The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-08-04

1
TO the Officers and Members of the
Ohio Fire Chiefs Association.
Gentlemen:-Your committee on
topics assigned the following topic
to me: Are the Flremen Of Ohio
Receiving Fair Compensation for the
Service Rendered."
/ had hoped that some of our old
ers members would be assigned to deal
with this important subject. / think,
with all due respect to the committee,
some other member could have
handled the subject with more grace
and talent than |. but, since it has
seen ht To call on me. | shall try and
DO the best | can in dealing with this
subject of compensation to firemen.
1t means more than money con-
sideration. A man may not be per
mitted to choose his lot in this worlG
but he may transmute its conditions
land circumstances into spiritual quail
tiles, such as fidelity, uprightness and
honor All loyal workers are dom
mated by considerations which tran
scend material and selfish advantages
lThcy are the real men OF the hour. and
they are always prepared for the
| 'Ill'I b'bNltS VI lllfs .AllN SUtll llitll
make up the body of the liromon.
The best place for the formation of,
and the meditation upon. the purest
ideal of life, is where one is isolated
from public view. This being true,
the public owes to its firemen a build
ing that they can call home--a home
which should be made as homelke as
possible, as every city requires a fire.
| l. Il,
q day, and he Knows the fire-station
as his home.
have failed ever 20 see n fire-sta-
ton which was not kept as nice and
% clean as anybodys home, II the fire.
men were given the material to do IL
with. That is one compensation the
city owes to its firemen. The other
consideration Is money compensa.
tion, for that is what keeps this world
a-gC Cing-money.
Now to get fair compensation for
the hrcmen, | shall have to take up u
few Of the important duties of fire.
, man as compared to other profess
sions or occupations. / do not be-
licvc that there are any men, of any
profession or occupation, who so fully
, appreciate the meaning of the word
. | uNlN bS w lu' lIt leHlcI5' U'lI
daily life is a continual waiting for
7 the call to duty
= The fireman Is not being paid In
I comparison to other trades. In order
to learn a trade you may start in as
u Il boy and serve three years, then de-
a mand a Standard-rate of wages. To
o become fireman, you first must be OF
u certain age, and then you must take
| ,t,,, q
u you must take n further mental eX-
5 animation, The rules are laid down
I to you.
G TO the great state of Ohio is given
q the pick of its manhood for its fire
= departments. The new fireman must
Y work for four years to get the stand
= ard-ratc of wages. When he starts
in he must provide himself with a
regulation uniform, boots and other
( clothing which cost money, and which
4 a mechanic does not have to buy. II
: n mechanic works ever so many hours
{ a day he will receive pay for the same,
o There Is no arguing the question
. that a nrem0n's occupation is not ono
of the most important trades that
there is. To become n good fireman
a man must put in a great deal ol
n his time studying his business; hc
= must study the construction of the
= different buildings; he must know how
5 to get at any part of u building in or
q der TO prevent a great loss In case OF
fire; he must know the contents OF
all buildings in his district; he must
know the water system. and he must
: keep in mind the condition of all
streets and alleys.
There Is no profession that has the
p responsibility on ones shoulders as
{ has the fireman's. All the lives and
: property of the commonwealth are
placed in his care. But, with the
= mechanic, it is different. When the
whistle blows his work is finished for
the day. with the fireman, he can
never let his business off his mind;
o his work is never done; he can never
tell what minute he will be called foI
duty. This is the class of trade that
asks. Are we receiving fair com
y pensation for what we give?"
6 To start in with, you do not re-
i ceive as much pay as the common
Q laborer In the last several years the
O cost of living has advanced consider,
r. ably, but the compensation of the fire,
man has not kept pace with it; so
= IN my opinion, W Bcl BOOu men lt
= join a fire department and to keeT
them in It after you once get them
you must give them some considera,
ton. They should receive a fair COM
e pensaton, and, also, as much pay as
: the mechanic per day, Being com
y PEELED to be on duty twenty-four hours
e a day the fireman should receive tan
G compensation for over days work
and let him know at the same time
y that, in case of sickness or injury, m
d will be taken proper care Of; or, IN
: case of death, that his widow ant
"a children win be suitably provided for
), Let him know, too, that, if he hai
y given twenty-five or thirty years OF
his life in saving lives and protecting
' property of your city he Is entitled
! to live a few years on pension which
V he so honestly has earned and de-
= serves
Some people will say, "If he is MOI