Evanston Fire Department history Part 47

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.

A NEW POLICE / FIRE HQ AND ANOTHER SUDDEN DEATH

In January 1949, a brand-new Seagrave Model J-66 canopy cab engine was introduced to Fire Station #1 as Engine No. 1. This unit was equipped with a Pierce-Arrow V-12 engine for maximum power, a Mars FL-8 light on the roof, two high-mounted red flashers, a Delco-Remy Twin-Blast siren, and a bell. It had a 1000-GPM pump and an 80-gallon tank. The previous Engine No. 1, a 1937 Seagrave Model G-80 canopy cab with 750-GPM capacity, was moved to Station #4 and renumbered as Engine No. 4.

Engine Co. 1 continued to serve as the second engine response for structure fires and inhalator calls throughout the city, while Engine Co. 5 remained the dedicated "high-value district" engine. Meanwhile, the 1917/1930 Seagrave Suburbanite, which had been serving as Engine No. 4 since June 1947, was placed back into reserve. At this time, the EFD had both a pumper (Engine No. 6) and the ladder truck (Truck No. 3) in reserve.

Beginning in January 1949, the Evanston Fire Department no longer provided service to the College Hill area of Skokie. That area now had its own fire station, Station #2, opened by the Skokie Fire Department at 8340 Hamlin Ave. This new station was staffed mostly by full-time firefighters and operated a 1948 American LaFrance Model 710 PJO 1000-GPM pumper. With its other station downtown, Skokie was quickly becoming a strong suburban fire department in the post-war era.

Meanwhile, the Wilmette Fire Department was still primarily part-time, though it had some full-time personnel. Their fire station, located at 831 Green Bay Road, was a combined police/fire facility built in 1915. Front-line apparatus included a 1942 Seagrave G-80 and a 1943 Seagrave J-66, with a 1915 American LaFrance Model 75 in reserve.

The Winnetka Fire Department occupied a unique three-bay firehouse originally built in 1870 as a school and later converted into a fire station in 1925. Like Wilmette, Winnetka was also mainly part-time, with a 1947 American LaFrance 775 PGC and a 1926 American LaFrance Type 14 quad in service, plus a 1919 American LaFrance Type 75 in reserve.

The old Evanston Police/Fire headquarters at Grove & Sherman was deemed unsafe in 1948 due to plumbing issues, structural damage, and outdated electrical wiring. A new two-story Public Safety headquarters was built at Lake & Elmwood in 1949 and opened on August 27. The old building was soon demolished, and the site became a parking lot for the Valencia Theater until 1975, when One American Plaza was constructed there.

The new building mirrored the layout of the old one. The Evanston Police Department was on the east side at 1454 Elmwood Avenue, while Fire Station #1 was on the west side at 909 Lake Street. A brick drill tower was added behind the station, replacing the old one from 1925. The west bay was used as a repair shop, and the two bays closest to it were large enough for aerial ladders.

A small two-bay garage for the police ambulance and prisoner wagon was located near the front of the building, just steps from the EPD’s main desk. The building also had a basement parking garage for police vehicles and a handball court shared by both police and firefighters.

On September 20, 1949, Captain Ed Hanrahan of Engine Co. 1 suffered a fatal heart attack while playing handball in the basement. He was 44 years old and had been with the EFD for 22 years. He had previously served as a buggy driver under Chief Hofstetter before being promoted to lieutenant in 1945. His death marked the fifth sudden heart-related fatality among EFD members under the age of 50 since 1929, including several officers who died while off-duty or during leisure activities.

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