Chicago FD History – Ward LaFrance
Images and information from Dave Fornell about some of Chicago’s Ward LaFrance apparatus:
I was going through my old files and came across some photos of what I've always considered one of my favorite Chicago pumpers: the seven 1970 Ward LaFrance 2,000-GPM engines. It's interesting to note that these rigs were equipped with Cummins NTF high-torque engines, producing 365 HP, which were necessary to power the two-stage Hale Q pumps. In contrast, the five trucks delivered the same year had less expensive Detroit 350-HP engines.
After the big snowstorm of 1967, the city specified rear-mounted 20,000-lb hydraulic winches on all rigs. These were installed on both the engines and the trucks. Although Ward LaFrance had a somewhat inconsistent performance record, they did an excellent job with these units. I was particularly impressed by the brushed stainless steel pump panel and the extremely expensive but highly accurate Crosby black face gauges—something I’ve never seen before or since.
The rigs had relatively short wheelbases but long bodies extending behind the rear axle. This body style was later used on Ford chassis pumpers as well.
These engines were paired with five trucks featuring 100-foot Grove ladders. Based on today’s NFPA standards, these ladders would be classified as heavy-duty with a 500-lb tip load rating, while other ladders from ALF, Seagrave, and Pirsch purchased around the same time were only medium-duty at 250-lb tip loads.
The Grove ladders were massive and heavy—too much for a single axle to support properly. As a result, these rigs had ongoing issues with brake and axle failures. The addition of a 300-gallon booster tank, a pump, and twin reels didn’t help matters either. However, the ground ladder complement was impressive: two 30-foot, two 40-foot, one 50-foot, and a 20-foot ladder carried under the turntable, plus three roof ladders on each side.
I remember climbing the main of one of these rigs during a fire. The operator positioned the tip just 12 inches above the parapet, much like the old wooden ladders that would drift down as you climbed them. But this Grove ladder was rigid, and even with our entire engine stretching a line to the roof for a point of vantage, the tip never dropped an inch or bounced like the others did.
Due to certain circumstances, I ended up with the original factory delivery photo negatives, which are included here. I also added some photos I took of the engines during acceptance testing near McCormick Place. The rear views show the winch installation. Notably, both rear discharges had 3.5-inch boat hose threads, and the rigs carried 700 feet of it.
When I was working on the West Side, Division 2 Chief Dan Lynch would often call Engine 113 to drop the 3.5-inch hose into a Snorkel when he had a still and box.
Two photos show the Grove ladder in action. The first is from the Bedford Hotel fire on the near West Side in the early 70s. If my memory serves me right, there were two extra alarms in the city at the time, and no Snorkels were available. Deputy Bill Foley, who usually oversaw the shops, took command. That was the first time I’d ever seen two ladder pipes without Snorkels at an extra alarm fire in Chicago.
The second photo was taken during an extra alarm on the South Side, though the exact location has been lost over time. Another negative scanned at the same time shows Engine 63 operating, so maybe someone can identify the company.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas.
ACD
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Dave Fornell collection
Dave Fornell collection
Dave Fornell collection
Dave Fornell collection
Bill Friedrich collection
Bill Friedrich collection
Bill Friedrich collection
Dave Fornell collection
Dave Fornell collection
More on the CFD Ward LaFrance apparatus is HERE and by entering "Ward LaFrance" in the search field.
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