New-York tribune., 1919-08-29
Plan No Strike or Walkout
and Believe Demands
Will Be Granted Because
They Can't Live on Less
Work.for IL Hours a Day
$8l.5O a Month Is Average
Net Income. With Rent
Paid; Majority Married

fOlloWlng tne iead OF tne fatrOl-
mems Benevolent Association, officials
of the Uniformed Firemen's Associa-
tidA, of the City of New York will
within the next few days present a re-
quest for all-around increases to New
York firemen.
Compared with the present scale the
increases to be asked for rate as fol-
lows:
Present pay. Pay to be
per annum. asked for.
Third and fourth grades
{;rstra1 {rs, and second year 8, aoo $1,000
Second grade. third ~
year firemen -. 1850 1850
First grade. fourth year
The full quota of fircmen for the
city of New York is 1856. There are
at present on the force approximately
$500. Of these the Uniformed Fire
mems Association claims q member
ship of 90 per cent.
Announced by Guinness
The action to be taken by the execu-
tive of the association was announced
esterday by Albert E. Guinness. the
president. Guinness said that former
ly it had been the intention Of the as
sociation to hold it's requests for in
creases down to the level formerly an
nounced by the police, which set a
maximum of $500. On Monday the
police at meeting attended by 1000
patrolmen voted unanimously to raise
ness announced the intention of the
firemen to follow the police lead. A
general meeting of the association has
been called for the second Tuesday in
September, at which it is expected the
action of the executive officers will be
ratified.
In the matter Of working hours the
fremen are worse off than any other
city employees. The two-platoon sys-
TEN, recently installed. reduces the fire
mans day TO twelve nours. Under the
two-platoon system, fireman on the
day platoon works for nine hours. A
man on the night platoon is on duty for
fifteen hours. The platoons take night
and day duty in turn, SO in the course
of year the night and day duty is
evenly divided.
Two-thirds on Old Plan
But only 1870 fire companies, or a few
more than one third of the total num-
Der of firemen in the city, are operating
on the wo-platoon system. The other
two-t thirds are still working on the old
single shift plan, which makes a fire.
man work for twenty hours out of ev-
cry twenty-four, four days out of every
five. The men who are working on
this basis are on duty in the house
for twenty hours, for four days. On
the fifth day they have twenty-four
hours of liberty. They are allowed
fourteen days vacation in 365. Other
wise they have no time off, save when
absent on sick leave. The 14-day va
cation rule applies to all civil servants.
Firemen have an advantage over the
police in the matter of pensions.
Where the police tave to submit to a
per cent deduction from their pay
for their pension fund, the city provides
q half-pay pension for fremen, with
twenty years service, out II its own
treasury. On the other hand, frcmen
occupy their quarters to greater de-
gree than do the patrolmen, and the
monthly charge against a fireman for
making beds and similar service ranges
from 81 to $3.50, whereas in the case
of the patrolm II the charge is 81 a
month.
Extra insurance charges, to which
practically all firemen arc subject, av-
erage between $40 and $14 M monthlv. A
fireman who is unfortunate enough to
lose his badge is fined IS and given a
new one. If he should later find the
badge he previously owned the So fine
is not remitted and he is required to
turn the recovered badge in to the
city.
Buy Own Equipment
Firemen's kits must be kept in good
condition at the expense Of the fire
men. There is 10 exception to this
rule, and the fact that mans uniform
was damaged or destroyed in the line
of duty makes no difference. Firemen
are required TO 'stand inspe ction" by
cl,
Articles OF clothing or equipment which
fali to pass this test must be replaced
Most of the men on New York's fire
lighting force are married OF the
twentyfour men on duty yesterday at
Hook and Ladder Company "a, Thirty
third Street, near Broadway. eighteen
are married and fourteen have families
OF one or NOR. children. One man has
a family of six children.
Like the patrolmen, the fremen are
required by law to reside in the City
OF New York. The married men OF
Hook and Ladder Company "a are pay
ing sums ranging from SO to $d4 a
month in rent
With monthly income Of S137 so
at the present rate, the average fire
man is faced with fixed charges, if we
strike an average on these figures, OF
S35 Tor rent, Sl2 for insurance, 81 fol
"Pheep OF MS clothing and equipment
and 81 for having his bed at the fire
mouse kept in order, a total monthly
hxed charge of $50 This leaves the
average first grade fireman. who is
usually citizen of between thirty.
nVe and forty-tive years of age, with
a wife and children, net monthly in.
sotne OF SSl.5o, upon which he must
iced, clothc and maintain his family.
I'm Dusv rcr
For this he must remain on duty al
ieast twelve hours day, and, if he i.
unfortunate enough to be workin.
unoer the old single shift system, he
must work twenty hours out of ever,
twenty-tour, four days out of every
I've.
New York firemen have keen recol
iectIon OF the hardships endured dur
ing the years 1917 and 1918, which
hardships are largely responsible fol
the present expressed determination o.
the men to win the increases for which
they ask, or to resign. During tha
period 442 New York firemen were i,
the military or naval service. ans
there was man shortage of 500 ad
dttional men, caused by resignation;
chiefly, which could not be made up
This left the department 942 men short
normally, during 1917 and 1918. Their
came the flu epidemic. which withdrew
another 600 men on sick leave.
In Octooer, November and Decembe
of last year the department was oper.
ating with less than two thirds Of its
full strength. In place of the quota
OF $500 men the average number OF