Evanston Fire Department history Part 77

Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.

THE GHOSTS OF THE EFD

During 1980-81, the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) experienced a reduction in sworn personnel, going from 114 to 106 members—eventually dropping to 104. The role of Fire Equipment Mechanic was moved to Fleet Services, with a civilian mechanic now handling maintenance of EFD equipment at city yards rather than at Fire Station #1. Additionally, firefighters who were absent due to injury or illness were no longer replaced by extra staff on each shift.

In 1980, an agreement between IAFF Local 742 and the City of Evanston set the minimum staffing for EFD shifts at 26, the lowest since 1926 when Evanston had a population of 50,000 and before the department took over ambulance services. 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 was taken out of active service and only deployed when its specialized rescue equipment was needed. If no firefighter was available at Station #1, Squad 21 couldn’t respond until someone arrived. All three ambulances were based at Station #1, with A-1 covering east of Asbury Avenue and A-2 west of it. In 1985, after complaints that A-1 got too many calls during Bears games, the two ambulances began alternating calls, allowing paramedics to take breaks without worrying about being called immediately.

Each shift required a minimum of six paramedics: two per ambulance and two for Truck Co. 21, which now served as the “jump company” for Ambulance 3. If Truck Co. 21 wasn’t in service, Ambulance 3 couldn’t be staffed. Even if Truck Co. 21 was present, they couldn’t staff Ambulance 3 if Truck Co. 22 was unavailable, due to strict rules to keep both truck companies operational.

There were times when Truck Co. 21 was available but couldn’t deploy Ambulance 3 because Truck Co. 22 was out, forcing the EFD to call for mutual aid from neighboring departments. This delay could be life-threatening, especially before all units had paramedics and advanced life support gear.

Vacations and Kelly Days were scheduled in advance and spread evenly throughout the year, so the five extra firefighters on each shift could cover them. However, unexpected absences due to injury or illness were handled by off-duty firefighters working overtime at time-and-a-half for the first eight hours, then straight time for the remaining 16. Since two firefighters were typically absent daily, the budget kept seven “ghost” positions to cover these shifts.

In the 1980s, the union negotiated a change where overtime was paid at time-and-a-half for the entire 24-hour shift, increasing the number of “ghost” positions to nine. This led to a further reduction in EFD membership, from 106 to 104. These positions didn’t exist physically, but their salaries were pooled into an overtime fund used to pay firefighters who covered for absent colleagues.

In January 1982, the City of Evanston Police/Fire Communications operators (known as “Dispatch”) took over fire dispatching. While half their salary came from the police department and half from the fire department, they received one paycheck. They wore an Evanston PD patch on the left sleeve and an Evanston FD patch on the right.

A few months later, the number of operators increased from seven to nine, with two on duty at all times. This change followed a tragic incident where two children died in a house fire, and analysis showed the single operator on duty was overwhelmed. A police sergeant or lieutenant supervised the operators, with the fire department having some input on radio room operations, but not direct control over staffing.

Previously, communications operators would “tone out” incidents and then a firefighter at Station #1 (known as KSC 732) would handle further radio traffic. Company officers maintained their own logs, so time was stated after every transmission. Under the new system, all radio traffic went directly to Dispatch, and operators were responsible for logging and acknowledging messages. This eliminated the need to state the time after each transmission.

At the same time, the EFD adopted a version of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Dispatch & Incident Command System developed by Chief Alan Brunacini. This included using plain English instead of 10-codes, calling stations by number instead of radio call signs, and introducing new terminology and procedures. One operator was tasked with adapting the Phoenix manual to fit Evanston’s needs, like changing addresses to match local streets.

In 1987, ADT, a private alarm company, provided the city with a CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system to monitor hundreds of alarms connected to the Communications Center. It also automated call logging, replacing pen-and-paper records. MDTs (Mobile Data Terminals) were installed in EFD apparatus starting in 1994.

On New Year’s Eve 1984, a fire destroyed the Byer Museum of the Arts at 1700 Hinman Ave. The building, once home to the prestigious University Club, lost most of its priceless collection, including the “Treasures of the Orient.” Two truck companies from Evanston and one from Skokie tried to salvage items, but the loss was estimated at over $5 million.

Later, the insurance company reduced the claim to around $1 million after some items were found elsewhere, and the case remained in litigation for years. If accurate, the initial $5 million loss would have been the highest ever recorded in an Evanston fire at the time.

The cause of the fire was never confirmed. EFD’s lead investigator, FF/PM Dave Pettinger, believed it was suspicious due to a disabled alarm system and no clear point of origin. However, EFD Chief Sam Hicks thought it was caused by an electrical issue.