The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-08-23

theatres, garages, factories and public
buildings in their district to inspect
their qualifications for resisting fire.
This inspection serves a double pur-
pose. 1t not only educates the fremen
with respect to the citY's requirements,
but it makes him familiar with the
physical features of his district. He
knows the exits, trap doors and stair
ways of every building-prlYate resi-
dences excepted, of course-he knows
where there are pitfalls that would
prove dangerous at night fire; he
knows how many occupants are in each
building and where the chemical sprink-
lers and other fire apparatus are located
All of this is very important, for fire.
fighting is not an unskilled profession,
but very scientific one. For example,
there is fire in tenement house. The
first response to the alarm is a hook
and ladder company, which finds the
building filled with smoke from a fire
WIlSIl 10 aging III tLlC SCIldt. 1NOW lllC
first order of the chief of this company,
before the ladder apparatus has been
touched at all, is to open the scuttle on
the roof of the tenement. This allows
the fire to go up inetead of spreading
out like mushroom and imperiling the
buildings on each side.
Or suppose the fire is in one of those
innumerable stores which have side
stairways that lead to apartments
above. Instead of attacking from the
front or back entrance of the store, the
firemen start their firefghting from this
side hallway, in order that the fire NAV
be kept from ascending TO the apart
ments above.
Various factors such as these must be
taken into account. A fire chief has
the lives of his men to think of, as well
as the course of the fire, and his po-
sition is not always enviable, as, for
instance, when it is the life of a trap
ped child against the life of one of his
leutenants. 1t must be SAID of New
York firemen that they usually do not
have to be urged to endanger their lives
for others.
To this technique of fire fighting the
fireman also adds his physical strength,
mental agility and courage. Sometimes
life may be saved by the fraction of a
second, so that it is absolutely essential
that the fireman should think quickly.
A few months ago, for example, Rich
ard Mangels of Hook and Ladder Com
pany No. 3 saved the lives of two men
by his quick thinking and sheer Inerve
Scaling ladders had not been brought
to the scene, when Mangels, looking
over the root of the burning building,
beheld two men clinging precariouslv
to the top of the fifth floor window
shutter, Immediately beneath him.
Standing on the coping of the roof, the
/ fireman braced a short wooden ladder
found on the roof against his legs and
extended it out so that il rested against
the shutter and wall of the building
Then with other fremen holding him,
he held the ladder in this position by
main strength long enough for the res
cued men to ascend to the roof The
physical strain of this act of endurance
was so severe that the fireman after
wards tainted and for many days car
ried the imprint of ladder on his body
Mangels received a medal of honor for
this act of bravery-a distinction which
is a great incentive to reckless merit
among the firemen. There are -
medals of honor distributed by the
Mayor each year.