Eye Grab Hook,Galvanized Hook,Eye Slip Hook Yangzhou Jieerte Steel Cable Co., Ltd , https://www.jieertesteelcable.com
Chicago FD History – Ward LaFrance
I recently stumbled upon some old files of mine and found some fascinating photos of what I've always considered one of my favorite Chicago pumpers—the seven 1970 Ward LaFrance 2,000-GPM fire engines. It's quite intriguing to note that these rigs were equipped with Cummins NTF high-torque, 365-HP engines specifically designed to handle the powerful two-stage Hale Q pumps. Interestingly, the five trucks delivered in the same year came with less costly Detroit 350-HP engines instead.
Following the massive snowstorm of 1967, Chicago started specifying rear-mounted, 20,000-lb hydraulic winches on their vehicles. Both the engines and trucks received this upgrade. Although Ward LaFrance had a somewhat inconsistent reputation, they really outdid themselves with these rigs. I was particularly impressed by the brushed stainless steel pump layout and the incredibly expensive yet highly accurate Crosby black face gauges installed on the control panel—something I’ve never seen before or since.
These rigs featured relatively short wheelbases but extended bodies positioned behind the rear axle. This unique body style was later adopted by Ford chassis pumpers as well. Alongside the engines, there were five trucks fitted with 100-foot Grove ladders. Nowadays, according to NFPA standards, these ladders, based on Grove 18-ton cranes, would be classified as heavy-duty with 500-pound tip loads. In contrast, all of Chicago's other ladders—whether ALF, Seagrave, or Pirsch—bought around the same time were medium-duty with 250-pound tip load ratings.
The Grove ladders were massive and heavy, too heavy to be adequately supported by a single axle. This led to constant issues with brakes and axles throughout their service life. Adding a 300-gallon booster tank, a pump, and twin reels didn't make things any easier. However, take a look at the ground ladder complement: two 30-foot ladders, two 40-foot ladders, one 50-foot ladder, and one 20-foot car ladder carried under the turntable. There were three roof ladders on each side.
I vividly remember climbing one of these rigs at a fire where the operator positioned the ladder tip just 12 inches below the parapet. It was stable, much like the old wooden ladders that would shift as you climbed them. The Grove ladder remained perfectly rigid, even when our engine stretched a line to the roof for operations. The ladder tip never budged an inch, nor did it bounce like the others did.
By chance, I ended up with the original factory delivery photo negatives, which I’ve shared here. I’ve also included some photos I took of the engines during their acceptance testing near McCormick Place. The rear views show the winch installations. Notably, the two rear discharges had 3-1/2-inch boat hose threads (the rigs carried a 700-foot bed of it).
Back when I was stationed on the West Side, Division 2 Chief Dan Lynch would always request Engine 113 to bring the 3-1/2-inch lines to a Snorkel whenever there was a still and box fire.
There are two photos showing 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 correctly, there were two extra alarms active in the city when the Bedford fire broke out, and there were no Snorkels available. Second Deputy Bill Foley, who usually oversaw the shops, took command. This was the first time I’d ever seen two ladder pipes and no Snorkels working at an extra alarm fire in Chicago.
The second photo was taken at another extra alarm on the South Side, though the exact location has been lost to time. Another negative scanned at the same time shows Engine 63 in action, so perhaps someone can identify the company.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.
ACD
---
P.S. The images shown here are from the Dave Fornell collection. You can find more detailed information about the CFD Ward LaFrance apparatus by searching for "Ward LaFrance" on the website.