Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-09-22
SAVE MONEY
TO LOSE 1T
IF FIRE STATIONS ARE CUT
INSURANCE RATES
MAY GO UP

HiS luSuidnce rates III the city .OI
Wausau, were the promises of Frank
Daniels, safety engineer of the Wis
consin Inspection bureau, at mass
meeting of citizens at the city hall last
Tuesday evening, if suggestions to re-
duce the number of fire department
stations from four to two that has
been made by Fire Chief Frank Giels-
dorf is adopted by the city. Mr. Ziels-
DORIS plan has also won the approval
of the mayor.
Judge on Deck
Judge Marchetti was an interested
listener and participated in the lively
discussion. Let us figure from facts,
not opinions" was his pertinent ad-
vice. 1T is easy to get from your fire
chief, the record of just what the de-
partment has done in the past one,
three, FIVE or ten years, and then with
facts and figures at hand we can de-
termine whether the department is
efficient or not"
The question was motorizing and
centralizing of the city's fire fighting
equipment Chief Zielsdorf has for
quite length of time favored the adj
dition of some motor equipment and
the consolidation of the entire force in
Stations and under the two platoon
Fsystem which becomes mandatory for
Wausau under the state law by the
first of next year. 1t is his opinion,
as expressed Tuesday evening, that
such plan would afford the city the
same protection it is enjoying now at
no great additional cost and he would
like to see it tried
Against Move
Mr.. Daniels, speaking for the In
spection bureau, expressed his disap-
prevail of the idea when his personal
advice was asked, saying that he would
urge against such a move. The CLASH
fication made by the bureau, and which
is used as a basis for premium rates
by fire insurance companies, was the
bone of contention. Wausau is rated
in 3 " class under this schedule, which
is said to be low for a city of it's size.
According to Mr.. Daniels it is the fire
department which brings down the
rating. The waterworks, he says, is
capable of delivering more water at
the point. of the fire than the depart
ment can put on the fire, and there is
the weak spot.
The fire chief suggests that the eff
ficiency of the department be brought
up by reducing the number of stations
but bringing up the efficiency of those
remaining stations. Mr. Daniels sug-
gests retaining the four present sta
tons, which he says are not located to
best advantage and yet reducing the
length of run for certain districts from
what it would be with only two, and
bringing them up to proper efficiency
by the introduction of motor apparatus
in place of the horse drawn vehicles
The Bugbear
The classification bugbear enters
here. 1t appears that with two sta
tions the rating of the city cannot be
improved. 1t is said to be true that the
stations would be more efficient and in
that way the present weak spot of our
fire fighting is eliminated But then en-
tiers the time factor; getting to the fire
promptly Mr. Daniels said, the CLASH
fioation by the bureau is the expression
of the fire fighting facilities and the
sum total of these facilities is the abil-
ity to put water on the fire. The
thing of first Importance is getting to
the fire in it's incipient stage
The necessity of getting to the fire
at the very earliest possible moment
is of the greatest Importance"
Therefore, what the city gains by
improving the efficiency of the two
stations, it loses by the handicap of
the extra time it would take these de-
partments to get to fire in the out
lying districts of he city. And the
valuation of these outlying districts
happens to be high.
All these factors are taken into con-
sideration by the engineer in making
pthe city classification and this in turn
affects the fire insurance rates.
Whereupon insurance matters were
brought up The suggestion was made
that to maintain the present class with
the present stations and equipment
under the two platoon system would
require thirty-six men and the chief.
To raise the classification would be
to retain the four stations and motor
iZe them with fewer men required,
the total cost estimated at $4,000 for
equipment and about 81 1000 annually
in salaries for the additional men,
Other Remarks
Alfred Zimmerman offered Stats
tics on the premiums paid last year.
He said that last May there was paid
into the firemen's pension fund, S.
1851 in the form of a tax on the
$259, 265.50 fire insurance premiums
written during the year. These prem
iums were based on the 3h classif-
cation. Had the city been in the 3
class the saving would have been
31,111.S6.
John Manson then remarked that in
the face of these figures there would
appear to be an ultimate saving in
spending the 100000 the first year and
the additional annual $11 900 salaries
for yearly saving in premiums of
$4,000.
(which" said Alderman Zieisdorf,
lis easy to talk about, this spending
thirty or forty thousand dollars, but
where are we to get the money!"
All of which finally boiled down to
suggestion by o. G. Lemke that the
matter be investigated, the several
plans drawn up and put into coherent
and understandable form and submit