Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-02
SOME FACTS ABOUT
FIRES
Census Bureau Figures ReIa-
tive to Fire Ladies' and
Losses.


Especial Correspondence 10 Morning Journall
Washington, u. G.. Dec. 30.-The
number of city employees OF the fire
departments in the 1853 cities treated
Of in the forthcoming United States
Census Bulletin No. 1O5, relative to
the statistics Of cities or 10000 and
more estimated population in 1907,
was 2s,055, or nearly three-fourths of
the number Of employees Of the police
departments in the same cities.
Fire protection in many cities, how
ever, is furnished in large measure by
volunteer fire organizations, so that
the fire fighting force is somewhat
larger than the police force. can men
are numerically unimportant in the
cities with a population Of over 1907
600. and in the last few years there
has been a marked tendency for all
cities of over 10000 inhabitants to re-
place call men with regular men.
1t is stated that. by presenting the
number of regular firemen per 10000
inhabitants, the number per 1000
acres OF land area, and the number
per 100 miles of improved streets, OPP
portunity is afforded for comparing
the effective strength Of the depart
ments Of the different cities. The
number per 10000 inhabitants is
probably the best measure of fire
protection.
An Increase in Appropriations.
The appropriations for 1906 and
1907 as given in the bulletin include
the anticipated expenditures for out
lays and for maintenance The APP
preparations for 1907 amounted to
s3S $500 $50. an increase of SS,64S,S56,
or 10.5 per cent, over the previous
year. This, however. does not mean.
il is stated, that the expense of MAIN
tanning the departments increased at
that rate. for a portion of this amount
was appropriated for the purchase Of
land, the construction Of buildings.
and for new apparatus. The per cap
ital appropriation for the $50 cities re-
porting was S1.65.
The per capita cost Of mainter nee
of fire departments in foreign cities is
according to the bulletin. much lower
than in cities of the United States,
computations recently made by {
states Geological survey plac-
the per capita expense in Berlin
NJ S0.26, London at S0.19, ST. Peters
burg at S0.22. Paris at S0.2f. Milan
AZ S017 and Stockholm at $0.23. The
cautions that the inference
should not be drawn from these data
hat the fire departments OF this coun-
Try are not economically adminis-
erred. The low per capita cost of
abroad is the result of {
building regulations. more I
nearly fireproof buildings and greater {
PRECAUTIONS To prevent the occurrence {
IF fires. The foreign municipalities =
make no payment for water for =
Ire purposes, m expense incurred by
bout two-fifths of the departments in I
he large cities of this country. {
In those cities for which complete
eports were made there were SS.255 4
ire alarms during 1907 ana 7s.507 q
Tres. of which 52.343 resulted in loss y
s. In other words. only 59.3 per
ant of the alarms were for fires C
'hich occasioned loss. Similarly dis is
asarding those cities with Incomplete a.
the total loss through fires I
as S4S.676.71o. on which insurance Y
as paid amounting to Sf2.655.7 35, Il
avlng "a net loss OF ~S6.02l.005. or
4 per cent.
The total fire loss per capita was
and the net loss per capita b
lbs. OF the total loss reported,
partition of the total on buildins
~ the total on their contents was r.
rned Tor S~iS.3OS.OSl. Showing th1 .
N.965.t77, or 5g5 Der cent, was Il -
.ldinss and Szs.242s54, or Co. peN a