From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
GO YOU NORTHWESTERN!
The Mutual-Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was created in 1968 to provide pre-planned mutual-aid responses for large fires across north suburban fire departments and districts. The Evanston Fire Department became part of MABAS Division 3, which included several neighboring fire departments such as Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Highwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka, along with fire protection districts like Deerfield-Bannockburn, Glenview Rural, Northbrook Rural, and North Maine, as well as the Glenview Naval Air Station.
Glenview FD served as the primary MABAS dispatch center for Division 3, with Niles FD acting as backup. The NIFERN (Northern Illinois Fire Emergency Radio Network) operating on 154.265 MHz was used to coordinate communications during emergencies. When a major fire occurred, the affected department would contact the MABAS dispatcher via NIFERN, providing the box number, location, and alarm level. The dispatcher would then broadcast the alert over the same frequency. Responding units were required to switch to NIFERN and confirm their arrival en route. Due to staffing requirements, only EFD Stations #1 or #2 could respond to MABAS box alarms.
Most departments in Division 3 had multiple box cards, each with different response protocols depending on the location. Evanston, however, only had one box card (#625), located at Lake & Elmwood (Fire Station #1). On a box alarm, a Wilmette engine and a Skokie truck would respond, with a Skokie engine arriving on a second alarm, and a Winnetka engine (later replaced by a Winnetka Snorkel in 1983) and a Morton Grove engine on a third alarm. A Glenview Naval Air Station ARFF unit was also listed in case it was needed. Beyond the third alarm, it was considered a “special call.†In 1968, there were no “dive boxes,†“ambulance boxes,†or “fire investigation boxesâ€â€”MABAS was strictly for large-scale fires.
EFD wasn’t expected to respond to every area within MABAS Division 3. The level of alarm at which Evanston units responded varied depending on the box card. Sometimes, an Evanston company would simply move to another station for backup. For example, Evanston engines and trucks were assigned to the Morton Grove, Niles, and Skokie cards, while a truck was on the Glencoe, Northfield, and Park Ridge cards. An Evanston squad was on the Winnetka card. Although EFD regularly responded to MABAS alarms, they rarely requested them themselves, even for large fires. Before a chief could request a MABAS box, off-duty firefighters had to be called back. As a result, EFD chiefs often reached out directly to nearby departments like Wilmette or Skokie for immediate assistance.
During the years 1965–1968, the Evanston Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau saw significant personnel changes. Capt. Harry Meginnis, who had served for 23 years, retired in 1965. Assistant Chief Harry Schaeffer Jr., who led the FPB, retired in 1967 after being appointed Illinois State Fire Marshal. Capt. Tom Hanson was promoted to assistant chief fire marshal and took over the FPB, but he later retired in 1968. Capt. Robert Schumer then became the new commander. Captains William Lapworth and Joe Thill joined the FPB in 1967–1968 and worked until retirement.
Several veteran firefighters also retired during this time, including Nicholas Jung (24 years), George M. Harrison (23 years), John Boho (22 years), Ervin Lindeman (31 years), Stan Broslovik (22 years), James Liozzo (20 years), and Lou Peters (27 years). Capt. Richard Zrazik and firefighter Frank Sherry Jr. retired on disability pensions in 1966 and 1967, respectively.
Meanwhile, several firefighters were promoted to captain: Don Searles (1965), Joe Planos (1966), Bill Moore (1967), Henry Harloff and Pat Morrison (1968), and Tom Linkowski (1969). New hires included Vincent McEnaney (1965), Darold Olson, Ray Cottini, Jim McLaughlin, Nick Waldron, and Anthony Broz (1966); John Wright, Max Sheaffer, Pat Lynn, Albert Lesiak, William Beckley, and John Wilkinson (1967); Dave Franzen, Randy Drott, Michael Bunyon, and Jerry McDermott (1968); and John Graber, John Fisher, Neal Smithweck, and Robert Mulherin (1969).
A long-standing issue in Evanston was that Northwestern University was tax-exempt and received fire protection without paying. This changed in November 1968 when the university unexpectedly donated $29,602 to fund a new Pirsch pumper for the EFD. The donation came with a favor—Northwestern wanted to rezone a block near Emerson & Maple from single-family to multi-family housing, allowing them to build the 10-story Engelhart residence hall. It became the second-tallest building in Evanston after its completion in 1971.
There was a suggestion that the pumper be painted purple with "Willie the Wildcat" stickers, but it never happened. Initially, it was expected to go to Station #3, where Engine 23 was first-due to the university campus. However, the 1970 Pirsch pumper was instead placed into service at Station #2. Engine 22 (a rebuilt 1952 Pirsch) moved to Station #5, replacing Engine 25. The old 1952 Pirsch was placed in reserve at Station #5 as Engine 27. The 1968 Pirsch (Engine 21) and 1970 Pirsch (Engine 22) were nearly identical, differing mainly in pump size—21 had a 1250-GPM pump, while 22 had a 1000-GPM pump.
Since the donation wasn’t part of EFD’s planned apparatus upgrades, the 1949 Seagrave (Engine 26) was sold at auction to a private collector for use as a parade vehicle. It became a staple in the North Evanston Fourth of July Parade for many years.
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