The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-10-23
Fire Protection
Suggestions

Blackfoot needs better water sys-
tenn; it needs macadamized streets;
it needs a volunteer fire department
we'll drilled, and it needs many other
things, but most of all it needs
educating ON fire prevention.
A few years ago we needed on fly
prevention, and a great deal of atten-
ton has been given to that subject,
with the result that flies are scarcer
and the old conditions of five and
ten years ago will never be tolerated
again. There are just a few plague
spots left to hatch flies, and few
places where they feed, slop barrels
back of resta rants and an occasional
open garbage can or pile of waste in
the garden, and If these people would
only wake up and do as most of the
pop lation are doing there would be
scarcely any flies.
Most of the destructive fires are
preventable, and if we give as much
attention to fire prevention for a few
years as we have been giving to fly
prevention and fly swatting, then we
shall have made a long stride in
making our water system and our
fire department equal to the needs.
During the summer there is a
heavy drain upon the water system
for irrigation, and that increases the
fire risk. The water company can
provide water for use according to
the rules, but the water that is drawn
in violation of the rules when the
pumps are not operating, depletes the
supply while people sleep and while
there is supposed to be full tank.
In the morning when the pumps start,
after about four hours inaction, and
at a time when people gare starting
their fires and are liable to have
trouble, there is a scant water sup
ply. In winter time some people
whose water pipes are not properly
protected will open faucets and allow
the water to run all night to pre-
vent freezing, and that depletes the
water supply in the tank unknown
to anybody, and if fire starts, some
body else has to suffer for the vast
ing of the water stored for fire pro-
lection. ~ !,
An important part of the task of
preventing fire is for those people to
protect their pipes before the freez-
ing begins, and to stop wasting the
water. 1t is a criminal act for you
to waste the water, but it is a kind
of crime that there is no punishment
for in this country. Anything you
do that robs the community of the
water supply robs somebody of his
home or his property, if there comes
a fire when the water pressure is
not good. Any carelessness on the
part of one individual that increases
the risk or loss of another ought to
revert back to the careless one, but
this is such a free country that re-
sponsibility does not all rest where
| it belongs. A man may have an ele-
CANT home or a fine business and
have everything we'll protected from
fire, and his neighbor may have
everything haphazard and as a result
burn them both out. The haphazard
man is responsible for 1t all, but the
careful man has to stand the big
loss.
In France they have a very com.
plicated insurance system, and every
man has to carry insurance accord.
ing to the risk he creates. If he
neglects to conform to rules for safe
ty they compel him. If his property
is a menace to his neighbor, they
make him carry insurance to cover
the loss which his neighbor would
sustain if they had a fire. If the
man on the other side of the valu
able property has another fire traI
they make him carry insurance fol
those he puts in jeopardy. If tn,
property across the street is leopard
lied by all of them they have to take
out policies for all of them and vic,
versa. If man stores some com
bustible or inflamable goods in thu
warehouse, he has to take out /;
policy for the protection of the ware
house and everything in it, and after