescue 9, Rescue 209, Rescue 809, Rescue 900, and FR 9 ( fast response ). The fast response unit is ALS but doesn’t run the whole 24 hour shift. I’m not sure if Rescue 900 runs the whole 24 hours either. Welp there you have it. A little insight on station 9 lol. Also at one time in the 60’s or 70’s station 9 had a heavy utility truck ( heavy rescue ) and a salvage unit ( squad ).

 FS 46 I have never heard of Station 9 having a  Heavy Utility unit there. I know that many years ago Station 14 had one around the late 1940s and then they had been moved Old Station 3 on Hill street years later, They also were at Station 6 in the mid 1960s and didn't they have at least 2 in service for a while with one at Station 88 and the other One at Station 6 which was moved to Station 27?                                                                         

Station 9 did have Squad 9 before they were assigned as the first of the Heavy Duty Task Forces however Squad 9 wasn't a Salvage Unit but it was LA's first  Manpower Squad which was originally at Station 23 and then when they opened Station 9 it was relocated to Station 9. Squad 9's apparatus was similar in appearance to the Salvage companies however they originally responded in the Central City for their manpower and they were also one of the first companies to have SCBA airmasks before they assigned them to the Engines and Trucks years ago. That Squad initially was put in service the late 1940s when they were at old Station 23.

I know that LA City ran with many Salvage units however I had heard that only a few of them that were assigned in the downtown and Hollywood Areas had a full compliment of manpower which was at least 4 or 5 men while most of the others only ran with 2 or 3 people. I also know that they had changed the designations of the Salvage Units to "Squad" Units in early to mid 1960s. Would know why they changed that designation? I think that it maybe because they might have  put inhalators (resusicitators) on them and had them respond on some EMS runs before they started adding more Ambulances to the fleet.

I know that the Heavy Utility Wrecker eventually was redesignated as a Heavy Rescue not that long ago when they were relocated to Station 56 but I was wondering if the LA City fire department ever had any real Heavy  Rescue Squads years ago like perhaps the 20s or the 30s?

I know that currently the Light Forces actually do most of the Heavy Rescue work as well the Truck work in LA city.

I know that it wasn't until the late 60s that the LAFD took over  the City Ambulance service from the Central Receiving Hospital and that the fire department was only running the Ambulances in the Valley before that. 

Perhaps you can tell me about that Older Cadillac ambulance at the Museum at Station 27. Was that Ambulance used only for the fire fighters or did it do EMS work for the public?  I believe it's a 1956 Cadillac. Thanks.

Edited October 1, 2020 by firepost

[California Red 11]

On 9/25/2020 at 3:25 PM, firepost said:

 

Since you are from Los Angeles, I presume, I have a question for you. I know that several of  your Truck companies (Light Forces) have been equipped with Jump Bags and I was wondering if the Jump Bags are actually  carried on the Ladder Trucks or is there seperate vehicle or Van that goes with the Light Force when the Jump Bags are needed.     

I'm actually from San Diego. Not sure how we handle those calls.  But here's an LACoFD (not LAFD) Rescue Air Cushion (RAC) responding. 

                                                     

On the subject of Lifting Airbags I know that the Ladder units in Los Angeles carry alot of equipment on them. Chicago's Trucks do  carry Hurst tools on them however the Truck companies here don't carry any Airbags for lifting and only our Squads carry the Lifting bags. I think that it would be a good idea if some of Chicago's Truck companies would carry Lifting bags like they do in Los Angeles so that we wouldn't always have to wait for a Squad company to show up in order to use the bags.

I do like the Chicago Area Fire site you mentioned, though I tend to skip right to the departmental apparatus photos. I'll need to check out that NYC site. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[Polecat 8]

For LA City FD, in the late 80's, early 90's at Fire Station 20, we had an older ambulance (see photo of similar vehicle) that had a 100' Rescue Air Cushion (RAC). This was the first air cushion in the City of Los Angeles. We responded within the boundaries of Los Angeles as well as surrounding communities i.e.. Glendale, Pasadena, LA County Area.

As the years progressed, the department purchased more 100' & 75' bags that we placed on the truck companies. The RAC 20 vehicle was eventually phased out and the air cushion transferred to the truck.

We responded as Task Force 20, Rescue Air Cushion 20.

[firepost 15]

On 10/4/2020 at 2:41 PM, Polecat said:

For LA City FD, in the late 80's, early 90's at Fire Station 20, we had an older ambulance (see photo of similar vehicle) that had a 100' Rescue Air Cushion (RAC). This was the first air cushion in the City of Los Angeles. We responded within the boundaries of Los Angeles as well as surrounding communities i.e.. Glendale, Pasadena, LA County Area.

