The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-07-27
F|REMEN'S SCHOOL.
Commissioner Erickson is
Confident of its Estab-
lishment.

Ine establishment OIL d Trailing SShooi
as permanent institution in the Jersey
City Fire Department is now assured.
Plans for complete and modern training
school are now under the consideration OF
the commissioners. In view OF the
growth of the city and the number OF
big buildings, the Commissioners deem 1T
advisable to lose no time in putting their
plans into operation. Those who are in
any way familiar with fire fighting and
the work which devolves on a fire depart
ment, speak in the highest terms OF the
proposed training school,
1t was feared at first that the Board
of Finance would act as barrier to these
plans in refusing to supply the funds
necessary to carry out the preliminary
movements towards securing the training
school implements. But the Commission
ers have no fear for the funds with
which to establish their school of training.
What the Fire Commissioners are par
ticularly anxious to know is whether the
Finance Commissioners are going to give
them the appropriation asked for new
hook and ladder company, which they
hope to place in the old engine house on
Wayne street. now used as supply sta
ton The cost of this truck would be
about s., ,5O0 1t would be on the plan of
No. /, now located at Grand and Van
Worst streets, but more complete as to de-
tail. The cost of putting the building into
good shape would reach $1500. If this
sum be obtained the training school would
follow in the course of a month.
Commissioner Erickson, who is the
father of the training school movement
in Jersey City, is very enthusiastic over
the plan and in an interview on the SUD
ject last evening, he predicted a great
future for the fire department of this
rapidly growing community.
.The training school," said he, sis
bound to come in a very short time. The
city cannot do without 1t. Our growth
has been remarkable and we feel that it
is necessary that the fire department
should be increased accordingly.
'sThere are men in the department to-
day who have never used scaling lad
der, practiced with nets or used other
ladders. Our plan is to erect skeleton
frame work over the engine house on
Wayne street and on this the men will be
forced to practice If the. Board of FL
nance allows us the money to purchase
the new fire truck to place in this engine
house, the training school will follow
within a very short time. I will have two
men sent to New York to become pro-
ficient in all the branches of fire fight
ing and these men will act as instructors
in this department when they return. We
have the money on hand for all the train
ing school material, all we want is the
new truck and the place for the school.
Sealing ladders will be used to a great
extent for the high buildings in our city
are becoming so numerous that we feel
that the future safety of lives depends on
the ability of our men to reach the higher
stories. Then the life nets will be pressed
into service. Dummies will be used at
first, and then the men will jump into the
nets in order to gain confidence in them
selves There are ever so many men who
are afraid to climb ladders because of the
lack of assurance. We hope to give the
men confidence by the training school
methods. The coupling of hose is another
matter that needs attention. There are
thousands of other matters to- be looked
practice when the school is formed. We
have money on hand to equip first class
training department. Some OF this came
from funds left over in the recent pur-
chase of the two new engines and the sale
of several bells and old material. On the
taken care of in the very near future