From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
On March 11, 1919, a five-year-old boy named Robert Oldberg died just one day after his clothes caught fire while he was playing with matches in the basement of his home at 1024 Maple Avenue. His mother suffered severe burns trying to put out the flames. A year later, Minerva Iverson, a maid working for the Walter Neilson family at 2711 Harrison Street, died from burns after an alcohol stove exploded while she was curling her hair. Ten years earlier, on December 27, 1910, a six-year-old girl died from burns after her clothes caught fire when she touched candles on her family’s Christmas tree at the Rostowski residence on 1107 Washington Street.
These tragic incidents prompted Chief Albert Hofstetter to launch a fire prevention education program on October 10, 1922, coinciding with National Fire Prevention Day, which had been established by President Warren G. Harding the previous year to honor the 50th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The initiative involved sending firefighters into local schools to teach children about fire safety. This effort eventually evolved into the EFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau in 1929 and led to campaigns like “Learn Not to Burn†and “Stop, Drop, and Roll.â€
On the morning of December 16, 1922, police officers William Lanning and Arthur Sievers discovered a fire at the Evanston Country Club on 1501 Oak Avenue. As flames shot 35 feet into the air, Engine Co. 2 responded on a second alarm, and additional crews were called in. The fire caused $83,500 in damage—the second-highest loss in Evanston’s history at the time—though nearby structures were saved. The club was rebuilt and later became the city hall in 1941.
Between 1892 and 1912, Evanston's population grew by 65%, reaching 26,253. Then, from 1912 to 1922, it surged another 80% to 43,339. During this period, many of the city’s iconic hotels and apartment buildings were constructed. As the population expanded, so did the EFD’s workload. For example, between 1921 and 1922, Engine Co. 2 saw a 62% increase in calls, while Engine Co. 1 had a 15% rise.
In 1924, the National Board of Fire Underwriters (NBFU) recommended that the EFD acquire an aerial ladder truck for Truck Co. 1, build a fourth station near Dempster & Dodge, and create a new ladder company to serve the west side of the city. While the EFD did add an aerial truck and formed a second truck company, the new station was never built. Instead, both truck companies operated from Station #1 until 1955, when Fire Station #2 opened.
Truck Co. 2, later known as Truck Co. 22, was formed on September 1, 1924, with ten firefighters initially assigned. Captain Tom McEnery took charge, and several promotions followed. In 1924, four firefighters were promoted to lieutenant, including Dan McKimmons and Henry Tesnow, who joined the new truck company. Truck Co. 1 handled alarms east of Asbury Avenue, covering key areas like downtown and Northwestern University, while Truck Co. 2 focused on the western residential and industrial zones.
The Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol (CFIP) began assisting the EFD in 1924, but its presence ended in 1933 due to budget cuts. By 1959, the CFIP had dissolved, with many members joining local departments like Skokie F.D., where one former officer became chief.
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