The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-12-29

W UituEE AEoh ElOiiz tNS<ht NViANtANAohS
Are to Exist.
The deplorabe condition of the fire
fighting equipment at the local fire sta
ton was emphasized again yesterday
afternoon when the men responded to
still alarm for a fire at 5 locust street,
the residence of Daniel L. Caswell, and
two extinguishers out Of the four that
were carried on the fire sleigh were found
10 be absolutely out of working order.
The men found that the fire was confined
to Il chimney and fortunately did no dam
age while the fire fighters we're trying out
The extineuishers After the third trial
an cxtinguisher was found that would
wor, and the FIRE was eXtinguished but
NOT until the contents Of two of the
chemical cans had leaked all over the
floor, thus arousing the ire Of the occu-
pants Of the house, and the liquid had
spatfered over the clothes Of some of the
men who responded to the call.
When the men arrived at the house
one extinguisher was taken into the
house and when>an attempt was made to
put it into action it fumed. foamed. bub-
bled and leaked and that's all. Another
4lfD WAS IlIUt 10 titt uEt SAElS0 anu
another chemical lugged into the house.
This time it bubbled and boiled and
Squirted in all directions except where
the fire was. incidentally, the liquid
perfumed the men with a gentle spray
of acid The nozzle was found TO be
corroded and clogged, and the valves
were leaky.
By this time the occupants of the
house wondered what was going on. A
woman member of the family finally re-
marked
III this house was really on fire, [
wonder where we would be?'
Finally, third trir was made to the
FIRE sleigh and third extinguisher was
brought into the house. and this one for
tunafely happened TO work and the blaze
in the chimney was eXtingulshed.
An investigation made by The Re-
former this morning resulted in the in
formation that the Elliot street station
has an equipment of 16 extinguishers, a
few of which are from five TO eight years
old. and the majority of the vintage of
1910 and 1912. = further inspection re-
Yealed the fact that some of the cans are
corroded and practically unfit and un-
safe 10 use. t'iremen themselves state
that some of the extinguiSherS are in
such bad shape that they cannot be used
without the men being the victims of a
shower of acid and fumes.
Coming on top of the recent recommen-
dations made by the New England Fire
Insurance Exchange of Boston, which
pointed out the present unfit condition
of the equipment. coupled with the pres
ence of bad fire hazard as outlined in
The insurance report and only two days
ago corroborated by an inspection made
by Deputy Fire Marshal A. g. Preble
the incident of yesterday, in the minds of
many, is a definite warning that some
thing should be done and done quickly.
The least that can be done il is
JTf4ff A4rf hot f4yll ord
should be held by the village commits
sioners and an appropriation of 500 or
more made Immediately so that the de-
partment can be provided with at least
10 new. modern extinguiShers that can
be depended upon to work properly.
Added to these facts is the feeling of
fear that some Of the men have due TO
recent overhaulings by their employers
because they left their work to answer
still alarms
The public is gradually beginning TO
realize that the BrattlebOro fire equip
ment the hazards in the business district
and the conditions under which the men
are laboring are the worst in the state
The sting of the situation is in the fact
that although these discrepancies are
pointed out nothing is done. Conditions
pass on from day TO day, not word of
making Improvements in conditions is
heard and the men are left to fight fires
as we'll as they can with the poor equip
mPnt they have at hand.
Discussions which are being held
among interested groups of citizens
about town are to the effect that prob
ably nothing will be done until the town
has a big coHtiagration that viii reveal
the inadequacy of equipment and the
under which the firemen work
Meanwhile it is asked Must someone
suffer a heavy fire loss before these con-
ditions are improyed?"
Citizens are gradually awakening TO
the real conditions in the FIRE department
and definite action is hoped for without
further delay especially in the face of
present weather conditions when the fire.
men find fighting fire unusually difficult.