**From Phil Stenholm:**
Another installment about the **History of the Evanston Fire Department**
---
**NBFU '35**
In 1935, the National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) inspected and evaluated the City of Evanston's fire protection services. Their assessment covered the department's manpower, vehicles, infrastructure, training, and code enforcement. They also reviewed the city’s water supply, fire alarms, and potential fire hazards to determine the overall grade. Previous evaluations by the NBFU took place in 1912, 1924, and 1930, and Evanston consistently earned favorable grades. However, since the last evaluation in 1930, the city had made budget cuts due to the Great Depression, reducing the Evanston Fire Department’s workforce by six positions. This change negatively impacted Evanston’s final score in 1935.
Following the 1935 inspection, the NBFU offered several recommendations aimed at improving the department’s capabilities.
1. Relieve the two platoon commanders of their truck company duties and provide them with a car and driver.
2. Restore the six positions eliminated in 1933.
3. Hire additional personnel to boost nighttime staffing in engine and truck companies (two extra men per shift) and allocate manpower for replacements during vacations or sick leaves.
4. Build a fifth fire station near Grant and Central Park and install a 750-GPM pumper at this new location.
5. Replace the 300-GPM pumper at Station #3 and the 500-GPM pumper at Station #4 with 750-GPM pumpers.
6. Move the 500-GPM pumper from Station #4 to Station #1 to act as an inhalator squad and reserve vehicle.
7. Construct a new Fire Station #2 with space for a ladder truck and relocate Truck Company 2 there.
8. Build a new Fire Station #3 with room for a ladder truck, hire more personnel, and deploy a third truck company.
9. Designate a repair bay in one of the stations for apparatus maintenance.
10. Create a training school under a senior officer to educate new recruits and current members.
11. Assign one crew per shift to assist the Fire Prevention Inspector with inspections.
12. Increase pump testing frequency to twice annually instead of once.
Unfortunately, due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression, the city couldn’t implement these recommendations immediately. However, in April 1937, Evanston residents passed a $45,000 bond issue to upgrade the fleet. This funding enabled the acquisition of two new 750-GPM triple-combination pumpers and a 65-foot aerial-ladder truck—all equipped with an 80-gallon booster tank and a hose reel.
Seagrave Corporation won the contract. These vehicles marked the first time the Evanston Fire Department ordered enclosed-cab apparatus, a significant upgrade. Future purchases followed suit, except for two pumpers bought in 1957. Additionally, the bond issue funded a second Ford Tudor Deluxe sedan with a Motorola police radio for the Fire Prevention Inspector and backup use by the Chief.
The new aerial-ladder truck entered service with Truck Company 2 in November 1937, while the two pumpers joined Engine Companies 1 and 3 in January 1938. Engine No. 1, a 1917 Seagrave 750-GPM model, moved to Station #4 as Engine No. 4. Meanwhile, Truck No. 2, re-designated Truck No. 3, transferred to Station #3 with its Bangor ladder stored separately to fit within the station’s bay.
Other changes included decommissioning older vehicles. A 1917 Seagrave chemical-and-hose booster-pumper, rebuilt as a 500-GPM “Suburbanite†in 1930, became a reserve unit at Station #4 rather than serving as an inhalator squad at Station #1. Another vehicle, originally Engine No. 3, had its pump removed and was reassigned to the Street Department. The remaining reserve apparatus—a tractorized steamer—was scrapped entirely.
Despite the bond issue, restoring the six lost positions, relieving the platoon commanders, and constructing new stations remained unfulfilled goals. Those improvements would need to wait until later years.
---
*Note: As someone who's always been fascinated by local history, I found this story particularly compelling. It shows how even during tough times, communities strive to adapt and improve their public safety services.*
Aluminium Profile Spraying Powder Chamber
AluminiuAluminium Profile Spraying Powder Chamber,Spraying Pretreatment Aluminium Profile Powder Coating,Aluminium Profile Powder Coated Machine,Electrostatic Powder Spraying Chamberr
Foshan Meitu Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd , https://www.meitumachinery.com