As the years progressed, the department purchased more 100' & 75' bags that we placed on the truck companies. The RAC 20 vehicle was eventually phased out and the air cushion transferred to the truck.

We responded as Task Force 20, Rescue Air Cushion 20.

Polecat so in other words the Air Cushions are actually carried on the Trucks which apparently means that the Trucks in LA have plenty of space for additional equipment on board.. Thanks.

 

[firepost 15]

On 10/4/2020 at 9:58 AM, California Red said:

 

 Thanks for the information California Red. I myself I am an avid follower of the the San Diego  fire department and I know that they have finally been expanding and adding  more stations which happen to be long overdue. When I was last there the fire apparatus was mainly white over red and believe it or not San Diego still owned 4 Tower Ladders of which 2 were fully manned Truck companies and the other 2 were "Jump companies" In case you don't know a Jump company is a fire company that shares it crew with another fire company located in the same station and when it is requested or needed the crew (usually from the Engine) "Jumps" on board the Truck or special unit and then they become the crew of the other company. When I was last in San DIego Trucks 28 and Trucks 10 were assigned Tower Ladders and according to what I had read there was a Tower Ladder at Station 41 which was a Jump Unit and there was also a Tower Ladder at Station 43 which was also supposed to be a Jump company and there was also a Seagrave rearmounted Aerial Ladder Truck at Station 5 which was also supposed to be a Jump company. There was no Truck 11 at that time either however Truck 14 was assigned a Snorkel as it's apparatus.

I  have been trying to keep up to date with what is happening in San Diego so can you tell me if there is an Ambulance 35 at Station 35 yet ? I have seen somewhere where it says that there is an Ambulance 35 but I have seen other things that don't say that. When I was last there Rural Metro had  just taken over the EMS service and there were somewhere around 27 or 28 Ambulances assigned to some fire stations while there was another 6 to 9 Ambulances that ran out of repair shops at Station 28 and they went on duty during the day and early evening and they would fan out across the city and be used to fill in where they were needed. They were also known as Flex units which meant that they were flexibly deployed during the busier hours. They are also known in some places as "dynamic deployment units"  or sometime called "power shift units". If I am correct only ALS ambulance were located at some of the fire stations while the BLS (basic life support ) Ambulances were either  stationed at Hospitals or out on the street somewhere.  Thanks.

Edited October 6, 2020 by firepost

[Polecat 8]

The LAFD truck are spec’d  out with one compartment for the air bag. 

[firepost 15]

This a video that was taken during this past July of Chicago's first 4 new E/One 100 foot Aerial Ladders out of a current order of 13 which are still being delivered and is part of a 5 year contract with E/One for Engine, Trucks and Tower Ladders. Unfortunately one of the 100 foot Aerial Ladders was rear ended in front of quarters and there was body damage so repairs will have to be made. Chicago also received a new 137 foot E/One Aerial Ladder over the winter which also was recently damaged  while attempting to go under a narrow railroad viaduct in  it's area.

This great video was done by Steve Redick a noted fire apparatus photographer who is part of an illustrious fire fighting family long associated with the Chicago fire department, the Skokie Fire Department and the Old Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol that was disbanded in 1959.

 

 

[California Red 11]

On 10/5/2020 at 5:43 PM, firepost said:

 I  have been trying to keep up to date with what is happening in San Diego so can you tell me if there is an Ambulance 35 at Station 35 yet ? I have seen somewhere where it says that there is an Ambulance 35 but I have seen other things that don't say that. When I was last there Rural Metro had  just taken over the EMS service and there were somewhere around 27 or 28 Ambulances assigned to some fire stations while there was another 6 to 9 Ambulances that ran out of repair shops at Station 28 and they went on duty during the day and early evening and they would fan out across the city and be used to fill in where they were needed. They were also known as Flex units which meant that they were flexibly deployed during the busier hours. They are also known in some places as "dynamic deployment units"  or sometime called "power shift units". If I am correct only ALS ambulance were located at some of the fire stations while the BLS (basic life support ) Ambulances were either  stationed at Hospitals or out on the street somewhere.  Thanks.

I'm not in that neck of town (pretty sure that's by UCSD. I'm quite a bit south, near Stn. 5). As for an ambulance, yes, at least according to the wiki. We actually would call it "Medic 35". So, their roster is: E35, M35, T35, BR35, B5, U85.

[firepost 15]

4 hours ago, California Red said:

I'm not in that neck of town (pretty sure that's by UCSD. I'm quite a bit south, near Stn. 5). As for an ambulance, yes, at least according to the wiki. We actually would call it "Medic 35". So, their roster is: E35, M35, T35, BR35, B5, U85.

California Red I am familiar with what the Wikipedia article says however on the San Diego Fire Department website it doesn't have a Med 35 listed , which one is correct?