Evanston Fire Department history Part 77

From Phil Stenholm: Another chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department The Ghosts of the EFD Between 1980 and 1981, the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) experienced a significant reduction in personnel due to natural attrition. The number of sworn members dropped from 114 down to 106, and eventually settled at 104. The role of Fire Equipment Mechanic was transferred to Fleet Services, with the hiring of a civilian mechanic by the City of Evanston to handle maintenance of EFD vehicles. This meant apparatus would now be serviced at the city yards instead of the shop bay at Fire Station #1. Additionally, firefighters who were absent due to injury or illness were no longer replaced by extra firefighters assigned to each shift. Under an agreement between IAFF Local 742 and the City of Evanston, the minimum staffing for an EFD shift was set at 26 members in 1980. This was the lowest minimum staffing level since 1926, when Evanston's population was around 50,000, and nearly 50 years before the EFD took over ambulance services. Each shift included a company officer and two firefighters assigned to each of the two truck companies and five engine companies, along with two paramedics assigned to each of the two MICU ambulances. The shift commander (F-2) was in overall charge. As part of this 26-member minimum staffing plan, Squad 21 was taken out of frontline service and staffed by only one firefighter from Station #1 (usually from Truck Co. 21) whenever the specialized rescue equipment on the rig was needed. If there were no firefighters available at Station #1, Squad 21 couldn’t respond until someone arrived to provide the necessary manpower. All three ambulances were stationed at Station #1, with A-1 covering EMS and fire calls east of Asbury Avenue (including Asbury itself), and A-2 covering areas west of Asbury. In 1985, after a few paramedics complained that A-1 seemed to get all the calls during a Bears game while A-2 got none, one of the communications operators suggested eliminating the arbitrary Asbury Avenue boundary and alternating calls between the two ambulances. This simple change was quickly implemented, allowing paramedics not on the "bubble" to stay at the hospital ER longer, perhaps do some shopping, or even take a shower, knowing the other ambulance would handle the next call. At least six paramedics were assigned to each shift, with two assigned to each ambulance and the remaining two to Truck Co. 21, which became the "jump company" for the unmanned but fully equipped MICU Ambulance 3 at Station #1. If Truck Co. 21 wasn't in quarters, Ambulance 3 couldn't be staffed. Similarly, if Truck Co. 22 was out of service, Truck Co. 21 couldn't staff Ambulance 3, even if it was in quarters, as that would leave both truck companies out of service. There were instances where Truck Co. 21 was ready and able to staff Ambulance 3, but a mutual aid ambulance had to be requested from Wilmette or Skokie simply because Truck Co. 22 was out of service. In those days, before paramedics and advanced life support gear were assigned to all companies, delays caused by waiting for an ambulance from Wilmette or Skokie could prove fatal. Vacations and Kelly Day absences were planned well in advance and distributed evenly throughout the year, making them easy to cover with the five extra firefighters assigned to each shift. However, the unpredictable nature of firefighter absences due to injury or illness meant off-duty firefighters had to step in to cover these gaps. They worked voluntary "hire-back" overtime at a rate of time-and-a-half for the first eight hours of the 24-hour shift, and straight time for the remaining 16 hours. On average, two firefighters were absent each day due to illness or injury, so the seven eliminated positions remained in the budget as "ghost" overtime slots. In the 1980s, IAFF Local 742 successfully negotiated a change in the overtime arrangement, so firefighters working overtime received time-and-a-half for the entire 24-hour shift. This required nine "ghost" positions instead of seven, prompting further reductions in EFD membership, from 106 to 104. While the nine "replacement" firefighters didn't physically exist, their salaries stayed in the budget and were pooled into an aggregate overtime fund to pay firefighters working off-duty hours as replacements for ill or injured colleagues. In January 1982, City of Evanston Police/Fire communications operators (collectively known as "Dispatch") took over all aspects of fire dispatching. Although half of an operator's salary was funded by the police department and half by the fire department, they received just one paycheck from the city. Dispatchers wore an Evanston PD patch with a "Communications" rocker above it on their left sleeve and an Evanston FD patch on their right sleeve. Just a few months after police/fire communications operators began handling all fire dispatch duties, the number of operators increased from seven to nine. Previously, only one operator handled 9-1-1 calls and managed both police and fire radio traffic during the 11 PM–7 AM shift. After two children died in an early-morning house fire, and subsequent analysis revealed the single operator was overwhelmed with radio traffic and phone calls, leading to some errors, the city decided two operators should always be on duty during that shift. A police sergeant or lieutenant supervised the communications operators, with the fire department offering input on radio room operations related to firefighting but no direct supervision. Sometimes a police desk officer would fill in as a communications operator to cover absences, expected to be able to handle fire/EMS calls, but firefighters were not allowed to serve as operators. Prior to 1982, the communications operator would receive a fire or medical emergency report, tone it out, and broadcast the details. If possible, a firefighter at the Station #1 desk (referred to as "KSC 732 - the desk" back then) would handle all further radio traffic for the incident. Company officers kept their own logs, noting the time after every transmission. Under the new system, radio traffic from EFD units in the field was directed specifically to "Dispatch," with the operator responsible for acknowledging and logging all transmissions. This eliminated the need to state the time after every transmission. Around the same time, the EFD adopted a version of the Phoenix Fire Department's Dispatch & Incident Command System, developed by renowned PFD Chief Alan Brunacini in the 1970s. EFD radio procedures underwent major changes, including the use of plain English instead of the "10-code," referring to fire stations by their station numbers instead of FCC-assigned call signs, conducting one daily radio test instead of two, and adopting new incident command and fireground terminology. One communications operator was tasked with adapting the Phoenix Fire Department's communication operations manual for the EFD, such as changing a dispatch example from 2400 E. Van Buren to 2400 Main Street. In 1987, the city purchased a CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system from ADT (a private alarm company) to assist communications operators in monitoring hundreds of fire and burglar alarms directly linked to the Police/Fire Communications Center. The CAD system also automated logging of police and fire calls, replacing the pen-and-paper logs previously used by operators. Mobile data terminals (MDTs) 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 Avenue. Besides the loss of a historical landmark (the building had once housed the prestigious University Club), most of the museum's priceless contents, including its unique "Treasures of the Orient" collection, were lost as well. Two truck companies from Evanston and a truck company from Skokie that responded on the MABAS box tried to salvage as much as possible, but the initial loss estimate was over $5 million. However, the estimated loss was later reduced to about $1 million by the insurance company after some items reported lost in the fire were discovered elsewhere. The matter remained in legal dispute for years while litigation progressed through the courts. If accurate, the $5 million figure would have been the highest loss ever recorded in an Evanston fire up to that point. The cause of the blaze was never definitively determined. Lead EFD investigator FF/PM Dave Pettinger believed the fire was suspicious, as the alarm system had been disabled and no clear point of origin was found. However, EFD Chief Sam Hicks disagreed, attributing the fire to an electrical issue. This story highlights the complex challenges faced by the EFD during this period, balancing resources, safety, and innovation while adapting to changing circumstances and improving operational efficiency.

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