Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-01
PAID FIRE SERVICE
TO Be PROVIDED IN
NEXT THREE MONTHS
It is Likely to be Established
Through Cooperation of
City Departments.
COMPLICATIONS ARE ARISING

That a paid fire department will be
established in this city during the
next three months was the asser-
ton this morning Of a prominent city
official, who is closely in touch with
the fire situation and who is fully
conversaE. wit. all the ~taiis rel.tive
70 the present situation and with the
le-~,i phases Of the case. Ii was fur
ther asserted that this work of Carry
ing out this project viii be done BY the
directors of the Department of Public
Safety, but the new plans win not be
on such an elaborate scale as were
those of the directors until they were
halted by the injunction proceedings,
at least if the City Council has any
thing to say about the matter.
After all the excitment and confu-
sion during the past few days Coun-
cilmen paused toda- to rest on their
oars" as one member expressed II
this morning. and 10 take account of
just where they stand at the presel 1t
time. The city is amply provided
with the means to- protect II in the
event of fire. but just what the next
step will be is not decided. There are
said 10 be several ways by which the
city can secure paid fire department.
even with the injunction proceed
ings pending
In the first place Council, il was
understood this morning. viii go over
the entire situation end determine
what has been done so far by the
directors There are many odds and
ends 10 be gathered up in this be-
half. The most striking example of
this was pointed out today, when it
was announced that two triple pump
ing engines of the Ahrens-FoX make
had been shipped to this city and were
supposed TO be delivered today. Up u
noon they had not arrived and the
question has arisen as TO who is going
to receive them.
= These two engines were ordered by
the safety directors sometime ago.
They cost about s12, 500 each When
The injunction proceedings were start
ed there was a question about having
the order for the machines Cancelled
Then the safety directors are under
stood TO have been advised not TO
cancel the order. because ii was
thought there might be an emergency
here whereby the machines would be
badly needed. They therefore were
permitted 10 be shipped. Now under
the court order the safety directors
cannot receive or pay for them and
Council feels under no obligations to
DO so. Just what is to be done with
the two engines when they arrive is
a mystery. Both machines were in
tended for use in the paid depart
ment and were 10 have been placed
in service today.
There are other contracts. such as
that for hose and other supplies,
which had been entered into and
which will have TO be cleared up be-
fore any further action is taken by
the city. When, however, all these
matters have been Strengthened out,
it is understood the city will be IN a
position to proceed with the creation
of the paid department
Some members of City Council are
known TO hold TO the belief that the
department can be established for
a maximum of 100000 and they have
announced they viii endeavor to hold
the expenditure 70 this figure. For in
stance, they contend there is mo need
for the large number of officers origi-
nally planned by the safety directors.
They do not approve of a captain and
two lieutenants, for instance in each
OF the companies, believing that
foreman would be sufficient for each.
These and other matters are to be
gone into before the safety directors
are again enabled TO take up the work
where they left off under the court
ruling.