Here's some additional information about the aerial ladder trucks purchased by the Chicago Fire Department in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some people have asked why several of these units were delivered with booster reels and 300- or even 500-gallon water tanks. These features were part of a unique design approach used at the time, aimed at providing more on-board water capacity for initial fire suppression efforts.

During this period, the CFD acquired several different types of aerial apparatus. Here’s a breakdown of the models and their specifications:

  • (3) 1968 Mack CF/Pirsch 100-foot aerials with red cabs and 300-gallon water tanks
  • (1) 1968 Seagrave aerial with an FWD chassis and rear steering, assigned to Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport
  • (8) 1970 Seagrave rear-mount aerials equipped with 250-gallon tanks
  • (5) 1970 Ward LaFrance/Grove units assigned to Truck 7, Truck 12, Truck 18, Truck 21, and Truck 34, each with 300-gallon tanks
  • (3) 1972 Mack CF 700/Pirsch 100-foot aerials with silver cabs and 300-gallon tanks

At some point, the department removed the booster reels and drained the water tanks, as seen in many historical photos. This likely happened during routine maintenance or when the units were reconfigured for different roles.

In future posts, I’ll share more details and images of these historic rigs. For now, the photos below highlight a few examples from the collection.

Chicago Fire Department 1968 Seagrave Rear Admiral O'hare Airport

This is a 1968 Seagrave Rear Admiral 100′ aerial with a 500-gallon booster tank and twin booster reels. It features an FWD chassis with rear steering and was assigned to Truck 63 at O’Hare Airport. Larry Shapiro photo

Chicago Fire Department Truck 5 1972 Mack CF Pirsch

Truck 5 was assigned one of three 1972 100-foot Pirsch rear-mount aerials mounted on a Mack CF chassis with a 500-gallon water tank and twin booster reels. Larry Shapiro photo

Earlier posts in this series covered CFD trucks with booster systems from 1967 and 1968, so it’s interesting to see how these designs evolved over just a few years.

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