Norwich bulletin., 1920-11-13
Special to The Bulletin)

New London, November 12-The great majority of the people of New Lon don have every been proud of it's volun- teer fire department, proud of it's achieve. ment& its efficiency and it's economical conduct and appreciative of the eager ness of the volunteer firemen to serve the city faithfully sacrificing personal in terests for the sole purpose of giving the very best fire service ito the city. All this is to be changed and the entering wedge has been driven by the mayor and the big Gum of the fire committee that the mayor appointed to carry out his long conceived plan. It so happens that the mayor and his chief of the commit tee belong to the same fire company, and both have the backing of, that particular company through it's officers, at least.
 With the police department affairs still unsettled, even with the removal by the mayor of Alderman Chappel from that committee, the start is made to disrupt the present efficient volunteer fire de- partment. And all for the evident pur- pose of clipping the wings of the Niagara company that has been called for still alarms. more than all the other com. panies combined for the past decade. There was a reason for calling the Mag aras. The people knew that working crew was always available day or night, a condition that did not prevail in any other company. There is always a night crew in the frehouse. and in the daytime a working crew was always within call.
 It so happens that the first assistant foreman conducts a large garage. direct ly opposite the fire house, and seven Nj agara men are in his employ. At the sound of the siren these men drop their tools run across the street to the fire house and the. apparatus fully equipped
 is off in a jiffy to respond to the still alarm. No better service could be rend- cred by any departmnet, paid or volun- teer. This service created jealousy in at least one other company, and the l plan was laid, to pull the Niagaras from | the high horse that the company had been required to ride This is not given ,as a reason for the change, but com mitteeman said the Niagaras had been i favored too much in the matter of still alarms and now some of the other vo.un- teer company were to be given share of
 the glory, if glory it be.
 The mayor and his big Gum have 1 started in to conduct a volunteer fire de- partment on a paid fire department basis l Ii sure will not work and the result hop 1 ed for by the promoters may be achieved and an expensive and unnecessary paid
 department substituted for an efficient l and economical volunteer fire department l The konomoc house has been selected as fire headquarters. An office has beer
 established there and the chief engineer 1 and the first assistant have been assigned | to twelve hour tricks at the headquarters | In addition an automobile has been pur chased for the chief. with chauffeur fur
 nished. and he is to have a clerk Tht
 chief is required to be on duty in thu day time, and in addition to his other duties. he is supposed to attend to thu | fire alarm, see that the hydrants are il
 working order and make daily inspection
 of the widely scattered fire houses. Jus
 who is in charge of headquarters whi
 the chief is elsewhere is not plain. is presumed that the day driver Of th Konomocs is the acting chief in the offic while the chief is otherwise engaged
 Now In the event of a still alarm, be ing received at any of the fire houses th T caller is politely informed to call fir
 headquarters in the konomoc house.
 in the day time the chief will assign tn company to answer the alarm, and tn without regard to any district That orders and the chief has been long en pug in the game to know just what the means about this time. Here's a case i point. Last week. still alarm came i from the Pequot section. Was the Nc l Six called. which is located in that sec , ton adjoining? It not. Was tn
 Elves called that is in the section adjoin
 ing? It was not No. Whoever was f charge of the chiefs office at the time
 and it is understood it was not the chic , ordered the Konomocs to respond to tha ! D la of rig r. 1I-a in ordering an apparatus the farthes
 from the call, such action does not tend t keep un the interest and efficiency of tn T department. A volnteer fire compan
 does not relish a snub.
 The first assistant chief is on the nigI trick and, he, too, has his ordered in th r matter of assignment for response T still alarms. There is not a fireman the department who finds fault with thes
 two officers as they are said to be undt tNiSst confident ial orderG IIeretofor
 the first assistant has been acting as fiji
 marshall, in order to inspect building , as to their construction so as to be con U petent to direct in the event of fire, ar
 to keep his chief posted on that impor
 ant matter. In addition he visited pren :. ises to aid in fire prevention work. The z is no talk of appointing the second al ? sistant chief engineer fire marshall, tn; |, carries with it a fair salary But the
 is talk to the effect that the work of u
 fire marshall be transferred to the buil
 Ing inspector who has nothing at all
 do with fire duty. The extra du
 would mean substantial addition to u E salary of building inspector. By Il . way, there Is not a thoughtful tapa, f CT in the town who would object to u = present inspector of buildings getting ' increase in his salary, which is all