From Phil Stenholm: Another installment in our ongoing series on the History of the Evanston Fire Department. The civil service rank of lieutenant was removed from the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) in 1954, with the position reclassified as “captain II.†The previous rank of captain was now known as “captain I.†Captain II carried a slightly higher salary than lieutenant, and to move up from lieutenant to captain II, a firefighter had to serve at least one year in that role. After one year as captain II, a firefighter would automatically be promoted to captain I. Five out of the seven EFD lieutenants—Leonard Bach, Herb Claussen, George “Bud†Hofstetter, George Jasper, and Willard Thiel—were immediately promoted to captain II. However, since they were appointed lieutenants on January 1, 1954, and hadn’t completed a full year in that role, Lt. Harry Schaeffer Jr. and Lt. Richard Schumacher had to wait until January 1, 1955, for their promotions. This made them the last lieutenants in the department, after which all future promotions would go directly from fireman I to captain II. In 1953–1954, the EFD faced two major “storefront†fires. The first occurred at the Suburban Surgical Supply Company at 604 Davis Street on March 2, 1953. Due to its location in the downtown high-value district, the initial response included three engine companies and one truck company. A second alarm added a fourth engine, a second truck, and Squad 21. Although the fire was contained to the original structure, the store was completely gutted, with damage estimated at $100,000. At the time, this ranked among the top five losses in Evanston’s fire history, alongside the Tapecoat fire (1951) and the Evanston Country Club fire (1922). The second significant fire took place in September 1954 at the A & P supermarket on Central Street in North Evanston. Engine Co. 23 arrived first and found only a light haze of smoke inside. When the second engine and truck company entered, the ceiling partially collapsed. All firefighters escaped unharmed, but Capt. Ron Ford, Capt. Herb Claussen, and firemen Arnold Windle, Dave Tesnow, and Ted Bierchen were injured and taken to the hospital. A second alarm and a call-back of off-duty personnel were issued to replace the injured. While not a dramatic blaze, the A & P suffered around $70,000 in damage from fire, smoke, and water, and it was a close call for the EFD. In October 1954, the Evanston Fire Department appeared in an educational short film titled “The Fireman,†produced by Encyclopedia Britannica under the guidance of Dr. Ernest Horn from the University of Iowa. Though it didn’t win an Academy Award, the film was shown in schools across the country. It bore some resemblance to the 1903 silent film “The Life of an American Fireman,†featuring local firefighters and new Pirsch apparatus in action. Synopsis (Spoiler Alert!): The film follows a rookie firefighter named “Tom Briggs†(likely based on real-life firefighter Tom Kostopoulos). He joins his fellow firefighters for morning inspection at Station #1, where Chief Jim Dorband (actually EFD Chief Henry Dorband) reviews the crew. Tom is assigned as tillerman on an aerial ladder truck by duty officer “Captain Drake†(probably Engine 25 Captain Ed Fahrbach). During training, Tom and others demonstrate how to use the hose roller, perform a mock rescue, and jump into a life net. After a brief break, an alarm sounds: “Alarm! – Third & Main.†The crew races to the scene, eventually arriving at 2160 Isabella Street, just across the Evanston-Wilmette border. Smoke is visible, and the crews quickly begin their work. Fireman Tom and Captain Drake, wearing SCBA, enter the home and rescue a kitten. The fire is extinguished, and the crew returns to the station. The film highlights the importance of regular drills, and it appears the house used in the film was soon demolished to make way for a grocery store parking lot. Encyclopedia Britannica also released another educational film called “The Policeman†in November 1954. It featured scenes shot at the Evanston Police Department and in Highland Park, following Officer Barnes and his partner as they handle a stolen bicycle, issue a traffic ticket, and locate a missing child. The film portrayed officers as relatable individuals, showing them having breakfast with their families before and after their shifts. Steel Nail,Steel Nails,Stainless Steel Nail Gun Nails,Stainless Steel Nail ANPING COUNTY JINNUO HARDWARE &WIRE MESH PRODUCTCO.,LTD , https://www.jnwiremesh.com
THE FIREMAN