From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
THE GHOSTS OF THE EFD
Between 1980 and 1981, the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) saw its sworn membership drop from 114 to 106, eventually settling at 104. One major change was the transfer of the Fire Equipment Mechanic position to Fleet Services, as a civilian mechanic was hired to maintain fire apparatus at city yards rather than in the shop bay at Fire Station #1. Additionally, firefighters who were absent due to injury or illness were no longer replaced by extra personnel on each shift.
In 1980, an agreement between IAFF Local 742 and the City of Evanston set the minimum staffing for each EFD shift at 26 — the lowest since 1926, when Evanston’s population was just 50,000 and 50 years before the EFD began responding to ambulance calls. Each of the two truck companies and five engine companies had a company officer and two firefighters, while two paramedics were assigned to each of the two MICU ambulances. The shift commander, known as F-2, oversaw operations.
Squad 21, which had previously been a front-line unit, was taken out of active service and only deployed when specialized rescue equipment was needed. A single firefighter from Station #1, usually from Truck Co. 21, would respond if available. If no one was present, Squad 21 couldn’t be used until someone arrived.
All three ambulances were stationed at Station #1. A-1 served east of Asbury Avenue, and A-2 covered west of it. In 1985, after some paramedics complained about uneven call distribution during a Bears game, a communications operator suggested alternating ambulance responses instead of using the Asbury Avenue boundary. This idea was quickly adopted, allowing paramedics not on duty to take time off, like shopping or even showering, knowing the other ambulance would handle the next call.
Each shift required at least six paramedics: two per ambulance and two assigned to Truck Co. 21, which now acted as the “jump company†for the unmanned but fully equipped Ambulance 3. If Truck Co. 21 wasn’t in service, Ambulance 3 couldn’t be staffed. Even if Truck Co. 21 was available, if Truck Co. 22 was out, they couldn’t assist, as that would leave both truck companies unavailable.
There were times when Truck Co. 21 was ready to respond, but because Truck Co. 22 was out, the EFD had to call for backup from Wilmette or Skokie. This delay could be life-threatening, especially before all units had paramedics and advanced life support gear.
Vacations and Kelly Day absences were scheduled in advance and evenly distributed throughout the year, making them easy to cover with the five extra firefighters on each shift. However, unexpected absences due to illness or injury were handled by off-duty firefighters working voluntary overtime. They received time-and-a-half for the first eight hours of a 24-hour shift, then straight pay for the remaining 16. Since about two firefighters were typically absent daily, seven “ghost†positions remained in the budget as a reserve fund.
In the 1980s, IAFF Local 742 negotiated a change so that all overtime was paid at time-and-a-half for the entire shift. This increased the number of “ghost†positions from seven to nine, leading to a reduction in EFD membership from 106 to 104. Though these positions didn’t exist, their salaries were kept in the budget and used as an overtime pool for replacements.
In January 1982, the City of Evanston Police/Fire Communications operators took over full fire dispatching duties. Though half their salary came from the police department and half from the fire department, they received one paycheck. Their uniforms featured an Evanston PD patch on the left sleeve and an Evanston FD patch on the right.
Shortly after this change, the number of operators increased from seven to nine, with two on duty at all times. This shift happened after a tragic house fire in the early morning claimed two children, revealing that the previous system had overwhelmed the single operator handling both police and fire traffic.
A police sergeant or lieutenant supervised the communications team, though the fire department had limited input on radio room operations. Sometimes, a desk officer would work as a communications operator, but firefighters were not allowed to do so.
Before 1982, communications operators would receive a report and “tone it out,†then a firefighter at Station #1 would handle further radio traffic. Company officers maintained their own logs, so they would state the time after each transmission. With the new system, all field radio traffic went directly to “Dispatch,†and operators were responsible for logging and acknowledging all transmissions, eliminating the need to state the time after every call.
At the same time, the EFD adopted a version of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Dispatch & Incident Command System, developed by Chief Alan Brunacini in the 1970s. This led to changes such as using plain English instead of 10-codes, calling stations by number instead of FCC-assigned call signs, reducing daily radio tests, and introducing new incident command terminology.
In 1987, ADT, a private alarm company, provided the city with a CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system to help monitor hundreds of alarms connected to the communications center. It also automated call logging, replacing manual records. MDTs (mobile data terminals) were installed in EFD vehicles starting in 1994.
On New Year’s Eve 1984, a devastating fire destroyed the Byer Museum of the Arts at 1700 Hinman Ave. The building, once home to the University Club, housed priceless artifacts, including the “Treasures of the Orient†collection. Despite efforts by Evanston and Skokie truck companies, the loss was estimated at over $5 million.
Later, the insurance company reduced the loss to around $1 million after some items were found elsewhere, and the case dragged on in court for years. If the original figure was correct, it would have been the largest fire loss in Evanston history up to that point.
The cause of the fire was never confirmed. EFD lead investigator FF/PM Dave Pettinger believed it was suspicious, citing a disabled alarm system and no identifiable origin. However, EFD Chief Sam Hicks thought it was caused by an electrical issue.
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