The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-16
FIRE EQUIPMENT STATISTICS.
Figures Showing the Fire Apparatus
and Hose in Service and Reserve in
Cities of 1000 Population and
Over.

For the third successive year Fire
mems Herald has taken a census of
the fire apparatus and hose in service
and reserve in American and Cana
dian fire departments, also of the
possible purchases during 1916. This
years enumeration includes the cities
of 1000 population and over. OF
these cities the fire chiefs of $40 have
responded to requests for information.
In last years enuLneration the statts-
tics for 500 cities were presented SO
that this year an increase of more
than 80 per cent. in the number of cit
les reporting has been obtained.
The rapid elimination of the horse
drawn apparatus from the service is
strikingIy shown by a comparison be-
tween this years census and that of
1914. In that year 315 cities were
pulled by Dobbin. This year more
than twice that number of depart
ments, including the original 315, are
entered, and yet the number of horse
drawn pieces of apparatus in service
and reserve is less by over 1000.
The taibu1ation for this year shows
that in these $40 cities there are 9,295
pieces of apparatus of all sorts in SER
vice and reserve. The total for
horse-drawn equipment is $3.50,
while there! are 3,426 autorn obiles. A
heavy deduction must be made from
the horse-drawn vehicles to- provide
for the large number that are nom
inally held in reserve, but are in re-
atty carried on fire department books
because it is not easy to find purchas-
ers at fair prices.
OF the horse-drawn pieces, steam
fire engines continue to be far ahead
of all others, numbering 1,758, which
total includes a considerable number
that will in all likelihood never again
q,
and hose carriers number 2,163;
aerial and, service trucks and water
towers total 945s and there are 1908
other horse-drawn pieces of all
classes.
AS has been the case with the pre-
Vious tajbuIations made by Fireman's
Herald, the serviceable combination
chemical and hose ear again leads the
motor apparatus with a total of 1,O12
What appeared to be hesitation in ad-
opting the triple combination pump
chemical engine and hose car seems
to have disappeared as there are 385
of these registered, as against 290
straight automobile pumping engines.
Ladder trucks and water towers num-
Der 313; tractorized pieces 573 and all
other fire automobiles, most of them
chiefs cars, total 853.
The fate that s<befallen- horse
drawn apparatus in the fire service
is again shown by this years census
of possible purchases. OF the auto
mobiles, sos are listed. while of the
horse drawn the total stands at Z. /
When it is considered that for obvious
reasons the enumeration of possible
purchases is not and cannot be any
where near complete SO far as motor
apparatus is concerned, while the de- /
that are condemned to I
horsed vehicles are not likely to in
crease their purchases, it is plain |
that in a year or two future pur-
chases will not mention the horse at
all |
OF the additions to be made this
year, chemical and hose cars are
again to the fore with 243. Pumping
engines number 81; triple conb1na-:
tons, rs; hose cars, 81; chemicals, IA; /
aerial and service trucks and water
towers, 112; tractors, 140; other au-
tomobiles, 1O5.