Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-09-21
FIRE CHIEFS, MAYORS
AND TOWNSHIP CLERKS
Must, Under Penalty, Report Fires TO the
Fire Marshal.
Common Fire Causes.

Common Fire Causes
The success of the fire marshal de-
ponds largely upon immediate report
from fire chiefs of every fire in which
there are circumstances which furnish
ground for suspicion that it was started
Intentionally.
The fremen on breaking into a burn
ing building may get an odor of kero-
sene; or may see that the fire started
in two places; or may fiud beds or stairs
oil-sOaked; or may learn that the own
er stood by making no effort to save
his furniture; or that the insurance on
the house or its contents was more than
its value; or if it be store burning
they may learn that the owner was III
financial straights. In some cities the
chief mails double post card to the
owner of burned building in the re-
turn half of which there are blanks for
value, loss and insurance. The facts a
chief must put i'll the fire marshaI's
blank are only those he keeps for his
own official record.
Burning to defraud is most common
IN cities; burning from malice or for re-
verge in the country.
Few of those required to report fires
in cities and villages can draw a fee
for 1t, because fire chiefs and mayors
VINO have fixed salaries OF more than
300 a year are not given fees.
Township Clerks.
The township clerk Oh hearing Of fire
IN which the loss is said to be more than
30, or it the cause of the fire is un-
known, must notify the fire marshal
forthwith and must begin an investiga-
ton OF the circumstances within two
days. The blank furnished to all report
ers must be filled and forwarded within
week. A fee blank will be furnished
which is TO be filed in at the end of the
year, when payment will b. made The
fee is 81, and 10 cents mile to and
from the place of the fire. Reports &C
suspicious circumstances attending a fire
are kept absolutely secret by the fire mar
shall, so one does not make an enemy by
giving information
The penalty for failing to report a
fire is $50 to 5000.
Indicating the Cause.
''Carelessness' cannot be accepted as
the cause of fire for the reason that
the majority of all fires are from the
carelessness of some one. All fires, ex-
cept those started by the burning of an
adjacent building or by an incendiary,
result from either carelessness, or igno-
rance.
Adjoining fire" is used to Indicate that
the fire was started from the heat or
sparks from a building burning near by.
Ashes against wood covers all fires
started by putting hot ashes or Goals
into boxes or barrels or against siding or
fences. Ii the cause is a coal dropped
through q crack in the stove, it is charged
to defective stove"
Burning rubbish" indicates the cause
to have been sparks from IA pile of rub
bish which was being burned TO get of it,
while rubbish burning" indicates that IA
spark or blaze by accident lighted rubbish
which had accumulated from neglect.
Chimney SCOT burning" is the label
for fires from dirty chimney burning
out. This is very common accident
but it seldom fires house that has Il
good roof and many housewives know
that a handful of salt on the fire below
it will extinguish burning SCOT.
defective hue" is the most common
fire cause. The word 'fiue" indicates
the whole avenue of escape from the
fire to the outside air. 1t is the stove
pipe and chimney taken together.
"Overheated stove" is not satisfac-
tory statement of the cause of fire.
The reporter should say if the floor or
siding or other material was ignited by
the heat of the stove. A sound stove
properly placed and protected cannot
fire building by being oyerheated.
Failure TO properly install and care
for heatgAs costs Wisconsin people more
tlRSn half a million dollars a year. If
father would see that the door and wall
near the kitchen stove were protected,
and have needed repairs made in stoves
and tlues before the first cold wave of
winter. and then take fifteen minutes
each month TO look them over. the say
ing would not be far from 100000 in
the state.
spark The source of the spark and
what it ignites should be given. II from
an engine the kind of an engine respon-
sible for it should be mentioned. | want
to know just how much sparks from To-
comotiyes stationary and traction en-
gines. especially traction engines, burn
up in a year.
lightning being the cause, give au-
swers to the following questions: Did
the building have lightning rod on it!
| If il was rodded. how long had the rod
| been up? Was it in good repair: How
was il grounded? Did it have two ends
| in the groundy
Because of the enormous losses on
| farm barns from lightning. ! want to
| learn if any of the lightning rods now
in use in Wisconsin fail TO give protec-
ton.
THOMAS NJ. PURTELL,
State Fire Marshal
/