The herald., 1897-12-09
Firemen Must Hereafter
Toe the Mark
THE CHIEFS ANNUAL REPORT
THE TIME LIMIT FIXED IN THE
HITCHING ORDINANCE
Status Of the Litigation to Which the
City Is a Party-Attorney Dunn's
Report-City Hall Notes

Report-City Hall NoteS
= system of fines is to be adopted by
the fire department to be imposed upor
NIL callmen and other members who fai
to respond to alarms, and special priv
ileees that have been heretofore grant
ed certain of the callmen as to the man
ner In which they reported are to be re-
voked. This action was decided upon
at the regular meeting of the board OF
fire commissioners yesterday morning
What the amount of the fines will be
has not been decided upon, but for each
alarm to which the callmen fail to re-
spond a certain amount of their pay will
be withheld, and If they miss more than
three during the month they will have
to explain the matter to the satisfaction
of the board or lose their positions.
The first steps towards instituting civil
service rules in the entire department
were taken and an amendment to the
rules was presented providing for the
adoption of this system. No final action
was taken, however, it being desired
that the members ascertain the best
method Of securing the change.
DELINQUENTS ESCAPE
The matter of imposing fines came up
in connection with the examination by
the board into the fact that Callman
Shearer had been drawing two salaries
from the city. The board could take no
action in regard to this matter but 1t
~ of
the captains that the callman had miss
ed five alarms during November. He
was therefore called before the commits
sion to explain. He stated that four of
the reported absences were errors and
called the chief to witness that he had
been at most of the fires that he had
been reported to have missed. He was
working for the city tax collector, and
after each fire would return to the city
hail instead Of going to his engine house
and reporting for roll call as the rules
provide His explanation was accepted
and he was excused.
A number of misses by Callman Gar
diner were also brought to the atten-
ton Of the board, and Chief Moore
stated that he had received satisfactory
excuses from the delinquent. The rules
require that all callmen shall appear
at the engine house after each alarm
and answer to roll call. If they fail to
respond they are reported absent Some
of them have special arrangements by
which they report by telephone, and II
the fire Is not in the district covered
by their engine company they do not go
to the engine house. The chief was
ordered to enforce the rule requiring
the presence of callmen at the engine
houses and to report all absntees. Mr.
Wells stated that he believed the plan
OF having callmen was not a good one,
and that full paid department could
be secured without additional cost II the
proper steps were taken.
CIVIL SERVICE RULES
Commissioner Wells submitted the fol-
lowing amendment to rule of the fire
department, and requested that action
be deferred upon 1t until the next regu-
lar meeting of the board:
AS an incentive to good service and dis
cipline and as an important fnctor in In
creasing the efficiency of the fire depart
nent through the selection and retention
of those best qualified to AL the positions
all callmen and others new to the service
shall be selected by competitive tests as to
illness physically, Intellectually and NOR
ally, under the regulations adopted by the
board of fire commissioners. All promo
tions shall be made in order from the next
lower grade or grades Of the existing force
based on competitive tests showing eff
fciency, personal character and ability
and knowledge in the line Of duty, and no
removal shall be made except for cause,
on written charges preferred to and sus-
tained by the board.
Mr.. Wells also presented the follow
ing resolution, action on which was also
deferred at his request until the next
meeting:
Resolved, That all purchases in the open
market. whenever practicable, be made
after prices have been named In writing
by two or more responsible persons or
firms; that supplies be purchased and kept
IN store in quantities that will warrant the
observance of the foregoing method, and
that any person or firm shall be allowed
to bid who has filed in the office of the
fire department request to be considered
IN the next succeeding purchase
ANNUAL REPORT
Chief Moore's annual report, which
was filed during the session, was one of
the most voluminous that he has ever
made. 1t was in manuscript, he having
not had time to have it published before
submitting it to the commission. The
papers were not closely examined, as
most OF the commissioners are familiar
with the contents. The chief was in
structed to have it printed in the usual
form and then submit it to the city coun-
Gil. BY resolution the commission an
proved the report.
There are some interesting figures in
this statement of the doings of the fire
department for one year. The total num-
Der or alarms to which the fire DEPART
ment responded is 241, of which II ware
false alarms. There were 210 ac+ua,
fires at which loss was incurred tba
number for each month being as follows.
D. Fires. Loss.
Oecemper .......................1 II 80 6a0
JANUARY '''''''''''..'............ IA $3.50
February ''''.'''.....'.......... 16 1855
oaarGh '''''''''''''''............ Is 1880
x.1'rI '''''''''''..........."..... % 55S5
May ''''''''''.''.'.''''......." 6,675
June '':''''''''.'..''........... II 14.l60
ouiy '''''''''..''.'.'.'...".." % 0S15
gust ....'''.''................ IS G,G5O
SeptsHlper ''..'..'............... 18 16,GlC
Sctoper .......................... q II, ,73C