1. Photography

SNORKEL SQUAD 1 (SS1)

The forerunner of today's squads.
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SS1 1979<br />
Snorkel Squad 1 in 1979, a precursor to today's Squads. (l-r) Tom Murphy. Bob Hoff, Jerry McKee, Bill O'Boyle, Steve Bybee, Tom Donnellan, Tony Thomas. These men, and the others of this era, set a high standard for the Squads of Today. Tom Murphy became a Lieutenant, Bob Hoff, an author and currently CHICAGO FIRE COMMISSIONER (see also this exhibit, "Squad 1, First Shift"), Jerry McKee, now retired as Battalion 14 Chief (see also "Fire" exhibition directly below "The Squad" exhibit. and within it, "A Family Tradation'), Bill O'Boyle, now retired was Captain of Squad 1, Steve Bybee is Chief of Support Services, Tom Donnellan, was Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner before his retirement in 2005. <br />
<br />
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE OTHER PHOTOS IN THES ALBUM. THEY ARE OF THESE MEN, ONE AS A KID WITH HIS POP, THREE IN THE PRESENT.
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SS1 1979
Snorkel Squad 1 in 1979, a precursor to today's Squads. (l-r) Tom Murphy. Bob Hoff, Jerry McKee, Bill O'Boyle, Steve Bybee, Tom Donnellan, Tony Thomas. These men, and the others of this era, set a high standard for the Squads of Today. Tom Murphy became a Lieutenant, Bob Hoff, an author and currently CHICAGO FIRE COMMISSIONER (see also this exhibit, "Squad 1, First Shift"), Jerry McKee, now retired as Battalion 14 Chief (see also "Fire" exhibition directly below "The Squad" exhibit. and within it, "A Family Tradation'), Bill O'Boyle, now retired was Captain of Squad 1, Steve Bybee is Chief of Support Services, Tom Donnellan, was Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner before his retirement in 2005.

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE OTHER PHOTOS IN THES ALBUM. THEY ARE OF THESE MEN, ONE AS A KID WITH HIS POP, THREE IN THE PRESENT.

  • SS1 1979<br />
Snorkel Squad 1 in 1979, a precursor to today's Squads. (l-r) Tom Murphy. Bob Hoff, Jerry McKee, Bill O'Boyle, Steve Bybee, Tom Donnellan, Tony Thomas. These men, and the others of this era, set a high standard for the Squads of Today. Tom Murphy became a Lieutenant, Bob Hoff, an author and currently CHICAGO FIRE COMMISSIONER (see also this exhibit, "Squad 1, First Shift"), Jerry McKee, now retired as Battalion 14 Chief (see also "Fire" exhibition directly below "The Squad" exhibit. and within it, "A Family Tradation'), Bill O'Boyle, now retired was Captain of Squad 1, Steve Bybee is Chief of Support Services, Tom Donnellan, was Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner before his retirement in 2005. <br />
<br />
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE OTHER PHOTOS IN THES ALBUM. THEY ARE OF THESE MEN, ONE AS A KID WITH HIS POP, THREE IN THE PRESENT.
  • Battalion 4 Chief Bobby Hoff, 5/27/04, with his beloved Sadie.
  • 1st District Chief Bobby Hoff at live burn for new officer training,
  • Rescue 11/28/86<br />
Here the same little boy in the 2nd photo in this album standing next to his dad, carrying a 68 yr. old woman from a fire building on N. Sheridan Rd. <br />
Photo with permission ©Jim Regen, 1986, 2006.
  • Battalion 14 Chief Jerry McKee (r), with brother Jack (l) at the dollar store fire  11/12/02.<br />
brick Badly injured, he was not healed after a year and the CFD retired him. He went to work as an electrician for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center the next 20 years. Motivated by 9/11 he attempted to get back on the CFD. Fifty-six years old, he passed  test and was assigned to TL5. Asked why he decided to come back. He answered; "Because I felt like I owed something to the job".
  • Donnellan<br />
First District Chief Tom Donnellan at extra-alarm fire on 19th and May 1/14/04. <br />
It was a cold day. Chief Donnellan was an early Squad member at SS1. He is in the first photo in The Snorlel Squad 1 exhibition on this site. Direct access: <br /> <a href="http://www.jacobsphotos.com/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=0">http://www.jacobsphotos.com/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=0</a>
  • Looking up at this photo on his office wall, CFD First District Chief Bob Hoff said; &#8220;I look at that every day, and it continues to drive me, to serve as my motivation to be the best I can be&#8230;. Every day."

Photo: Little Bob Hoff at five years old with his Dad, Chicago Firefighter Captain Thomas A. Hoff at an inspection in Soldier Field in 1960. Captain Hoff was killed when a building collapsed over him during a fire at 70th and Dorchester in Chicago, Feb 14, 1962. The story of Thomas Hoff, Bob, and his older brother fireman, Ray, served as the basis for the Film "Backdraft".

An SS1 member (see 1st photo in this exhibition entitled SS1), Chief Hoff has been concerned with firefighter safety and survival his entire career co-authoring a book &#8220;Firefighter Safety and Survival with Lt. Rick Kolomay, another fireman's son. *

*Hoff, R., Kolomay, R. (2002). Firefighter Safety and Survival, Penwell Publishing.
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