Chicago Civil Defense Homepage

1. HOMEPAGE

1244 N. Wells St. (Old Town)

1653 W. 43rd St.

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ATTENTION

DEPARTMENT

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It is with deep regrets that we announce the
passing of our good friend and brother,

CHUCK "Nails" GIANNINI

(07/11/1958 - 06/01/2019)

Chuck passed away suddenly on

June 1, 2019, at Ressurection Hospital.

His heath had not been good for the last couple

of years and was suffering from diabetes.

Chuck joined the unit in 1977 and fanned at

Engine Co. 67 and Snorkel Co. 4 on the westside.

Chuck was also a member of the 5-11 Club

in 2016 and 2017, when his health

forced him to resign.

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06/14/2019

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A HISTORIC WEBSITE FOR CURRENT EVENTS
AND PAST HISTORY OF THE FORMER VOLUNTEER

CHICAGO CIVIL DEFENSE - FIRE & RESCUE AND

CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT - E.P.D.S.

(EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & DISASTER SERVICES) UNIT,

ALONG WITH THE FIREFIGHTER'S OF THE CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT

Featuring classic documents and memorabilia.
Classic C.F.D. fire & disaster videos, classic
C.F.D. fire & disaster audio files, along with
classic & recent fire, disaster & apparatus photo's
and video's. Official Federal, State & Local
Government Agency links, for just about anything in
the fire, disaster and Emergency Preparedness field.

LIVE 24 / 7 streaming audio feeds of the Chicago Fire 911/ O.E.M.C.
Center, (Main, Englewood Offices & Citywide Fire, w/ CTA Fire

and E.M.S. Services in Digital UHF & UHF).

Also with local news media of recent fires,
disasters and C.F.D.stories in the news. Special
website links to well known major fires & disasters
that occurred within the city of Chicago. Links
to other fire related and disaster service originations
and their websites. Included are links to purchase
your own Chicago Fire Department memorabilia on
EBay plus much more!

1905 - 1979

The History of the Chicago Civil Defense

Chicago Fire Department - E.P.D.S. Unit

January 1, 1958 - July 23, 1989

In 1957, then Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert J. Quinn had an idea. He knew of six heavy duty rescue trucks that the Federal Government had supplied the city, to use as they saw fit. The rescue vehicles were all brand new, fully equipped but just sitting idle in City of Chicago garages, collecting dust and waiting for the big one. After meeting with Charles (Jimmy) Johnson, a long time friend of Quinn's and an avid fire fan, Quinn decided to approach Mayor Richard J. Daley with a plan for these Rescue Squads.

It would involve an all-volunteer unit to facilitate and operate this equipment with proper training and personnel to provide ancillary support at fires and other disasters. Johnson would be the civilian Chief of the unit. A handful of volunteers were gathered together between October of 1957 and January of 1958. The Chicago Civil Defense, Fire and Rescue Unit was then born.

The first day the unit was in service, members responded to a major extra-alarm fire at 54 E. Hubbard St. It was immediately known from that point on, that the organization could play a vital role in the non-hazardous duties at fire scenes and other disasters within the city and the outlying suburbs.

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LIVE C.F.D. Audio in P25 Digital

> Main, Englewood & Citywide Fire Digital <

Chicago Fire Dept.

LIVE

Main F.A.O./North, Englewood F.A.O./South,

& Citywide Fire in Digital P25 UHF

[ WPSG 985 ]

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************ Recently Uploaded Videos ************

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BULLETIN

Sydney (Synbad) Smith

is NOT and NEVER was a sworn Firefighter with
the Chicago Fire Department. He was NOT a
Firefighter on a westside Company, nor was he a
Firefighter on Truck Co. 10.

He was ONLY a volunteer member of the former
Chicago Fire Dept. E.P.D.S. Unit (Civil Defense)
back on the mid 1980's!

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BULLETIN

Thomas J. Palma

is NOT and NEVER was a sworn Firefighter
with the Chicago Fire Department.

He was ONLY a volunteer member of the former
Chicago Fire Dept. E.P.D.S. Unit (Civil Defense)

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CLICK on image to link with Midwest Photo's on SmugMug

CLICK on image to link with KSC711 on SmugMug

CLICK on above image to link with Twitter/CFD-Media

CLICK on either icon to left and
go directly to the C.F.D. Media
page on Twitter, with all of the
latest C.F.D. information with
photos of fires, accidents, etc.

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Classic C.F.D. Images of
The 1950's and 1960's

By Steve & Warren Redick

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Suburban Chicago Fire Rigs At Work
By Steve Redick

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Chicago Fire Rigs At Work

Volume II

By Steve Redick

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Chicago Fire Rigs At Work

Volume IIl

By Steve Redick

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NOW AVAILABLE FOR
DOWNLOAD TO YOUR
I-PHONE, I-PAD OR I-TOUCH

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CLICK on the link below to go to the
I-Tunes website to view

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id483396144