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From Phil Stenholm:
Another chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department
Motorola
During the roaring twenties, the Evanston Fire Department expanded to include an 84-man team, bringing in sixty new firefighters. However, things took a turn during the 1930s when only nine new recruits joined the ranks, with just four being added during the peak of the Great Depression, spanning from 1932 to 1938. Finding employment was tough back then, and those lucky enough to have jobs held onto them tightly! So why did the Evanston Fire Department still see openings during the 1930s? Most often, experienced firefighters unable to continue their duties opted to retire with a pension. But in four instances, leaving the department wasn’t voluntary.
Besides the tragic death of Assistant Chief Ed Johnson due to a heart attack in October 1932, Fireman Milton Jasper (of Truck Co. 1) passed away while off-duty in March 1931, Lieutenant Frank Didier (of Engine Co. 2) succumbed to a heart attack at home in September 1931, and Fireman Fred Walters (of Engine Co. 5) died at Evanston Hospital following a pulmonary embolism after a joint training session with the Wilmette Fire Department at Gilson Park in October 1936.
Despite these losses, several promotions occurred between 1929 and 1934. Fireman Henry Dorband became a lieutenant in 1929, taking over as assistant company officer for Engine Co. 5, with Lieutenant Ed Newton moving from Engine Co. 5 to Engine Co. 4 to replace the late Walt Boekenhauer. Fireman Harry Jasper advanced to lieutenant in 1931, stepping into the shoes of the late Frank Didier as assistant company officer for Engine Co. 2. Captain (and Fire Prevention Inspector) J. E. Mersch was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Marshal in 1932, while Captain Carl Windelborn earned the same title in 1933, replacing the late Ed Johnson as both a platoon commander and company officer. Assistant Chief Tom McEnery transferred from Truck Co. 2 to Truck Co. 1 around the same time, with Chief Windelborn assigned to Truck Co. 2.
Lieutenants Anthony Steigelman and John Wynn were promoted to captain in 1933, followed by Lieutenant Michael Garrity in 1934. Steigelman replaced the retired George Hargreaves as company officer for Engine Co. 1, Wynn took over for the promoted Carl Windelborn as company officer for Engine Co. 2, and Garrity succeeded the retired Pat Gaynor as company officer for Engine Co. 4. Firemen Frank Sherry Sr., Jim Geishecker, and William Elliott were all promoted to lieutenant in 1933 and 1934 respectively. Sherry replaced John Wynn as assistant company officer for Engine Co. 1, Geishecker stepped into Anthony Steigelman's role as assistant company officer for Truck Co. 2, and Elliott filled in for Michael Garrity as assistant company officer for Truck Co. 1.
Amidst budget cuts and reduced staffing, it was fortunate that Evanston didn't experience many major fires during the depression years. The worst incidents included a blaze at the Hemenway Methodist Church on Chicago Avenue in September 1932, resulting in $52,000 worth of damage, and a fire at the Weise Brothers planing mill & lumber yard on Dodge Avenue in October 1937, causing $35,000 in losses. Interestingly, the EFD battled more significant fires in neighboring towns than within Evanston itself during this era!
On the morning of January 15, 1931, the Evanston Fire Department collaborated with the Wilmette Fire Department to fight a massive fire at the Baha'i Temple on Linden Avenue. Facing frigid conditions and frozen hydrants, firefighters struggled to maintain adequate water pressure throughout the night. EFD Truck 1 managed to extend its 85-foot ladder to its maximum height to create an elevated water stream, but unfortunately, the steel framework of the iconic building couldn't be salvaged. At the time of the fire, the structure was still under construction, sustaining $50,000 in damages. Owing to the fire, the Great Depression, and later World War II, the temple remained incomplete for the next twenty years.
Fast forward to July 27, 1933, when firefighters from Evanston, Chicago, Niles Center, and Morton Grove helped the small Tessville volunteer fire department tackle a blaze that obliterated the Becker Box Company factory at Touhy & Lincoln. (Tessville is now known as "Lincolnwood"). Additionally, on August 17, 1934, the Evanston Fire Department aided the Niles Center Fire Department during a fire at the Hughes Oil Company storage yard near Howard Street in Niles Center (now "Skokie"). Earlier that year, on May 19th, EFD Engine Co. 1 relocated to Chicago F.D. Engine Co. 71's station at 6239 N. California Avenue, aiding in fire protection for Rogers Park and Chicago's far north side while the Chicago Fire Department was occupied fighting a devastating inferno that destroyed much of the Union Stockyards and surrounding areas. On November 18, 1935, EFD Engine Co. 3, Engine Co. 1, and Truck Co. 2 assisted the Wilmette Fire Department in combating a fire that severely damaged the D. S. Lyman drugstore at 4th & Linden, resulting in a $30,000 loss.
Even though financial constraints due to the Great Depression prevented the Evanston Fire Department from making substantial purchases between 1933 and 1936, there were a few minor improvements. In 1935, the aging wooden ladders on the city service truck were swapped out for newer ones, and in 1936, Chief Hofstetter's 1926 Lincoln Model "L" was traded in for a brand-new 1936 Ford Tudor Deluxe sedan equipped with a "Motorola Police Cruiser" AM radio receiver.
Since 1930, the Galvin Company had been producing Motorola AM radio receivers for civilian vehicles, and the Evanston Police Department was among the first in the nation to install Motorola Model 5T71 AM radios in its patrol cars. Initially, these radios were costly, requiring complex installation and maintenance, and prone to sudden failures due to blown tubes or disconnected wires while driving. Moreover, they were one-way receivers, with Chicago-area police communications—limited initially to emergency broadcasts—transmitted over WGN radio's 720 kHz frequency, accessible to anyone with an AM radio. Clearly, this arrangement couldn't last forever, leading to the allocation of AM frequencies between 1550 and 2800 kHz to police departments in 1935.
Around that time, Galvin developed its "Motorola Police Cruiser" AM radio specifically for law enforcement use, and Ford began offering a factory-installed Motorola Police Cruiser radio at a discount as part of its new "police package" starting in 1936. The Evanston Police Department had ten patrol cars, ten motorcycles, and one ambulance at the time, but only the new Ford patrol cars were fitted with the Motorola Police Cruiser AM radios, tuned to the Chicago Police Department's new frequency. Likewise, EFD Chief Hofstetter’s '36 Ford Tudor Deluxe sedan was equipped with a Motorola Police Cruiser radio, allowing the chief—or the platoon commander in the chief's absence—to receive emergency Evanston Fire Department radio traffic via AM radio or even a simple message to contact the Evanston Police switchboard.
Among his various responsibilities, the chief’s driver was tasked with monitoring the radio. However, since the Motorola Police Cruiser radio was strictly one-way (receive-only), there was no way to acknowledge transmissions. The "two-way" FM automobile radio was invented in the 1940s, and two-way radios were acquired by the City of Evanston for police cars and the fire chief's vehicle in 1945-46. Yet, two-way radios weren't installed on EFD engines and trucks until 1952.