The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-05-27

wound Will not respond 10 the patrol
call but will respond TO a general
fire call from police station.
T1is gives us three distinct and
separate systems for calling GU the
| fire department, viz: The GamewelI
system, the Southern Bell Telephone
exchange system and the police tele-
phone system; an advantage that is
of unknown value to our citizens and
one that is not eXcelled by any other
city in the United States
The electrician reports that he has
made 400 inspections of old and new
work; examined and issued certifi-
Gates to five master electricians. The
general wire condition has improved
greatly during the past year
The city of Pensacola naS now
grown to such an extent that a police
AMI fire alarm operator is necessary
and respectfully recommend that the
room in the city Jail designated as
the recorders room be fitted up as
an operators room and that the
GameweIl Fire alarm system, the
Southern Bell Fire alarm phone No.
1000 and the police telephone system
be wired into this room where the
operator can receive and record all
reports of the police and attend to
the fire alarm system He should al
so have a map of the city showing
the location of the fre alarm boxes,
police telephones and fire hydrants.
If this is done the records o. this
department will be of mucl more
value than at present, as the desk
sergeant that renders this report car
not give the care and attention to the
details of this report that this opera
tor could give. Besides this the opera
tor could doubtless save the fire de
nartment many useless runs. for ex-
ample: IF a message is received from
East Hill that a fence or a pile or
trash in a citizens yard is on fire
the operator will send the East Hill
wagon, while under the present Sys-
tenn two wagons and the hook and
ladder truck would respond and
should another fire break out imme-
diateIy thereafter the horses would be
in condition to reach it with the dis
patch that they should.
IL order that this operator would
be Independent from the police and
fire departments, l respectfully rec
ommend that he be employed by and
under the direction of the city cleo
trician.
| respectfully recommend that five
miles oG No. 10 weather proof cop
rer wire be purchased to replace the
present fire alarm wire as the insula-
ton on the present wire has worn
to such an extent that it is not giving
the service that it should.
Fire Department.
The fire department answered 146
calls during the year, telephone, 100;
GameweII automatic boxes, 40, and
still alarms, 6. The classes Of build
irgs where fires occurred were:
Frame, 122: brick and stone, 13;
corrugated iron, 2;sautQmeble, /; yes
sells, 2. Total amoITsn Off loss, $751;
272 Insurance, $421, 1875.
Fifteen of the above fires were
in locations where il was impossible
to reach the fire with water and /
would recommend that the water
mains be extended into the most
thickIy settled portions of the city
that have no protection now as soon
as it is possible to make the ex-
penditure.
There are now sixteen fine horses
in the FIRE department Never in the
history of the city has its live stock
been up to the present standard and
the only need now is an additional
horse and a three horse hitch for the
chemical wagon as it is too heavy for
two horses and I respectfully recon-
mend that this be taken care Of in
the next budget.
l further recommend that CHIEFS
buggy be purchased and that an of
fee be fitted up for the chief of
this department, and that 1000 feet
o. hose be purchased | would rec
omInend the erection OF a training
tower about seventy feet in height
where the men from every company
in the city could practice with the
ladders and streams of water
The chief in his report takes Occas-
ion tc pay a tribute to the members
o: the department COR the valuable
services rendered and for their good
behavior, pTOmptneSs to duty and uni
form efforts to better the department
to which I take pleasure in adding
my approval as their efforts have
been productive of making a better
FIRE department for the city of Pen
sacola.
The improvements made during tle
past year are as follows: One steam
fire engine; one combination chemi-
cal engine and hose wagon; estab-
lished and fitted up one fire station
III the southwestern portion of the
city, equipped one wagon with lad
ders; purchased 1000 feet of hose,
two pair of horses and added firemen
to the department. besides purchasing
relief valves. shut-Off nozzles. hydrant
gates and other equipment
I respectfully recommend that the
salary system o. the fire department
be changed to the service schedule
paying the older men more for con-
tip"OuS service.
Police Department
The report of the marshal shows
that there were 1905 arrests made
during the year of which 2.73O were