Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-06
IN THE EVENT Of FIRE
IMPORTANCE OF QUICK THINK
ING AND QUICK ACTING.
Good Advice to. Householders From
Chief Dutton-How to Turn
b. IJG
in an Alarm.


with his family for the summer, wrote
Chief Dutton of the fire department re-
questing information which would enable
the servants he proposed leaving in charge
of his house to act intelligently in the
event Of a fire. Chief Dutton gave the de-
sired information and the writer was so
well pleased with it that he wrote the chief
that he had communicated it to the men,
bers of his family and to his servants, and
had conspicuously posted it in his house,
so that it could be seen and read from day
to day. 'In thanking Chief Dutton for the
information" said the gentleman, st re-
marked that in my opinion he would be do
ing great service to the people of the Dis
trict by consenting to its publication. The
chiefs letter was, in part, as follows:
'In the first place, In the event of a fire
in your house, get word of it to the fire de-
partment at the earliest possible moment
for the first few moments of fire are the
all-important ones, as in those first few
moments depends it's life or death. If it be
quickly discovered. and prompt response
by the firemen is secured, it is soon con-
quered; but if not quickly discovered and
there is delay in notifying the firemen, the
flames conquer.
1.-The most common way of notifying the
fire department of fire is through a fire.
alarm box. There are more than 300 of
these boxes scattered about the city and
suburban sections, each having distinctive
number, and a certain number of fire COM
panies being assigned to each box on the
first and subsequent alarms. Learn the ex-
act location of the f1re-alarm box nearest
to your residence place of business, and
remember that all you have to do in the
event of fire is to get to that box as
quickly as possible and pull it, If you
should closely examine one of these boxes
you would find that there is glass shield
over the knob of its outer door. Break
this glass; which can be done with a pencil
o some like object. turn the knob. and the
outer door swings open. You then see
small hook with this inscription about it :
Pull the hook down once and let CO. The
very instant you let go of the hook after
pulling it down the number of the box be-
gins to sound in fire alarm headquarters,
and few seconds later its number is being
struck in the quarters of every company of
the fire department. Indeed, almost before
you have had time to step away from the
box the companies called out by it are on
their way to it at full speed.
By Telephone.
There is another way of notifying the
fire department of fire, and that is by
telephone. If you use the telephone, simply
say to central: Give, me fire alarm head
quarters. My house is on fire.. Such
message, by direction of the telephone COM
pany, is given the right of way, and when
you have been given fire alarm headquar-
ters. merely say: T live at No. - -
street (giving your number and street,. My
house is on fire. There Is no need to say
word more, for the operator at fire alarm
headquarters will do the rest, and almost
before you have had time to hang up the
telephone, he will havei one more COM
panies of the fire department on, the way
to your endangered house.
Now, If you should be so fortunate as
to have a fire company stationed very near
your house, single cry of Fire if the
company be within hearing. will suffice, for,
day and night, there is one or more mem
bers of the company on watch duty. But
in whatever way you can, get word of the
fire to the firemen as quickly as possible.
Keep cool. and when they arrive, give them
the exact location Iof the fire and such
other information as they should have
Water, of course. is the most effective
weapon with which to fight, fire. Therefore,
use water whenever it is available to ex-
tinguish fire, even If the fire be the burn
ing of a persons clothing If the clothing
of girl or woman catches fire, she should
throw herself or. be thrown to the ground
for the flames gain greater activity when
the person stands erect, this being particu-
larly so where the unfortunate is a female,
and then, II water be available, she should
be thoroughly drenched with it. If water
be not available, the fire should be smoth-
cred, II possible. with anything else at
hand, care being taken to first protect the
head, for the inhaling of a flame is said
to be much more. dangerous than severe
body burns. Therefore, make every effort
to keep the flames from the head Prevent
II possible, the running rapidly moving
ABOUT OF a person whose clothing is on
fire. especially If the person be a girl or
woman. and by all means keep such a per
son within doors, for running out into the
open air means almost certain destruc-
ton.
Act Quickly.
Never forget that fire is one of the
quickest of destructive forces. Therefore,
in the event Of a fire, think quickly and
lose not second in acting. This advice
applies in every case of fire. Remember.
too, that air Is almost as essential to fire as
1T is to living things Therefore, when you
discover a ire in a room close up that
room as tightly possible if you can do so
without endangering yourself and if the
Nre Is one you cannot extinguish, and get
word OF 1t to the fremen. If you find your
SELF IN burning building make your way
If possible, to a room as far distant from
the names as you can CO. and then, If the
means OF escape are cut off, go to the win
cow and call for help. being careful to
close the door to the room so as to keen
out the smoke as long as possible
In a burning building, less smoke and
neat Will be found near the floor and there
lore the closer you hold your face to the
floor the better enabled you will be to
breathe. So in escaping from a burning
puildlng crawl along on the floor if the
smoke be dense If water be at hand, sat
ura1e your handkerchief or towel or
sponge with it and hold it to your nostrils.
You have often, no doubt, wondered how
hremen live in the smoke and heat, but if
you mad closely observed them you would
nave seen that they were enabled to do so
by means OF large sponges saturated with
water which they had strapped to their
mouths and nostrls
II you would make your house secure
against nre. see that it's heating apparatus
IS not defective, that the chimney is regu-
larry cleaned, that there is no break in the
hues, and that waste and rubbish are not
permitted to accumulate in or about the
premises. Keep matches in metal or like
receptacles and beyond the reach Of chill
9ren. remember that gasoline and like
nulds have twice the explosive power of
gunpowder and are much more treacherous,
ana III you must have them on your premi-
ses see That they are kept in tightly closed
metal cans. Never strike or carry a light
Wnere gas or the fumes of gasoline or like
OILS may have escaped. In other words, re-
I nieInper mat ninety-nine out Of every one
nuHureo nres are due to neglect or careless
ness, and do everything you can to prevent
IN your part or on the part Of others such
neglect or careessness."i
New EnpIandI Thrift