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Evanston Fire Department history Part 47
From Phil Stenholm:
Another Chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department
A New Police/Fire HQ and Another Tragic Loss
In January 1949, the Evanston Fire Department welcomed a brand-new Seagrave Model J-66 canopy cab pumper, boasting a 1000-GPM pump and 80-gallon water tank, powered by a powerful Pierce-Arrow V-12 engine. This impressive rig also featured a Mars FL-8 roof light, two high-mounted red flashers, a Delco-Remy Twin-Blast siren, and a bell for alerts. It joined the department as Engine No. 1 at Fire Station #1, while the previous Engine No. 1—a 1937 Seagrave Model G-80 canopy cab pumper with similar specs—was transferred to Station #4, becoming Engine No. 4.
Engine Company 1 retained its role as the second responder to all structural fires and inhalator calls across the city, with Engine Company 5 continuing as the dedicated "high-value district" unit. Interestingly, the 1917/1930 Seagrave Suburbanite 500-GPM/50-gallon pumper, which had served as Engine No. 4 since June 1947, was put back into reserve at this time, as the department now had both a fully functional pumper (Engine No. 6) and the city service ladder truck (Truck No. 3) available for backup.
Starting in January 1949, the Evanston Fire Department ceased providing fire protection to the College Hill area of the Village of Skokie. The newly established Skokie Fire Department opened its long-awaited east-side Station #2 at 8340 Hamlin Avenue. Staffed primarily by full-time firefighters, the station was equipped with a state-of-the-art 1948 American LaFrance Model 710 PJO 1000-GPM pumper. Alongside their existing Station #1 at 8031 Floral Avenue—staffed by mostly full-time firefighters and home to a 1937 Pirsch 750-GPM/60-foot aerial quad and a 1926 Ahrens-Fox 1000-GPM pumper—the Skokie Fire Department quickly emerged as a significant north suburban firefighting force in the post-war era.
Meanwhile, the Wilmette Fire Department operated out of a combined police/fire station constructed in 1915 at 831 Green Bay Road. Their frontline apparatus consisted of a 1942 Seagrave Model G-80 750-GPM pumper and a 1943 Seagrave Model J-66 750-GPM quad, with a 1915 American-LaFrance Model 75 750-GPM pumper held in ready-reserve.
The Winnetka Fire Department occupied an unusual three-bay firehouse at Green Bay Road and Ash Street. Originally built in 1870 as Academy Hall School, it underwent extensive renovations in 1925 to become a fire station. Similar to Wilmette, Winnetka's department was partly full-time but predominantly part-time in 1949, with a 1947 American-LaFrance Model 775 PGC 750-GPM pumper and a 1926 American-LaFrance Type 14 750-GPM quad serving as frontline equipment, and a 1919 American-LaFrance Type 75 750-GPM pumper kept in reserve.
Constructed in 1897, the Evanston Police/Fire headquarters at Grove and Sherman was deemed structurally unsound by 1948 due to severe plumbing issues in the police station's basement and critical structural cracks in the fire station's apparatus floor. Additionally, there were concerns about potential fire hazards posed by deteriorating 19th-century electrical wiring hidden deep within the walls, necessitating extensive interior renovations if repairs were attempted.
During 1949, a new two-story Police/Fire Public Safety headquarters rose at the northwest corner of Lake and Elmwood Streets. Officially opened on August 27, 1949, the old building at Grove and Sherman was demolished shortly afterward, with the lot eventually serving as a parking lot for the nearby Valencia theater for over 25 years. Later, an 18-story office building named One American Plaza was erected on the site between 1975 and 1977.
Though approximately 20% larger than its predecessor, the new Public Safety headquarters preserved the layout and orientation of the original structure. The Evanston Police Department occupied the eastern portion at 1454 Elmwood Avenue, while Fire Station #1 took up six bays on the western side at 909 Lake Street.
A brick drill tower was integrated into the rear of the fire station, replacing the older drill tower built behind Station #3 in 1925. The westernmost bay was partitioned off with a brick wall to serve as the repair shop. The two bays nearest the workshop were longer than the others, accommodating aerial ladder trucks comfortably.
Adjacent to Elmwood Avenue on the northeastern corner of the building stood a small two-bay garage for the police ambulance and prisoner transport vehicle, just steps away from the EPD's main entrance where officers were always on duty and ready to assist with ambulance duties when necessary. Beneath the structure lay a basement parking garage used primarily by the police department for vehicle storage and a handball court accessible to both police officers and firefighters.
Tragedy struck on September 20, 1949, when Captain Ed Hanrahan of Engine Company 1 suffered a fatal heart attack while playing handball in the basement handball court, less than a month after the station opened. Captain Hanrahan, who weighed significantly more than average, viewed handball as part of his weight management routine. A 22-year veteran of the EFD, he had previously served as one of Chief Hofstetter's buggy drivers before being promoted to lieutenant in 1945. Known as one of the most beloved figures in the department, Hanrahan was only 44 years old at the time of his death.
This marked the fifth sudden heart attack death among EFD officers under 50 since 1929. The others include Lieutenant Walt Boekenhauer (Engine Company 4), 39, who died while on vacation in July 1929; Lieutenant Frank Didier (Engine Company 2), 41, off-duty in September 1931; Lieutenant Carl Dorband (Engine Company 3), 50, seated outside Fire Station #3 in May 1942; and Lieutenant William Elliott (Truck Company 1), 43, on his day off in January 1945.