The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-28

men scale the steel walls and finally
the one-man drill is taken up. Each
man Is obliged to take part in all the
drills SO that in case of fire he will
be perfectly at home under any con-
ditions.
Another and an important aim of
the fire department in conducting the
pompier drill is to create endurance
and wind among the men. A few drills
on the tower is as good as a course in
gymnasium and results in staying
qualities Of the first order.
Fire Escape Drill.
In addition to the pompier drill
tnere are the fire escape and stairway
drills. These are both for the pur-
pose OF creating endurance and are ex-
tremely firing. One after another the
men are required to rush pell NELL up
three or four flights Of stairs and down
again. This practice is continued as
long as the men can stand It, Then
they are sent up the fire escapes for
speed purposes.
The drill is an extremely interesting
affair, and each day goodly sized
crowd gathers about the pompier tow
er. The local firemen are becoming
highly efficient in the handling of the
pompier ladders, and are able to shin
up the sides of the tower in less time
than it takes to tell about it.
The four-man drill Is the one most
used In active service and is conse-
quently practiced the most. The duty
of the four is mainly the placing OF
hose, which, owing to its weight, re-
quires more than one man to handle
it. The drill as practiced on the tower
consists in the No 1. man placing his
ladder against the first section of the
tower and mounting to the first land
ing. He then removes the steel arm,
hofsts the ladder into the air, catches
it on the second landing and mounts
once more. BY this time No. 2 man
has mounted to the first landing and
by the time the first man has reached
the third landing No. 3 is perched on
the first. When No. 1 reaches the
fourth landing No. has reached the
first, and SO the ascent goes on in re-
lays until the top is reached. The de-
cent is made in the same manner, only
No. 4 takes the lead
1t is not always possible in real
service to secure footing on the
window lodges, and in cases of this
kind the ladders are passed upwards
to the first man, who pushes them up
ahead of him. The two-man and one
man drills are conducted on the same
principle as the four-handed climb.
Experts Now.
Although the pompier ladder has
been in service many years ami the
local department has carried the lad
ders on the trucks for twenty years,
it has not been until recently that the
great value of the system has been
fully appreciated. Chief ]. ]. Strapp,
when appointed as chief engineer by
the fire board, Immediately undertook
to place the pompier drill on the high
est footing, and the daily drills have
been the result. Gradually the men
have become accustomed to the lad
ders and their usages until now the
entire department is able to man them
at moments notice. But the drills
will continue regularly despite the fact
that the men are now thoroughly at
home on the slender rods. During fair
week the daily practice will be discon-
tinued, but from then on there will be
two drills each day.
1--WE are becoming proficient in the
art of scaling walls with our steel
hooks,'" said Second Assistant Chief
Rodecker at the conclusion of the last
drill of the week Thursday morning,
land we intend to keep up the prac-
tice, for the pompier work is one of
the most important branches of the
entire service"