Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-25
Changes Proposed to Promote Com.
fort of the Men.
CHIEF PARIS THINKS MOVE UNWISE
Commissioner Wight Pleased With
Results in Other Cities.
THE REASON SSIGN ED

| which has heretofore been referred to in
| The Star, has for it's object the comfort of
| the men. Briefly, it is to establish at each
| house a Waterman, who will receive each
| alarm as 1t comes in. Should it be In tn.
district which that particular company re-
| spends to, the alarm viii. be Immediately
sounded upon the giant gong and the COM
| pany turned out. If, however, 1t is for Il
fire in a remote part of the city, the COM
| pany will not he disturbed.
Before finally deciding the matter, the
| views of Chief Paris apd Superintendent
| Niles of the telephone and telegraph serv-
| ice were requested, and their reports to-
| gether with Commissioner Nights recon-
| mendation to the board, follow:
Chief Paris Report.
| After a careful consideration of the pro-
| posed change in the method of sending
alarms for fire at night, have the honor
| to submit the following report:
1.-The most important objection, in my
opinion is the delay that would result in a
| company responding to an alarm for fire,
| and, Also after a regular alarm has sound
| ed, in getting assistance should any be
| needed. One minute before fire is worth
| an hour efterward, and there is no doubt
| but the remarkable success that has re-
| varied the efforts of this department in
| past years has been due. in a great meas
ure, to the prompt response after an alarm
| was sounded.
! AT the present time when an alarm for
| fire Is received at fire alarm headquarters,
| 1t is transmitted to all the companies stimuli
| taneously. If the alarm is from four
| company box, that Is where four engine and
| two truck companies respond ON the first
| alarm, the first two engine companies and
| one truck company, due to the box, leave
| On the first round, and the other COM
| panies on the second round. All other
| companies in quarters are hooked UP and
| remain SO for twenty minutes in readi-
| ness to respond in case a special alarm is
i sounded. With the new system the first
| round of the box would be lost and in
| case there was any trouble on the wires
| any irregular striking, the Waterman on
| duty would be compelled to take the sec
| ond round before he would know whether
| his company responded or not After re-
| ceivfng the second round, and it being in
| his company's district, he would then
switch the alarm in so as to sound on tie
| large gong, waking the men and horses
| This would make 1t the third round of the
| box before the company could leave quar-
| tiers, and it can readily be seen that valu-
! able time would be lost in reaching the
| scene of fire.
The Present Arrangement.
| "In this connection attention should be
| called to the present manner of striking
| special alarm after a regular alarm has
| sounded, such as second, third, fourth,
fifth or sixth alarm. An officer desiring to
| send in one of the above calls goes to the
| street box, and opening the inside door,
| uses the Morse key, and, in case only sec
| ond alarm is needed, he sends in the call
| 81. The operator on duty at fire alarm
| headquarters sets the dial of the central
| office manual repeater and sends this call
| to all of the companies This strikes but
| once. The Waterman would then asccr-
| tain whether his company was due, and,
| II SO, would have to wake the men in some
| manner and inform them what box was
| IN and also inform them of the special
| call. Frequently there are several alarms
| IN at the same time, or one or more pieces
| of apparatus out of service, and ii would
| be necessary for each and every member
| OF the department. when acting in the
| capacity of a Waterman. to possess the
! knowledge and experience of a foreman
| to properly perform the important duties
| intrusted to him, and there are great
| many men now on our rolls who are good
| firemen, but who would not be competent to
perform the duties that would be required
| of them should the new system be adopted.
| Men Seldom Disturbed.
| Referring to the seeming hardship upon
| the men in waking them up on every alarm
of fire, ] would say that the number of
| alarms received by this department would
| not, in my opinion, warrant any change i'll
our system. During the fiscal year ended
| June 30, 1897, there were but 212 bell
alarms for fire, and of this number only
| forty-seven were received between the hours
of 10 pm and am.
| AT present our rules require that there
! shall be a watch kept at each and every
| house from 10 pm. until 1 am, at which
| time the hostlers go in the stables In re-
liefs. as near as possible, Of one hour each.
With the new system the watch would be
| increased by six hours, making a watch
| each night of twelve hours 1t would be
| necessary that two men should be on watch
| at the same time, one to look after tn.
| alarm signal. and the other to attend to
| horses of Thar bpff
| men assigned to each company, two on
| their day off, two to go in the stable at 1
am, which would leave only four privates
| to stand a watch of eight hours.
| Our present system of communicating
| alarms and transmitting calls for addition
! al help is eXcelled by no department in the
| country, and / of the opinion that 1t
would be unwise to make any change at the
| present time.
| Superintendent Miles Views.
II have the honor to state that 1 have
given considerable attention to the subject
proposed by you of changing the method
| of communicating alarms to the several
| fire companies, at right time, as to avoid
arousing the men and horses of such COM
ranies as do not have to respond to the
box which may be pulled.
The plan suggested would require n
competent Waterman to be stationed within
certain hearing distance Of a small gong CT
sounder upon which the. first round of
each alarm would go to every fire COM
| pany. The Waterman of such companies
| as should respond to the box pulled could
| then turn swith. which would be sup
! piled for each company, to permit the re-
| n. aiming rounds of that alarm to be struck
| on the large gongs, thus arousing the men
| and turning out the horses only of such
| companies as should respond on first alarm
| for any given fire.
The expense of switches and small
gongs, or saunders. for changing the
method, as outlined, would not exceed
| so per engine house, and 1 see no diff
| Guilty In the way of its introduction, as l
think means could be spared for that pur-
pose
Commissioner Wixht's Conclusions.
Il have been considering the question of
changing the system of fire alarms sent to
| the engine houses at night, my attention
having been called to the matter by
| recent inspection of the fire engine houses
! and systems in New York city and Boston
I'm New York the alarms are sent to the
engine houses and received on a small
bell. Or by telegraph. and such companies
as need to respond are notified by the
watcllmen in those houses and sent out |