Evanston Fire Department history Part 64

From Phil Stenholm:

Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department

LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, SWIMS LIKE A DUCK, QUACKS LIKE A DUCK…

A 27-year veteran of the Evanston Fire Department and one of only four men hired during the Great Depression between 1932 and 1939, 49-year-old Assistant Chief Lester Breitzman was appointed Chief Fire Marshal on February 10, 1964, following the retirement of Chief James Geishecker. While Chief Henry Dorband focused on operations and modernization, and Chief Geishecker was passionate about training, Chief Breitzman dedicated his leadership to fire prevention.

Captain Harry Schaeffer Jr. was promoted to assistant chief and took over as commander of the Fire Prevention Bureau, replacing Breitzman. Meanwhile, firefighters George Strom, Sanders “Sam” Hicks, Len Driskell, Joe Thill, and Len Conrad were promoted to captain and assigned as company officers, filling the roles left by five EFD officers who retired after the American Hospital Supply Corporation fire. Notably, Capt. Hicks became the first African-American captain in the department’s history.

New firefighters hired in the wake of the AHSC fire included Michael Lass, Robert Becker, John “Skip” Hrejsa, Roger Pettinger, Tom Fisherkeller, Tony Howson, John Kloiber, Jim Marti, and Jim McIntyre. Among them, Michael Lass would later become president of IAFF Local 742 and lead the union into a more militant era during the early 1970s. Though he was promoted to captain in December 1970, Lass eventually left the EFD in 1971 to take a full-time role as an IAFF Illinois field representative.

Squad 22, a high-pressure pumper that had been rebuilt from an old Seagrave tractor and a Suburbanite pumper, was taken out of service after the AHSC fire and later scrapped in 1964. The 1,750 feet of three-inch fireboat hose it carried was redistributed among the front-line pumpers, with 500 feet going to Engine 21. After Squad 22 was removed, the EFD no longer had a mounted high-pressure deluge nozzle in operation.

In 1964, the Evanston Fire Department acquired a U.S. government surplus WWII-era GMC 6x6 DUKW amphibious vehicle from the Office of Civil Defense. Painted yellow and designated "F-7," the DUKW was stationed at Fire Station #1 and used for emergencies on Lake Michigan during the boating season from 1964 to 1974. It was equipped with a heavy-duty winch, life jackets, fire extinguishers, axes, and other essential gear, and was typically manned by Squad 21 when needed.

In April 1965, two major fires struck Evanston. The first occurred at the Kozlow Brothers Radiator Repair Service garage on Chicago Avenue, where an explosion injured three workers and sent them to local hospitals. Engine 22, Truck 22, Engine 24, Squad 21, and F-2 arrived within minutes, and the response quickly turned defensive. Engine 22 led two 2.5-inch lines, while Engine 24 laid down additional hose and supplied water for the elevated master stream. F-2 ordered a second alarm, and Engine 21, 23, and 25 were brought in to manage exposures and provide backup. The EFD successfully contained the fire without any spread, with losses estimated at $93,000.

A few days later, the Dickson Weatherproof Nail Company plant on Greenwood Street caught fire. Engine 24 was the first to arrive, and companies from Station #1 quickly followed. With the memory of the AHSC fire still fresh, F-2 ordered a second alarm, bringing in Engine 22, Truck 22, and Engine 25. The truck companies ventilated the roof, and the engine companies attacked the fire directly. Engine 23 transferred to Station #1, and an off-duty platoon was called in to man the reserve units. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.

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