The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-08
WALDO CALLS FTUEMUN FIT
LOOK EN- OVER AND SEE FOR
YOURSELF, HE SlYS.

Thelr BraWn and Nerve Wen Testel Ne.
FoFe They Are Admitted 10 the Force
--CommlnsloneF and Croker Fight
Any LsWerlnG OR physical standard.
Fire Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
does not second the bitter arraiEDment
Of the moral and physical fibre Of the civil
service recruits Of the Fire Department
which Fire Chief Edward +. Croker made
IN Monday pfter two fremen had lOst
their lives in the warehouse fire on Wash
I inRton street because Of what the fire
chief characterized as a panic in the face
Of danger. Mr.. Waldo said yesterday
I that he believed that the itOO men VI
his department constituted a. fine body
Of men as could be found anywhere In
the city and he added that an inspection
Of any Of the fire companies was the best
/ proof Of this assertion.
The Commissioner comment was called
| forth by Cookers statement that since
the Civil Service Commission began Sc
/ Letting the firemen in 1854 a majority
Of weak mnRed. understood. cigarette
smoking men manned the apparatus and
that nothing but the leaven Of the few
old giants oG iron nerve ard sineW who
had entered the department before. civil
service requirements were instituted kept
the department TODAY from being com
pletely demOralized. Croker said that
he wanted men with lungs that could
stand smoke and nerve To obey orders
under any conditions; not bOOkkeeperS
au.N .la-Ar. wrks. vRnrttA rim a ahR first nj
Of danger
I do not want 20 he taken a. passing
criticism or comment On anything that
Chief Croker has said Commissioner
Waldo said Yesterday. Il think that
the best answer To any criticism Of the
physique Of the firemen Is an inspection
" them in any Of the houses that you
may care to visit. Look around and you
will get a. idea Of their fitness.
There are at present only ils men lett
in the whole department.. numbering
4. 40 men In round numbers. who came
! into the department before the C1Vh
Service Commission was put in charge
Of the sslectiOn Of material. That 10 less
! than per Oent. of the whole body rather
small percentage 10 be credited with
carrying the efficiency of the whole
number
-Firemen who gain their plaoea in the
department are examined twice within
thirty days by the departments physl-
clans. I do not think any puny or weak
men could we'll pass those two inspections
nor the severe tests Of their nerve and
strength that they have to undergo here
az Fire Headquarters during the thirty
days Of their probationary status. They
/ nave % handle hose cat in the back yard Of
the headquarters building. buck the
ladders and climb the building with scal-
ing ladders, and this ID a pretty high
building when Il comes 10 doing that
No. IL - not likely that any men OF
| fabby nerves and weak lungs could pass
these tests ! dO not care 10 say any
thing more az this time
IL seems that while the Commissioner
and his fire chief differ ON this matter
81 the physical and moral calibre Of the
department they are one In resisting
any attempt to lower the physical quail
| foatiOnA for prospective firemen. II was
said at Fire Headquarters yesterday
that only last week bath Commissioner
Waldo and Chief Croker went before
the Civil Service Commission and pro-
tested against that bOdy'a projected
move % drop the bars a little bit IN the
matter Of physical requirements. The
rules now stand that applicants must be
at least feet inches tall and weigh les
pounds. The project which WaldO aud
Croker united % combat was the lessen
ing 81 the height requirement by halt
sn 'nch and the weight standard by i've
nounda