The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-21
IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT
In Fire Protection for the City Needed.
Pertinent suggestions Made by the
Representative of the Fire Proven
tIOn Association.
(Banner)

Six of the nine councilmen and |
quite a large number of citizens gath
cred at the city council chamber
Thursday afternoon TO hear the re-
ports of the several committees of
the Florida Fire Prevention Associa-
tion.
Mr.. Fellers was selected to explain
the object of the committees vista
ton to our city, which was the same
as that outlined in our local columns |
Thursday morning.
Mr.. Fellers stated that the several
committees had made more than two
hundred and fifty inspections through |
out the city, including the fire and
pumping stations, the churches, |
schools and other public buildings,
and a large number of residences and
business houses, and of this number
it were safe to say that as many as
seventy-five per cent. were defective
and invited confiagrations.
Mr. Fe1lers followed his carefully
worded reports with oral explanations
and suggestions as they occurred to
him, and altogether the several re-
ports were most Illuminating, instruct
i've and important
The report on our water supply, for
instance, shows how seriously the
plant is exposed, and if the menace
which threatens it should result in a
conhagration, not only would the city
be without fire protection for an in
definite peroid, but within ten hours
after it's destruction the citizens
would be without water for drinking
and domestic purposes.
other suggestions will be found as
interesting.
The following are the reports of the
several committees:
Water Supply
We recommend that a duplicate sup
ply main be added, from the pumping
station to the service distribution sys-
tenn, same to be under proper gate
valve control and so routed as to per-
feet loop or grid-iron system of sup
ply. The Importance of this improve
ment will be readily appreciated when
the danger of accident to the present
one-supply pipe is considered.
In view of heavy and increasing val
ues in one of your manufacturing sec
tions, we strongly recommend extern
sion of the six-ineh main along North
Fifth street to Osceola, thence north
on Osceola street and connect with
the six-inch main on Pierce street,
thereby completing loop through a
growing manufacturing district.
Test of the capacity of a hydrant
main, four inches in diameter and on
a dead end, on osceola street near
the plant of the 0cala Manufacturing
Company, showed static pressure et
so pounds and flowing pressure o.
IA pounds through 3-4-inch nezzle
the little disehargtng 10 gallons pei
minute, flowing pressure through
215-ineh open hydrant butt was only
4 pounds, discharging 400 gallons pc
minute The accepted standard fo
a good fire stream is a flowing stream
of As pounds through l 1-8-inch noz
zle, .discharging $50 gallons per min
ute Thus it will be seen that tn
water supply at this location is mad
equate. An examination of the layou
of the water mains of your waite
works system shows that long line
Of 4-ineh and 6-inch pipe on dead end
are in use. From a fire protectio
standpoint, finch mains are made
auate and their use for this purpos
In nearly all cities and towns is bein
abandoned. Also, long lines of 6-inc
pipe are Objectionable, in that fri'
tion soon reduces the pressure to sue
extent as to render good service in
possible. Therefore, for these re;
sons alone we recommend that n
more 4-inch pipe be laid on thos
streets where fire protection is requi
ed. and that wherever the present an
increasing values of any district d
mand better water supply for fire pr
Fection the same be secured by the e
tension of the system with pipe of
inch diameter, or larger, in the for
of loop, or what is known as Il
grid=iron system, plans and details f
which, prepared by engineers of re
ognized ability win be furnished fir
OF charge,
We find that while under favorab
conditions you might handle an or,
nary FIRE occurring at some one
the city's lowest points, there are
number of long pipe lines where I
pressure and supply are so reduc
BY friction that the protection is re
dered inadequate; and in other d
triets, principally the residential 81
ton, we are informed that there
practically no protection.
For these reasons We strongly r,
ommend the purchase of an auton
bile truck, carrying a two-stream t
engine, chemical engine and hose.
urge special consideration of this r
ommendation for the reason that W
your present system it is impossi
to Increase the pressure over
maximum now available.