Evanston Fire Department history Part 76

From Phil Stenholm: Another Chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department The Times They Are A-Changin' Back in 1978, Chief Glen Ayers gave the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) a complete makeover, drawing inspiration from the innovative structure of the Oklahoma City Fire Department's organizational chart. Under the new system, the EFD's hierarchy became more vertical, with the chief functioning like a CEO, and the deputy chief—appointed directly by the chief—acting as the COO. This meant that the chief wouldn’t automatically respond to every fire or major emergency anymore. Chief Ayers also set up four divisions: Operations, Training, Fire Prevention, and Personnel. One of the key changes was that the chief could pick anyone to be a division chief—not necessarily an assistant chief. It could even be a captain or someone from outside the department. And unlike before, division chiefs didn't hold permanent positions. They served at the pleasure of the chief and could be swapped out anytime if necessary. Two assistant chiefs previously serving as shift commanders were promoted. Assistant Chief Robert Brandt became the new Deputy Chief and took charge of the Operations Division, while Assistant Chief John Becker was named head of the Personnel Division. Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Richard Schumacher decided to retire. Assistant Chief Robert Schumer became the chief of the Fire Prevention Division, and Assistant Chief Sanders "Sam" Hicks led the Training Division. Three senior captains who had been company officers—Joe Planos, Ed Majkowski, and Bill Moore—were appointed as shift commanders, taking over for Brandt, Becker, and Schumacher. Just like the division chiefs, shift commanders weren’t guaranteed positions through civil service rules. They served at the discretion of the chief and could be replaced at any time. Additionally, Capt. Len Conrad was given the role of Medical Officer, Capt. James Mersch Jr. became the Fire Prevention Officer, and Capt. Tom Linkowski was named the Public Information Officer. Three firefighters were assigned to work as shift fire prevention inspectors and fire investigators. The shift commander kept using a station wagon, but the EFD replaced its other station wagon and auxiliary ambulance staff cars with Dodge and Plymouth sedans and Datsun and Honda coupes between 1977 and 1978. Call signs also changed slightly around that time. The chief remained F-1, and the shift commander stayed F-2. But other command officers got call signs based on the last two digits of their phone numbers. So Chief Brandt (866-5927) was “F-27,” Chief Becker (866-5926) was “F-26,” Chief Hicks (866-5925) was “F-25,” Chief Schumer (866-5933) was “F-33,” Capt. Conrad (866-5922) was “F-22,” Capt. Linkowski (866-5934) was “F-34,” Capt. Mersch (866-5935) was “F-35,” and Fire Equipment Mechanic Jerry Czarnowski (866-5917) was “F-17” when he was out in the field in the EFD’s utility van. Many veteran firefighters in Evanston found these changes unsettling. During Glen Ayers' four-plus years as chief, 31 firefighters retired—about seven per year. Compare that to Al Hofstetter’s 36 years as chief, during which only 76 firemen retired—about two per year. Plus, adding a second ambulance in January 1977, increasing the command staff, and assigning more fire prevention inspectors in 1978, along with covering for firefighters on “Kelly Days,” led to reduced staffing levels for Squad 21, the busiest company from 1963 to 1975. Due to the introduction of specialized rescue equipment in the 1970s, Squad 21’s old 1965 International / General Body pumper-squad was swapped out in 1978 for a Chevrolet / Penn Versatile Van (nicknamed the “Pie Truck”), usually staffed by two firefighters who would double up on the ex-Skokie FD Cadillac ambulance (Ambulance 3) when a third ambulance was needed. However, Squad 21 stopped being a frontline unit in 1980, with the vehicle only being manned when its special rescue gear was required. When Squad 21 was taken off frontline duty, minimum staffing per shift was officially cut down to 26—the lowest level since the 1920s, when Evanston’s population was only 50,000 and the EFD hadn’t yet taken over municipal ambulance services. The EFD was going through a lot of changes, but it wasn’t just about restructuring. In 1976, Miriam Boyle, who had worked in a flower shop before joining the department, became the EFD’s first female firefighter. She earned her paramedic certification in 1977 but left in 1979. Then in 1981, Paulette Hojnacki joined as the second female firefighter. She resigned three years later. Around the same time, lawsuits alleging racial discrimination against the City of Evanston and its fire department were being settled. In response to legal actions filed throughout the 1970s by African American applicants and firefighters claiming racial bias in hiring and promotions within the EFD, a court-ordered one-time “blacks-only” civil service exam for Fire Captain promotions was held in 1980. Prior to this, only three African Americans had been promoted to captain: Sam Hicks in 1963, Donald Searles in 1965, and Joseph Burton in 1970. This “blacks-only” exam sparked controversy. A white firefighter sued the city over what he called “reverse discrimination,” and a white captain quit shortly after his promotion, saying the rank no longer held meaning. Chief Ayers decided not to promote anyone—neither white nor black—to captain, and he left Evanston for another chief’s job in Colorado. As a result of the exam, three African American firefighters—Samuel Boddie, Samuel Hunter, and Milton Dunbar—were promoted to captain in December 1980. Following Ayers’ departure, 30-year veteran Sanders Hicks was appointed chief on May 4, 1981, after serving as acting chief for five months. Chief Hicks became Evanston’s first African American fire chief. Several significant fires happened during Ayers’ tenure, including a blaze that gutted the Rust-Oleum Corporation lab at 2301 Oakton Street in January 1977, causing $400,000 in damages. Less than two years earlier, there had been a fire at Rust-Oleum’s storage yards in May 1975. Another fire destroyed Michelini’s Restaurant and Art Gallery at 2001 Maple Avenue in December 1978. In January 1979, a warehouse at 245 Dodge Avenue belonging to North Shore Electric Company burned down, causing $425,000 worth of damage. In May 1980, the J. P. Schermerhorn & Company condominiums at 838 Michigan Avenue suffered heavy damage, amounting to $500,000—a repeat incident at the same location within less than a decade. In October 1980, a fire severely damaged the Northern Weathermakers warehouse at 2143 Ashland Avenue, with losses estimated at $750,000. The Ebenezer A.M.E. Church at 1109 Emerson Street also sustained major damage in December 1980, with losses totaling $750,000. A fire broke out at The Orrington Hotel in March 1981, causing $250,000 in damage but safely evacuating all occupants. This fire occurred after Ayers had left, with Sam Hicks serving as acting chief. There had been another major fire at The Orrington back in 1958. These events marked significant milestones in the EFD’s history, shaping its future while reflecting broader societal shifts.

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