St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-03-30
Our Fire Protection.
Charles W. Steele Writes of the Advantages
of Paid Department.

To the Editor of the CALIFORNIAN:
/ have been much interested in what
has been said and written of late in re-
gard to better fire protection for ST.
Johnsbury. The CALIFORNIAN is doing
splendid work in getting this very i'm
portant matter before the people.
The awful fire in the Citizens Bank
building. with it's sad loss of life, en-
phasized the feeling that impressed itself
upon US at the time two women and
three children lost their lives in the fire
in the Weeks building on Prospect Ave,
the feeling that our protection against
fire is not all that it should be.
In considering this matter, we will do
well to be moderate. careful and
thorough. We should try to profit by
past sad and expensive experience. We
should learn, if possible, just what
caused these losses of lives and property
and how similar calamities may best be
prevented.
Bearing in mind that no community,
however protected, can be called abso-
lutely free from danger by fire, we should
compare our condition with conditions
elsewhere and profit by the experience of
others as well as by our own. If it is
worth while to have any fire protection,
it is worth while to have the best. The
report of the committee at the special
village meeting of March LIST showed
plainly that St. Johnsbury's losses by
fire have been more frequent and more
serious than losses in other towns of
similar size. It also showed that the
protection in other towns of this size
was better, in a majority of the cases
cited, far better and not much, if any,
more expensive than in St. Johnsbury.
1t seems to be quite clearly demon
<a1 +Ia1&
here. The action taken by the village on
March 1st is step in the right direction
but it is only step.
We need the paid fire department and
the chemical engine. We need a ladder
truck with ladders that can be operated
quickly and effectively and manned by
force which can get to fire in time to be
of service when most needed. We need
to spend a few dollars each year for
practice of the ''call men" with this
equipment. All this we need for our fire
department. Does anyone need to be in
formed that FIVE professional fremen
with modern equipment are superior to
twenty five volunteers with ancient and
inadequate appara tusf Our best volun-
teers fully realize this. With the paid
department the whole force is at the fire
at once and early, their chief among
them, directing the fight from the begin
ming. The men are all fresh, willing,
ready, and capable. The machinery to
work with is the best.
With the volunteer department the
men are called from their work in the
daytime or from sound sleep at night,
some may be temporarily away or sick.
Those who can respond do so. When
enough of them arrive at a hose house
they start with the wagon. The others
get to the fire as soon as they can.
Many are winded and unfit for work
when they arrive. All do the best they
can under adverse circumstances and
with poor tools. After the fire has near
" consumed the building and the occu-
pants have burned to death, there is
sufficient force on hand sufficiently or
gained to put out the fire.
There are no better volunteer 6remen
anywhere than we have IN St. Johns
bury, but they are less effective than
| paid hremen for two reasons: first, be-
| cause they do not have an equal chance
with the paid or professional fremen
| because they arrive at the fire at later
and more serious stage and have poorer
| implements to work with; second, be-
cause they are not 6remen by profession,
but clerks. machinists, plumbers, car
| penters, ETC., acting as fremen. They
are amateurs. Would the best amateur
basket ball team in the country have had
a look in" with our star professional
team of 1909? How do militiamen
compare with the regulars in the army?
The comparison holds good everywhere.
| No amateur is equal to a professional.
| We need trained fremen
With the paid fire department assured
we still have another need. We need to
have our police department working in
harmony with and supplementary to our
| fire department. The police force should
be composed of bright, active, intelligent
men. One or more members of this force
| should be on duty at all hours of day or
night. 1t is probably good Judgment
that one man be at the police station as
another live. active man should be on
the streets covering as much of the
thickly populated section as he can,