The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-02
a pFRMANENT FIRE FoRcE.

The city meeting IN the opera house the
other evening discussed at some length
the necessity Of a new FIRE station and a
permanent force Of fTemen, in the inter-
ests Of better Ere protection and the avoid
anee Of higher insurance rates for Barre,
The city Is now wen equipped with mod
ern IRE apparatus sufficient for all ordin-
airy needs Of community the size Of
Barre but It ia handicapped to some ex,
tent BY not having suitable place to
house what it has 50 that it can make a
quick start when an alarm is sounded. Mr.
Phelps at the city meeting advocated a
permanent paid department Of six men.
This be estimated would cost the city. in
Guiding what would be paid the call men,
about $4,000 year running expenses.
Many have the Impression that paid de-
partment would be so much more expens-
i've to maintain than our present system OF
all volunteer men the city could not afford
It. But few comparisons will show this
il not the case. In 1908 the city expended
50, 1888 90 on It's ire department, Of which
amount S., 44S,7l was for new apparatus,
horses hose, etc, leaving the running ex-
penses at S2,Tz025. But the purchase Of
new apparatus, horses, etc, has increased
the running expenses so that for the FIRST
i've months Of 1904 the city has expended
s2,6072i, II the expenses OF the remain
ing seven months are no more than for the
first five, the total running expenses Of
the year win be S5,394.l2, aud il the
expenses for the year are at the same rate
al for the 6rst five months. they viii
reach 0,4I5.S0. This Is more than Mr.
Phelps estimate Of the running expenses
Of permanent paid department Of six
men and call men,
But can paid department be main
tanned for s6,200g the reader may ask.
The Times has consulted two city reports,
those Of Burlington and st, Adams and
here Il the result. st. Adams last year
had a permanent force Of three men. The
department responded to 81 alarms during
the year, and the running expenses for the
same we're S2,osls9. Ii Barre had been
called on 20 respond to as many alarms it
would have cost the city over $500 to
pay It's volunteer aremen alone. 70 say
nothing II she other running expenses 81
the department. Burlington has per.
manent force Of II men distributed among
four tire stations and keeps nine horses
The total expensesof the department for
1908 we're sl8,076.Il. Dividing this by
three, which would give Barre 6 men,
horses and one station, and dividing the
expense proportionately il would cost
Barre ", $50 with the large number 81
call men In BarIe's IRE department there
are co regulars, 20 substitutes and i've Of
dcers Il really costs Barre more now to
maintain volunteer department than 1t
would 4 permanent paid department Of
Six men and reasonable number Of call
men.
or the 81 ire alarms ID 81. Adams last
year 10 Of them were cared for BY the
three regular men, and IN only Il cases
we're the call men called out Barre had
had 28 alarms III the first five months Of
1904, and 85 men are called out AZ every
alarm, which is needless. Burlington had
70 alarms last year, aud the cali men we're
paid 81 ,a32. So for an the fires where their
services were required. Seventy alarms
in Barre would have cost The city $3.50
10 wages to It's call iremen alone under the
present system Barre has reached that
point where she needs permanent paid
department as a matter Of economy to the
city, as well as a matter Of better fire pro
lection to property and d resulting saving
in insurance to property owners
On this matter Of insurance rates The
Times will have more to say another time,