Evanston Fire Department history Part 28

Pat Gaynor, Marriage Counselor

It looked like a tough winter for the Evanston Fire Department in 1920. The EFD faced four fires within 24 hours on Sunday and Monday, January 4th and 5th.

At 9:19 AM on Sunday, Station #1 responded to a fire at the C. M. Haugen residence on Oak Avenue. Sparks from the furnace had ignited woodwork in the basement. Firefighters quickly contained the blaze, and no further spread was detected. Two hours later, they were back on duty when they received another call about a fire at the L. H. Kashgarian home on Elmwood Avenue. Sparks from the chimney had caught the roof on fire. Truck Co. 1 arrived and laddered the roof, while Engine Co. 1 used a 1-1/2 inch line to put out the flames.

The next morning, Engine Co. 2 and Truck Co. 1 were called to 904 Michigan Avenue. A fireplace in the second-floor apartment of C. W. Hopkins had sparked a fire that spread to nearby furniture and filled the building with smoke. Truck Co. 1 evacuated everyone safely, while Engine Co. 2 fought the fire. Unfortunately, the apartment was completely destroyed. While they were at the Michigan Avenue incident, Engine Co. 1 and Engine Co. 3 responded to a fire at an apartment owned by E. Pulfrey on Ridge Court. Sparks from the chimney set the roof on fire. Engine Co. 1 used a 35-foot ladder and a 2-1/2 inch line to try to contain the fire, but it spread to the second floor before being extinguished. The total damage from the four fires over the weekend was $11,500.

Two weeks later, on January 17th into the 18th, the EFD handled two more fires within 12 hours. At 9:15 PM on Saturday, a fire broke out in the basement of Arabelle Outlaw’s house on Dodge Avenue. An overheated furnace caused the flames to spread up through the floors. Engine Co. 1 and Truck Co. 1 eventually put out the fire, but the house was a total loss. At 9 AM the next day, Engine Co. 3 and Truck Co. 1 responded to a fire at the Simonsen residence on Orrington Avenue. Sparks from the chimney ignited the roof, and the fire spread to a second-floor bedroom before being controlled. The combined damage from these two fires was estimated at $6,000.

On March 28, 1920, a tornado swept through Chicago and the northern suburbs. Twenty homes near Central Street and Lincolnwood Drive in Evanston were either destroyed or severely damaged, though no injuries were reported. In Wilmette, martial law was declared, and Illinois militia units were sent in after 100 structures were damaged or destroyed in the village's business district.

On May 9, 1920, a barn fire occurred at the Wilson farm at the end of Emerson Street, one of the most remote areas in Evanston at the time. There was no bridge over the North Shore Channel, and the nearest hydrant was 1,000 feet away at Leland Avenue. Engine Co. 3 responded on a second alarm and provided a 2-1/2 inch line. Despite their efforts, the fire claimed a second barn and many animals. However, firefighters from Truck Co. 1 managed to save the horses and cows.

By June 25, 1920, things had quieted down. Lieutenant Pat Gaynor was returning home after a 24-hour shift at Fire Station #3. As he rode the streetcar, he noticed a commotion at the South Boulevard “L” station. A man named James McGowan was beating his wife, Laura, with the butt of a revolver. He had first tried to shoot her, but the gun jammed. Without hesitation, Gaynor jumped off the car, ran to the scene, and disarmed the attacker. He then protected the woman from a growing crowd that turned violent. Police arrived, arrested McGowan, and took Laura to the hospital. She survived, and the couple eventually reconciled, crediting Gaynor with saving their marriage.

In October 1920, the Evanston Fire Department became the 387th department in the U.S. to adopt a two-platoon system with an 84-hour workweek. This required increasing the number of firefighters from 41 to 49. Each shift had 24 men, plus the chief. Truck Co. 1 had 14 men (seven per platoon), Engine Co. 1 and 2 each had 12 (six per platoon), and Engine Co. 3 had 10 (five per platoon). Firefighters worked 24 hours on, 24 hours off, and couldn’t take meal breaks at home or restaurants anymore. Firehouses now had kitchens and dining rooms instead of stables. They got two weeks of paid vacation annually, but none between November and March. Only one firefighter per company could be on leave at a time, and if someone was absent due to illness, another from the opposite platoon would cover for them, working their day off and getting a compensatory day later.

The city council also approved a 25–35% pay raise for all EFD members in 1920. The Chief Fire Marshal’s salary increased by 25% to $3,000 (and $3,600 in 1921), the assistant chief’s rose to $2,100, and captains and lieutenants saw increases of $510 to $1,980 and $1,920, respectively. Engineers and drivers received raises of $480, bringing their salaries to $1,890, $1,830, and $1,800.

With the elimination of stable facilities, the last two horse-drawn rigs—the 1895 Ahrens Metropolitan steamer and the 1901 four-wheeled hose wagon—were scrapped. Although ex-EFD horses were still used for city work, there was no place to stable them at the fire stations, even temporarily.