On May 23, 1881, the Village Board of Trustees received a letter that had been delivered earlier that day to the Fire Marshal:

“To: W. R. Bailey, Esq.
Fire Marshal of the Village of Evanston

Sir:

The members of the Evanston Fire Department have learned that the village trustees have decided not to meet the needs of the department. In response, the Pioneer and C. J. Gilbert hose companies, in joint meeting, have resolved to resign from the Evanston Fire Department immediately.

However, the members of these companies will still respond to fire alarms for the next 15 days, but only as citizens, not as firefighters.

A. Simpson, Foreman, C. J. Gilbert Fire Co.
A. Hallstrom, Foreman, Pioneer Hose Co.

May 23, 1881”

The firefighters had hoped that this mass resignation would force the village board to address their concerns. But when Chief Bailey delivered the letter, the trustees accepted it without comment. It was clear that the plan had failed.

This wasn’t the first time the Pioneers and the Gilberts felt ignored by the village board. From disputes over uniforms and equipment to the failure to collect a 2% tax on “foreign” insurance companies—money that could have helped fund the fire companies—the hose companies felt disrespected and underappreciated. The final blow came when the village board approved the Evanston Hook & Ladder Company in April 1881, just two days after a tragic house fire claimed the lives of two children at the Enders home.

The deaths were the first fire-related fatalities in Evanston since the formation of the Pioneer Fire Company in 1873. Many believed that a properly trained hook & ladder company might have saved the children. This tragedy pushed the Pioneers and the Gilberts to take action.

The new hook & ladder company had been in training for only a short time, yet the board rushed to accept it into service. More troubling was that the Pioneers had originally proposed the idea of a hook & ladder unit back in 1875, hoping it would be called the "Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company." They wanted control over its membership and training, but the board refused, keeping it separate from both the Pioneers and the Gilberts.

The unity shown in their joint letter to Chief Bailey was unprecedented. For years, the two rival hose companies had only met during fires. But this time, they stood together in protest.

After the resignation, the Police & Fire Committee was tasked with creating a new fire protection plan. They consulted with Chief Denis Swenie of the Chicago Fire Department, who recommended purchasing new equipment and transitioning to a paid fire department. He argued that a smaller, professional force would be more cost-effective than the large volunteer companies.

But there was a reason for his bias. Chicago had disbanded many of its volunteer companies in 1858 after riots broke out over the introduction of steam fire engines. These machines required fewer men, which threatened the power of the volunteer groups.

Despite the report, the village board delayed implementation for months. When they finally met in September 1881, they decided to keep the fire department entirely volunteer, offering no compensation. They claimed financial constraints prevented any change until the next budget cycle.

The new volunteer structure included a 15-man hook & ladder company, a 30-man hose company managed by the street department (not the fire marshal), and a chemical company made up of local merchants using an old engine. However, the new system was mostly theoretical. The hose company lacked organization, and the hook & ladder unit was not trained for fire suppression. The chemical company never even formed.

By November 1, 1881, the Evanston Fire Department had become a laughingstock. After several failures to respond to emergencies, Fire Marshal Bob Bailey offered to resign. The board convinced him to stay, promising reforms in 1882. But for now, the city’s fire protection remained weak and unprepared.

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