The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-27
ARE FIRE FIGHTERS
 ADEQUATELY PAID?

Extzact from article published in Fire and Water Engineering:
 There seems to be a general belief hat members of fire departments In he United States are inadequately paid for their services when the severe n1ture of their calling s considered This journal which has always been ! persistent advo-are of improvements tn the fire service of the country is Df that opinion. too There cannot De step to take in bringing about such oetterment is by offering those active ly engaged in it compensation com mensurate with the duties that have
 If the laborer be worthy of his hire how much more worthy must be the men who take so many dangerous chances while engaged in the dis charge of a perilous duty. The com ysanity that refuses to compensate those who band themselves together to save life and protect property is not one in which any progressive or re specting person would care to reside. Poor parsimony never dld much to build up localities, but on the contrary has so impoverished them that decline of property and population was certain to be the result
 the alert for the tap of the gong or sound of the whistle and the subse- quent risk of death or injury by bmOke, Qre or IdllQE WdllS- 11eTS must be fire protection in every muni- cipality, no matter how large or small Fires will occur from hundreds of un- known causes and means must be at hand to stay their progress
 In the list of one hundred and thir- ty-four cities given, ranging from 1000 to 5000. 900. it will be seen that there are many of them where the chief and his. men are inadequately paid It must be borne in mind that when Rrr n himself along All grades to the highest rung of the ladder ne Is an efficient officer and is entitled to an adequate salary in proportion to the size and importance of his depart ment To show that this is not all ways the case there are three cities with nearly the same size populations. yet the saralaries are g, 500. Si.oo0 and s6, GOO respectively. the last named be- ing the smallest city of the three And, again. in three others the most import ant one gives only $1.SO0. while the other two have $2.500 each So 1t IS that there is an inequality in settllng salaries and an injustice perpetrated upon their recipients which ought to he set right at once. and 1t IS to De hoped that in presenting these figures the fire commissioners will take im- mediate action to see that the men of their departments are adequately paid Tor the onerous duties they are called upon to perform As with the heads, SO all along the line the inequalities ought to be remedied by bringing the underpaid men up to a proper stan dard- The chief of the New York fire department only receives s10.000 year. yet he answers more alarms and attends to more detail in his depart ment than the chiefs of probably any two or three of the next largest cities fin the country When the authorities of some places look over the list or salaries given by this journal. it win make them turn away with shame, as there is no doubt one-haR the men in the service are underpaid and overworked- The tendency at the present time is we'll to note that in some cases the city officials see the fairness of the de- mands and grant the increase. For in stance, in Waterbury, Conn. the pe- fition of the men for an increase from $500 to s1, 1000 was promptly granted, while at Chicopee, Mass, an increase of s6o year has been given the three year men, The claims of the men that there is a steady increase in prices of the necessaries of life while their sal aries have stood still Is very fair. and now that there is a general demand for small increases 1t is to be hoped there will be no unnecessary parsi- mony shown in netting out the small but fust demands made. No life Is so hard as that of a fireman. There Is not a minute he can call his own. while his constant attendance on duty for the best and bravest among us It is not a question then of paying for service perfunctorily performed. but of giving an adequate wage to the men who earn every dollar of 1t in the perform&nce >of an arduous and hazardous calling
 
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