The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-24

a bit in the past when the fire depart
 ment seemed little show in reaching
 your burning house, but listen to what
 Chief Houston of Cincinnati, which has the second greatest fire departmental the United States, has to say about it.. q have passed through several cities l on my present trip, but in none of them have I found such organization and good equipment -asI find in Birming- ham. sE a@e & " M aa
 "The system and cooperation of the various branches of the department is
 nearly as complete and efficient as that in use in our larger northern cities. It possibly would increase the results obtained if few more men were added to several of the stations, but, for the
 number employed. and the size of the city. I think the fire department IS
 doing splendid work" ASSET OF CITY The statement of Chief Houston was unsolicited, and therefore has added significance. The local fire department is one of the biggest assets of the city and as it is seldom noticed, except when some big conflagration occurs, and then no matater now unjust 1t may libe. the department is apt to receive more condemnation than commenda- tion. and a measure of blame laid at their door for the extent of the prop erty loss.
 Notwithstanding this, the "fire lad dies" are on the job day and night, in fair weather and foul guarding your lives and property. and if the occasion requires, ready to sacrifice life ana limb in the discharge of their duty. It might be of interest to the people of this great city to know something of the fire department and it's equip ment something of the men who follow this hazardous calling, and to 1earn how the peoples interests are being guarded. Hence this article. CONSOLIDATION EFFECTED The consultation of. the suburban Icities in the. year of 1910. into Greater Birmingham automatically took in the several fire departments and in that year the motorization of the fire de- partments began. Gradually the horse- drawn wagons were displaced by mo- tor humps and trucks and at the pres ent time the entire Birmingham fire department is motorized. From that time the fire department began to soar upward in point of efficiency, and the department naturally grew with the city, and today it is composed of 20 sta- tions situated systematically, and It now ranks among the leading fire depart ments of the south.
 If 1t were necessary to replace the
 entire present equipment, there would | be a displacement of something over | $50, 900 in the city's treasury. This Is conservative estimate, based on the ] pre-war scale of valuation. In order 1 to gain some idea of the magniture !, and power of the department, as a whole list is given of the equipment
 of each station, with the namessof the ! captains.
 FIRE STATIONS
 | Station No. l. situated at the city
 hall, J. A. Browning. captain. Equip ment. two combination hose wagons, 1 one combination pump. with capacity l of 1500 gallons; one Glacier Terrett nozzel. mounted over home wagons. and ! two pumps formerly drawn by horses are held in reserve.
 No ?, A. Brown, captain, 1900 Avenue
 D; one combination hose wagon, one steamer and one 65-foot aerial ladder.
 No. 8, 2014 Magnolia avenue; one | triple combination pumps with 800 gal
 Ions capacity; F. F. RJddy, captain.
 No 4, PA North Twenty-fourth street; l w. F. MCSOWdIl, cdptdlh,f oHC AicSS 1 wagon and one 1900 gallon triple com bination pump.
 l No 5. North Nineteenth street; cap 1 tain, F. W. Taylor, one combination hose wagon
 l No 6, 1501 Third avenue. north; J. R. Smith, captain; one hose wagon. l No '. S01 South Eleventh street; Cap
 tain F. o. Burge; one combination hose wagon. 1 No. s. 470O Tenth avenue; captans.
 R. R. Ramey; one combination hose wagon. l No. g, 1920 North Twenty-seventf street; captain, S. w. Jones; triple com bination pump.
 ! No. 10, APO Avenue B; captain. w
 E. Hanlin: one combination hose wagon l No. II, 1920 Fourteenth street; cap-
 tain, C. L. stanfield; triple combination
 pump.
 No. F, 54e7 First avenue; captain