St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-23
RULES

N N\~- might copy dIteE
sAAallhDE1Ik~ it with consldera
" IT, BILE profit. Poll
ties has nothing
to do with the appointment OF the men
whose business it is TO fight the names
and as consequence the best men TO be
had are obtained. In many cities there
is change in the firemen at every cleo
ton, and knowing that. the men are not
as apt to do their best. feeling no doubt,
that their positions are only temporary,
depending upon election of their can
didate. Such state of affairs is thing
of the past in Minneapolis and the de
partment is the better for it III every
way.
The way the department is managed
now the right sort of men are obtained.
and then are encouraged by promotion
as fast as their attainmentS warrant
and there are vacancies to be filled.
The department now has sixteen engine
houses. all equipped in the best style.
There are nearly 200 men in the service,
and it would be hard, indeed. to find
more thoroughly disciplined, better
trained lot of men in any department III
the United States.
To BECOME 4 MEMBER
of the department a man must be clti-
zen of the United States, a resident of
Minneapolis, able to read and write the
English language Understandings, and
to swear in his application that he
has never been convicted of or
complained of for any crime
for which, if he were found
guilty, he could be sent to the state
prison. The applicant for position in
the department must also undergo
severe physical and medical eXamlna-
ton. He must be at least five feet and
six inches in height, weigh no less than
135 pounds and measure thirty-three
inches or more around the chest. For
every inch over five feet and seven
inches five pounds additional weight
and one-half to one inch in measurement
around the chest is required. The med
ical examination must show that mans
internal organs are in good condition.
The discipline is rigid and the training
as constant as it can be without any
gymnasium in which to practice regu-
larly. Every engine house has its own
apparatus on which the men perform
more or less every day. 1t is the iIten-
ton, however, to put in complete GYM
nasium at the new headquarters on
Fourth street. near Hennepin avenue,
Just as soon as the building is erected.
Each man III the department Is made to
feel that his position is
"A VASTLY RESPONSIBLE ONE,
and that much depends upon him. SO
thoroughly does each man understand
this that nearly every one is competent
to take charge, at moments notice. OF
the company in which he serves. After
a man has passed his examination he
becomes a substitute on probation, and
I. I,r1 =, fnfNN
pOrarily absent-he is paid at the rate
of S55 per month. when there Is a
position vacant he is placed on first
year regular, and during his first year
he receives $40 per month. The second
wear and each year thereafter he is paid
SIS per month. This is as high as the
fireiHen get, but of course the superior
officers go higher-up to $500 year.
This amount is received by the chief
engineer. Drivers and engineers are
not IN the line of promotion to any
extent; they stay practically where they
begin. Pipemen and truckmen are the
ones who rise in position, but they have
to earn their promotion by good, hard
work.
Obedience and attention to business
are enforced to the letter, and the man
who becomes possessed of the idea that
he can run the department" or in
other words, do as he pleases, is apt to
get called down in way he generally
remembers. Every fireman charged
with any act of diSobedience or negli-
gence is brought before court consist
ing of the chief engineer and his two
assistants, where he has his trial. The
punishment is generally slight fine. a
few days suspension or dismissed from
n rnt1riDlnr,H from tho
chief is sufficient to save an offender
from repeating his offense. Drunken
ness. failure to put the engine in its
proper place, negligence in reporting
alarms. Indifference in getting into pos
ition. or anything of that nature, is pun
ished by trial in court. Very few fire.
men have to be brought up a second
time.
There is no central alarm station in
Minneapolis, as there are in some of the
big cities, and few people realize that
when box is pulled anywhere in the
CITY the boys at every house must rise,
dress, and be in readiness to turn out.
When an alarm is turned in the firemen
are obliged to harness the horses and
stand by the engine or truck for fifteen
minutes Then, if there is no call for
that engine, the men can go back to
bed. There has been some talk OF
TRYING AN EXPERIMENT
at one or two of the engine houses by
having them cut off from the circuit,
and then placing a Waterman to COM
plete the circuit if his particular COM
pany is needed. The firemen, as rule,
would like to see this plan, or one
similar to it. put in operation in
Minneapolis, for as the matter stands
now they are reused from their beds
sometimes half dozen times night
when there is absolutely no need for it,
No one who has not tried it knows how
wearing on man that sort of thing is.
During the convention of fire engineers,
held at the West hotel last summer, it
was suggested by one of the members
that the efficiency of fire departments
would be materially increased if there
were two sets of firemen, one for day
and one for night duty. the same as in
police department. At present each
and every fireman has to be at his
engine house every minute out of the
twenty-four hours, except he has
leave of absence, or is at his meals. The
convention was favorable to the plan
proposed, but so far as known no steps
have ever been taken in any department
represented in the convention to bring
about so desirable change.