East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-05-01


fand II wab some time before they were
able 10 do 80, when they could have
run 40 q pear copper, aud pulled the
siihrh1 from ti3e B6x III less than one
nlnutcFas result the alarm was not
received At the department for five
minutes, the delay causing the de-
struction Of the building thirty per-
SONS being injured and one woman
burned 10 death. Had a box been
pulled the firemen would have arrived
| n time to have put out the blaze In its
ncipiency. All citizens should be dis
Outraged in the use OF the telephone
| Iystem for fire alarm purposes. and a
good mountaineering bex system in
stalled, for the further reason IL one
should be successful In getting the fire
department by phone in a reasonable
time. there Is great liability Of error
due to the difficulty of transmitting a
Summons by phone of excited persons.
and the further danger of getting the
message wrong. II an alarm should
be given wrong over the phone in PEN
dleton, the department might easily go
a mile or more out of it's way. and 1t
would be some time before II found the
real location of the fire-when no
such mistake could possibly occur by
a. modern fire alarm system.
Ordinances.
Following is given a brief summary
OF the present existing fire prevention
ordinances:
Ordinance s1s. page 7. Requires
permit for building altering. repairing.
or removing any building or structure.
Ordinance 405. page 20. Fire lin
its, building requirements and build
ing inspection.
Ordinance 2so-s76. Relates to the
duties Of the board of fire wardens in
regard to building construction.
Ordinance 1873. page 23s. Relates to
open fires how and when permitted
Ordinance 423. page 2S8. Regu-
lates the use Of fire crackers, bombs.
etc.
Ordinance 47s, page 3o1. Regulatea
the rubbish hazard.
Ordinance 304, page 264. For the
protection of the fire department. and
fire equipment against misuse or med
ding.
Ordinance 7S4. page 10. Provides a
standard for electrical work. and for
Ordinance 260. Provides for the
safety o all stove pipes and lues Re
quires smoke houses to be fire proof. |
safety Of all stove pipes and flues. Re- |
quires entrances TO be kept free and |
regulates the storage of hay and all |
otheer similar inflp mmable material. i
The foregoing fire prevention ordi- \
nances for the most part, are obsolete \
Il tr.o Tai.
points in them. but not enough to JUS |
tiy them in their present condition to I
a city the size. of Pendleton.
The most serious fire hazard that can
sxist in any city is that of personal 1
and to remove that haz-
ard is the purpose of efficient ordi-
lances. 1t is not enough to, accept I
lnvthing less than absolutely the best.I
Ind most effeetual regulations along
hese lines and to try. to make over
md patch, up a set of old ordinances
ike the foregoing is to compromise
he situation and only travel half the !
way to safety. ~ !
Summary of Inspections. II
Following is a statement of condi- s
ions found as result of the inspec- Ia
ion of the business district Of the city ]
Rubbish found. 132 places; defec- 4
i've wiring 81 places: floors and walls !
unprotected. 46 places; exposed and
Unprotected openings. 81 places: met !
! cans for oily waste and rags order
d, 32 places: gasoline kept in an un- /
afe condition, places; defective II
toves and pipes, A places; ashes kept 7
1 wooden receptacles. II places; drip II
ans for oil ordered, places; steam b
ipes in contact with wood, 1 place: b
ithout fire escapes where should be. n
places; no exits where same should a
e. l place; chimneys on brackets, 40 3
Iaces; smoking permitted where r.
lould not be. 81 places; fire extinsgl ii
lishers recommended, 81: cans for W
shes and rubbish recommended. 81 ip
aces; coal oil kept in building. 40 h
aces. le
Principal Hazards. .bl
The foregoing summary of inspec- L
on shows the rubbish and electrical tt
yards to be the worst, however, it I'll
III be seen that the other common lee
yards exist to the usual extent. The lta
bbish hazard is one purely prevents Igr
lie. the clean city is not only more sc
nitary. and slightly. but far more gr
fe. and making it so costs only the pa
rsonal interest and effort of the peo- :
2. III
The electrical hazard is of a very
rious nature. 1t is also a prevents
lie cause of fire, and is on a grand II