Unit numbering

[pgoogs]

Why is Squad 33 numbered 33 and the ladders 22 and 24?  The engines are numbered by their station, why not these other units.

[yfdgricker]

When the department began using radios to communicate they were sharing with the police. It was decided that the fire department would use the following numbering scheme:

Engines were 1 through 19
Ladders, 20 through 29
Battalions Chiefs were Fire 31 and 32
Squads, 33 through 39
Command Units, 40-49
The ambulance was 55 and 56.

Some numbering have changed like the Battalions. They are now 1 and 2. But other habits die hard. The FD and PD still refer to any medic as a 55 "Send me a 55"  The ladders still are 22 and 24 and the squad still 33.

[wfd44]

unless yfd began radio use jan 1960 then a slight ammendment here
ladders were 1,2,4 and squad was no1 prior to jan 1960

[pgoogs]

Why Ladders 22 and 24?  What happened to 23, etc.

[daysleeper47]

Ladder 21 ran out of Station 7 on the Northside. It was wrecked at a fire. I believe that while operating at a fire downtown, the building collapsed on it and the unit was placed out of service and not replaced. There was never a ladder designated as Ladder 23. Before ladders operated with 20-designations, there were Ladders 1-4. Ladder 3 was disbanded before they were renumbered. According to the apparatus list in YF.com, the last Truck #3, was a 1933 Seagrave City Service Ladder which ran as No.3 out of old Station 6.

[wfd44]

ladder 21 1955 seagrave anniversary series open cab 85ft all steel aerial was running from sta 1 on the day they responded to rayen av for an alram and were wrecked in an auto accident beyond repair and the yfd was compensated 18k by insurance according to a personal interview with chief rocco russo and myself circa 1978
see pic i snapped somewhere here on greg's website

[wfd44]

ladder 3 had a sharp g series seagrave city service ladder truck at station 6 at wilson and Jackson . by the 1942 Fire Underwriters Report on the YFD that truck was off the apparatus roster along with some other 1933 seagrave pumpers. prior to the 1939 seagrave all-steel 100ft tillered aerial truck no 1 the dept had a 1921 american lafrance 50ft city service ladder truck no2 in service and a later aerial likely the 1928 american lafrance 85ft single str8 chassis tillered ladder at station 8. the 1927 65ft str8 frame tillered american lafrance city service ladder no4 was already out of service off the roster by 1942 as was the 1920 seagrave city service ladder 3. in 1944 the dept picked up a war time american lafrance jox 85ft all-steel single-frame aerial open cab ladder no4 for station 8. so until 1955 only 2 ladders remained in service. ladder 1 or truck 1 as it was numbered on the rigs door and truck 4. 1 was at staion 7 and 4 was at staion 8. when new station 1 opened in the mid-50s ladder 2 was commissioned with a 1955 seagrave anniversary series 85ft open cab aerial all-steel.

also in 1939 squad 1 was commissioned at falls av no4 station with a 1939 closed cab squad truck. this unit transfered to the new no1 in 1955-56. it was replaced in 1959 by a new squad 1 a 1959 detroit style sedan segrave anniversary seried unit with booster pump.

on jan 1, 1960 trucks/ladders 1,2,4 were made into 21,22,24 and squad 1 became sq 33 and chiefs became 31 and 32