Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-03-14

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made-in- Germany peace will stick at
this time.
NEEDS OF DEPARTMENT A
Chief Ogden's Recommendations to
Committee of City Council OF
Changes Deemed Necessary for Fire
Department.
The letter of recommendations
written by Chief Kenneth W. Ogden
to the committee of the City Council
relative to the needs of the fire de-
partment of Alexandria, is given
space herewith for the benefit of the
citizens in general:
Mr.. William Desmond. Chairman, Fire
Committee, City Council, Alexan-
dria, Va.
Dear Sir: | think that | would be
derelict in my duty should | refrain
longer from again recommending the
purchase of a modern aerial ladder
truck, motor driven. When | use the
word duty" l do so with full cog
nizance of the word. The need of this
apparatus is now extremely urgent.
the present truck having outlived not
only it's usefulness, but has passed
the stage of safety. When respond
ing to fire the apparatus sways from
side to side, Singing itself against
the car tracks one minute and swerv-
ing in an opposite direction next, and
it will be no surprise to me should
it literally fall to pieces. The lad
ders are rotten and positively unsafe,
and, must say to you, regardless OF
the consequences, that | cannot take
the responsibility OF placing the en-
tension ladder in service even though
the saving of life of person who
may be trapped on the top floor of a
tall building should be involved The
rounds of this particular ladder are
all loose, rails dried and rotten, and
the chains so rusty that | can say,
without fear of successful contradic-
tior, it will not support the weight
OF the extension. The lives Of the
men in the department are worth
more than. the risk, and there are
too many homes that could be plung-
ed into sorrow should this ladder be
put into use and break, carrying with
It four or five men, which is, at least,
the minimum number to be placed
thereon at time Of fire. The short
er ladders, or, at least the most of
them, are more or less in bad con-
dition and dangerous, to say nothing
of their excessive weight. ! want to
call your attention to the fact that
where these ladders are broken they
nave been pieced with iron strlngers,
and such a piece Of apparatus Is dis
graceful to our department.; further
more, even in the event that the ex-
tension ladder was safe, its length
is entirely inadequate to reach GER
tain of our buildings wherein a fire
may start at any time. The city serv-
ice truck affords a ladder no longer
than our present one; therefore, such
truck is equally inadequate and our
solution lies only in an aerial truck.
These facts, prior to my election as
chief of the department, were stated
to the best of my ability, but with
out avail, and I cannot, should this
thing continue, help putting it square
" up to every member o; council, and
if there is any responsibility, it must
be shouldered by those gentlemen as
individuals and thereby relieve me OF
the burden. l think, no doubt, that
a truck will cost more now than 1t
would have three months ago. and
have fixed the figure at S12,000.OO,
and the longer we delay its purchase
the greater the cost will be.
further recommend that our en-
tire Department be motorized and
tractorized, and that the following
changes in our equipment be made in
addition to the purchase of the aerial
truck: two (2) combination, motor
driven, hose wagons at cost OF about
So 100000 each, one (1) tractor for the
Columbia Engine at cost of about
S5,OOO.0G Place the present Reliance
Engine in reserve and purchase new
third size Metropolitan steamer. trac-
torized at cost of about $4,000,
one reserve fuel and hose car at a
cost of about S2,5O000.