The evening times., 1899-08-29
FRAMING Fol. F1REMEN.
story OF HOw the Observation-Disclosures
Companies Practice.

TRAINING FOB FIREMEN.
story OF Eow the Hook-and-Ladder
Companies Practice.
BALTIMORE, Aug. 29.-Arrangements
| are being made by the board OF fire COM
missioners to send to the Paris Exposition
next year complete Photographic ex-
hibit of the workings of the Baltimore
| fire department. There was some talk
among persons interested in the depart
| ment and who are conversant with its gen.
eral excellence of sending two companies
| OF picked men to Paris to take part IN the
! fremen's tournament, which is to be one
| OF the features of the exposition, but that
| is considered impracticable. Regret has
been expressed that at least a few Of the
men will not be permitted to go to Paris,
| although the photographs will give good
| idea of what the Baltimore fre-fghters
can do. They will show the engine and
truckhouses, hitching up, horses in going
to a fire at full speed. together with pic
lures of actual work at fire. The life
saving appliances and the methods OF
climbing over the face OF burning puiid-
ing will also be shown.
Should change be made in the plans
and two companies be sent to Paris, the
men will require no special training 10 MT
them for the trip for the reason that they
have become so efficient that they work
together, without the slightest friction,
like piece of well-oiled machinery. Each
man knows exactly what he has to do,
and he does it with quickness and precis-
ion. u
At the engine houses the principal train
ing is in getting ready as speedily as pos
sble to answer an alarm Of fire. Three
times every day the men are summoned
by the gong to hitch up and take their
places on the apparatus. This serves a
twofold purpose. 1t gives the men prac-
tice and tests the fire-alarm wires to show
whether they are in good working order.
From four to six seconds is regarded as
sufficient time for well-equipped COM
pany to get ready to start for fire. AT
the first stroke on the large gong in each
engine and truck house the chains IN
front of the horse stalls fall, being re-
leased by an electrical arrangement, ano
the horses almost leap to their places III
front of the engine, hose wagon OF truck
1t requires but an instant to snap the self
| locking collars around the horses necks
The pulling of a cord releases the harness.
which falls across the backs of the horses
! and everything is in readiness for the
start
1t is different at the truck houses where
long and heavy ladders are to be raised and
where the greater part OF the life-savlne
: apparatus is kept. AT each one Oh the
truck houses the men are trained one day
, every week In warm weather they do this
work early in the morning and do every
thing that may possibly be required ol
| them at a fire. The trucks are run out o.
their houses to some convenient mouse Eeai
by and the men act as they wouiu al
fire. The extension ladders are raised ts
their fullest height, and men CLIMB nimDi!
| to their tops, where they perch whlie th'
ladders are moved around in all directions
i and raised and lowered TO various angles
All of the smaller ladders are taken from
. the truck and raised and lowered repeated!
through the maze Of wires that encumbel
the streets and sometime sadly interfere
with the speedy work OF the flremen
i The 'pompiers or scaling ladders are aisf
! taken out, and with these the men make
their way over the fronts OF buildings, en-
tering windows and climbing on roofs VIII
an apparent reckless disregard of life ant
limb The scaling ladders are provided
with large, strong steel hooks 10 catch IL
a | window sills or on the edges OF roofs, ant
the fremen soon become so pronclent II
their use that they can go to almost an.
a part of building with very little danger
In practice the men go up the front OF
t building to the roof, cross over from win
I dow TO window or take ZlgZag cours
e up and down across the front. The lad
e ders are light, and ii is apparently al
: easy matter for a fireman TO stand on
a window sill and hook his ladder on III
q | sill OF window above or TO one side AM
!, | repeat the operation until he has gon
e entirely over the building.
e Then there is practice with the life nets
: when men leap unconcernedly from secon
S or third floors and are safely caught b
their comrades in the street.
o One OF the newest devices for life saw
S ing is the life line and belt with whic
!, | every truck company is provided. Thi
g consists of stout leather belt sufficient
II long to be .bucllled, around the fireman an
n the person whom he is TO rescue. Secured
: fastened to the belt is stout snap hool
In use. a stout hook is fastened to a win
dow sill or some heavy piece OF furniture
!. strong steel ring is secured to the hool
and through this the life line is run.
= Is then fastened to the hook in the lii
belt and the fireman lowers himself an
e the person he is saving gently to th
n ground. The men are thoroughly traine
:. in the use of life line, and they woul
Il consider it simple matter to rescue
y heavy man from a tall building.
h The horses, which form an important pa
v Of the fre-fghting service. are also care
a fully trained. and they soon learn to kno
that when the gong sounds they must tai
Is their places at the apparatus. Horses, lii
"a men, dlfer IN their temperamentS, an
n while as a rule horse will learn in tw
~ or three days what is expected of him. II
department occasionally gets hold of a hor:
that will require from three to four weel
to learn. When once they understand the
ST duties no further trouble is experience
" Some of the horses are SO intelligent tn
m they will run to their places as soon
the gong is struck and place their necl
u beneath the collars ready to have them loy
Ell cred and snapped on. AS general thin
d, the horses are fond of going to fires, al
will show their impatience and disappoin
m ment whenever they are hooked up and {
D not leave the house. This happens ofte
Id for no matter where fire may be, eve
s. company in the city gets ready to go out
I'd soon as the gong is struck. AS ruI
lg everything is in readiness before the nun
e, ber is struck off.
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i'd NoN-CoMBATANT HATE US.