The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-10-15
FIRE PROJECTION.

Al the last meeting OF the CONNER
cial Club. President Lewis, at the sug-
eastion of the members present, called
public meeting lOr next Tuesday
evening, at the lihl uy building, for
the special purpose OF organizing fire
companies to take charge OF the appa-
ratus. 1t was plainly apparent at the
late fire that there was a total absence
of any organized fire department,
When the alarm sounded there was no
movement toward tho hose houses, and
tbe only way the carts reached the
scene of the fire was through the eXer-
tions of a few older men, some of them
absolute strangers in the town. More
over, there appeared to be no knoWl-
edge 0 fthe location of the hydrants. no
hydrant WrenChea nor SpannerS, and 4
mart of the hose had been reeled on
cart wrong end TO. After the fire there
was no organized company to timber
I'D and care for the hose 1t was simply
chaos, and with same conditions exist
ing at a fire of any magnitude, or in
locality where adjoining property
would be in jeopardy. much valuable
time would be lost ringing leads and
turning on water This is little short of
criminal carelessness or disaster in
yitng Indifference.
The town is well supplied with fire
fighting apparatus, much better than
most towns of this size There is an
abundance OF hose for all ordinary
purposes, on two reels, one located
north of the track and the other
on the south side. Also a chemical en-
gine and asmall ladder truck In addi-
ton and most important, there is an
excellent water pressure, pressure
that insures a heavy stream of a vol
ume sufficient to smother almost any
fire that might break out if taken in
time. What is needed, and imperatively
needed, is organized fire companies,
with an authoritative head. These
companies should be assigned to each
piece of apparatus, and at the first
alarm the members should Immediate
ly repair to the station where the
apparatus is housed. 1T should be the
duty of every fireman to- know the To-
cation of every fire Plug, and the tools
for speedy connections should be with
the carts. This is simply advice that
can be adopted or rejected when or
ganization is completed.
Let every business man, ana eSp6C-
tally every young man with the vim
to lend assistance in the time of
threatened danger, attend the meeting
next Tuesday evening and enroll as a
member of the department. The town
is too small for a paid department,
and all service must be voluntary.
1t is a cause that should enlist the
aid of every resident of the town, as it |
has, and does, in other towns where
a paid service is impossible. There is
much property at stake in Oroyille in
case of conflagration and it behooves
every property owner to use his influ-
ence to secure means for it's protec-
tion. Safety depends largely upon a
well organized fire department. That |
is what the town is sorely in need Of |
Fortunately in the past there has been
little service for the fire apparatus but
the town can not always remain inn
mune, and as it grows, danger from
fire increases. Now is the time to get
ready to be prepare d for any emer-
gency. Remember the time and place
and attend this important meeting.