The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-02
They Are Serving Last Year and Bridgeport Fire Department Will Soon Be on
 Permanent Basis
Many Plans Suggested to Improve Service Can Engineers Do Their Own St0k 0kngShlTts Instead of BI0uses ExaTnna- tlon for Engineershuto Apparatus Must Run Slower.

This is the last year of the callmen in the local fire department. The first of the 20 odd callmen to be dis pensed with will be the five call en- gineers, all of the present incumbe nts being given an opportunity to qualify for permanent positions.
 Commissioner Frank L. Cogi11 said: i"As we have money enough coming for ten new men I believe the en- gineers should have the first consid- eration. I believe this board should give up an evening to the examina- their qualifications. It should be both written and oral examination, consisting wholly of questions about the running of a fire engine"
 Commissioner Wallace G. Taylor was of the opinion that the engineers would give better account of them- selves in practical examination than in a written one.
 MT. Cogill said that he believed that the practical examination should count more in the marking up of the men than the written side. He ex- pressed a belief that there should be more men in the department who know how to run engines and for that reason he believed that all of the stokers and as many of the hOsemer1
 
 tunity to take an examination in en- zine running, from time to time, so that the commissioners may know who is competent when an emergency demanded that man be taken fire I the ranks and placed in charge of an engine.
 At the meeting last night 1t was brought out that No. engine is without an engineer, or a stoker, En- gfneer Thomas Doyle having been Ill for several weeks and Stoker William Thorme having been absent for many nalady. Engineer John O'Connor. No. chemical engine, has been looK- ing after No. 4 engine Last night it was voted to assign Hosenan Thomas Dwyer, No. engine com pany. to look after No, engine dur O'Connor is off duty. Dwyer was formerly stoker of No. 5 engine, but was displaced to make room for an- other man.
 Mir. Coeill said that conditions like that at No. 4 house revealed the fact partment do not instruct their assist. ants as much as they should.
 Further MT. Cogill said that if the proper care is taker in the appoint. may get the services of ten additional men for hose duty. He said: "Ws want to get the opinions of all the engineers as to whether they can run their engines without stokers. re- gently witnessed an examination of engineers in New York and in the. practical test they were all obliged to run their engines and do their own stoking. There is no reason why the same thing cannot be done here. If it can we may have these stokers for hose duty, and call upon them when they are needed to take care of the engines"
 Commissioner Joseph D. Hartigan said that he hoped the time would the depa rtment would be permanent.
 President Dwight 0. Wheeler said: There will soon have to be a time when there will have to be quite a large bunch of men appointed to tho We will have to be ex- ceedingly careful that we get men who are good men physically. There are a number of the older men in the department who will have to be that there are a number of men who are physically incapacitated who wiu have to be put on the pension lisG. For the benefit of the department and to prevent the fixing of a big per- manent expenses upon the Pension Fund the utmost care should be talk en in the men whom we appoint. As for the call engineers, I understand there are some old men among them who do not want to be permanent men, and who would prefer retire- ment."
 Commissioner Cogill was made committee of one to prepare the questions and arrange for the exams- nation of the firemen who wish to be-