The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-06-22
FIRE ASSOCIATION IN TOWN.
CAME HERE TO INSPECT CITY
AND TO TELL PEOPLE OF
MEASURES TO PREVENT
FIRES.
sumter the Fifth Place to Be Inspect.
ed-ROck Hill, Spartanburg. Flor
ence and Orangeburg Having Al
ready Been Inspectcd-Thirty In.
spectOrs in Party-Public Meeting
in Chamber of Commerce Hall In
Afternoon at & o'clock.
From the Daily Item, June l9.

From the Daily Item, June l9,
The South Carolina Fire Prevention
Association is in this city today en-
gagged in inspecting the premises and
buildings all over the city and. at a
meeting tonight, when the inspection
is completed, to be held at 6 o'clock in
the Chamber Of Commerce hall with
the city council which the public is
cordially invited to attend, steps will
be discussed and preventative meas
ures advised by which Sumter will in
future, If they are followed, be en-
abled to prevent many Of the fires
which have in the past visited this
city.
There are in attendance thirty
special representatives Of the largest
and Oldest fire insurance companies
In this country, they will meet with
the city council in the rooms Of the
Chamber Of Commerce at o'clock
this afternoon. Every one is invited
to attend this meeting, especially The
property owners and business men
who have the interest Of Sumter at
heart.
This association is composed Of
those who are interested in the reduc-
ton Of the terrible fire waste in this
State, being members Of the National
Association that is conducting a
"Clean Up" campaign throughout the
Union.
The movement was started by the
State and special agents Of the differ
ent fire insurance companies, but
every one interested is eligible to
membership and urged to join and
help toward putting stop to the USE
ess fire waste.
The annual ash heap in America is
too great to be fully realized when ex-
pressed in figures-a little over 100000
per minute-for North America-the
loss in human life is no less stagger-
ng, disgraceful monument to Ameri-
can carelessness. The aim Of the as
sociation is to help reduce this loss
and for this purpose, meet in some
town in this State each month for the
purpose of making a detailed inspec-
ton of the cOngested or mercantile
district. asking that owners and occu-
pants follow their suggestions as to
the best way of avoiding fires in
their individual buildings. Usually
the suggested changes are so simple
as to be overlooked, but experience
has taught the fire underwater that
fires can only be avoided by close at
tention to the simplest of precautions,
such as "ashes in wooden boxes,
stoves without metal protectors"
wooden spittoons." "spittoons filled
with saw dust" accumulation Of
| trash in closets or easements" (These
have been the defects most frequently
noted during previous inspections)
This inspection has nothing to do
with the advancing or lowering OF
| insurance rates-its aim is fire pre-
vention, and when the fire loss ratio is
lowered the rates will be less as they
are increased with the increase Of
losses.
South Carolina has led the United
States in a number Of things-led the
Confederate States out in 1S61-She
was "hot" then and in different
sense is still hot-having one of the
greatest fire loss ratios in the United
States. A large percent of this loss
| is due to carelessness in neglecting
| the simplest precautions, it is this
element Of the fire hazard that the
association is trying to bring before
the public and for this reason asks
the hearty CO. operation of the proper
| ty owners, real ing that without their
support very little will be accomplish
ed and with their aid great deal
will be possible.