From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment about the History of Evanston Fire Department
The Changing Face of Evanston
Between 1907 and 1912, Evanston underwent significant transformation. The North Shore Channel, a major sanitary canal built by the Sanitary District of Chicago, was completed during this time. This project aimed to connect Lake Michigan at Wilmette Harbor to the north branch of the Chicago River near Foster and Sacramento streets. By channeling water from the lake, the system allowed sewage from Evanston and Wilmette to be flushed southward to a treatment plant on Howard Street, significantly reducing the risk of waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera.
At the same time, the city required railroads operating within Evanston—specifically the Chicago and North Western (C&NWRR) and the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul (CM&StP)—to elevate their tracks. This led to the construction of viaducts along key routes, especially from Howard Street to the Wilmette border. However, not all tracks were raised. The C&NWRR’s Mayfair Division, used for freight switching in the west and southwest parts of Evanston, remained at ground level. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Road tracks, now part of the CTA, were only elevated as far as Church Street, due to an agreement that limited train service north of downtown Evanston.
On April 26, 1912, at 1:00 AM, the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) responded to a fire at Church and Dodge Streets. A fire broke out in an unfinished home owned by Renaldo Roberti at 1819 Church Street and quickly spread to the adjacent William Marion residence at 1817 Church Street. Marion’s daughter, Pearl, jumped from a second-floor window into the arms of neighbor Emil Pavel, who had just helped his wife and daughter escape their own home at 1715 Dodge Avenue. While firefighters saved the Pavel residence, they couldn’t stop the flames from destroying several homes, including those of Frank Kuzik, Lewis Titus, and Ludwig Veiter, as well as the Roberti and Marion residences.
Strong winds made the firefighting effort more challenging, but the EFD managed to contain the blaze without any casualties. This was the first time all three EFD engines—the Robinson motor engine, the American-LaFrance Metropolitan steamer, and the Ahrens Metropolitan steamer—were deployed together. The total damage amounted to $11,250.
The 1912 fire at Church and Dodge was one of the worst in the 5th Ward, which was primarily inhabited by immigrants and African Americans. At the time, it was the poorest and most politically isolated ward in Evanston, lacking a business district or high-value properties. Due to its isolation, the 5th Ward had little influence in city politics, making it difficult to gain support for new infrastructure like a fourth fire station. Despite Chief Carl Harrison's recommendation in 1912 to build a station at Emerson and Ashland, the city council showed little interest beyond the two 5th Ward aldermen.
A month later, on May 29, 1912, the EFD joined forces with Chicago Fire Department companies 70 and 112 to tackle a large fire at the Bogart Building on Sherman Avenue. The blaze, which destroyed the Workers Cooperative Grocery and the North Shore Creamery on the first floor, as well as apartments above, caused $16,700 in damage. It was among the ten worst fires in Evanston’s history up to that point.
In the summer of 1913, the EFD introduced the “Lung Motor,†a mechanical resuscitator that proved highly effective. The device had been demonstrated earlier that year at Evanston Hospital, and its success earned the EFD a $25 award from the Life Saving Devices Company as the “Top Life Savers in the Nation.†The Lung Motor soon became a valuable tool, with the EFD responding to mutual-aid requests from other North Shore communities and even from Rogers Park in Chicago.
Initially placed on the Robinson auto-truck at Station #1, the Lung Motor was often taken out of service too frequently. To address this, in May 1916, when a new automobile police ambulance replaced the old horse-drawn unit, a joint policy was established. A firefighter from Station #1 would ride with two police officers in the ambulance for inhalator calls, ensuring the engine remained available for regular fire responses.
The first EFD police ambulance was built by William Erby & Sons on a White Motor Company chassis and served for 11 years before being involved in a collision in 1927. After that, the inhalator was moved back to Engine Co. 1. In 1952, it was placed on the new rescue truck (Squad 21), and by 1959, inhalators were assigned to all five engine companies, marking a major advancement in emergency response capabilities.
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