Arizona republican., 1922-01-01
Fire Department of Phoenix Is
the Equal Of Any In Efficiency
Modern Motorized Apparatus Furnishes Protection
That Brings The Total Fire Loss Of Year
Down To Point That Shows It's Value

Probably no city in the entire
Southwest can boast of a better or
more efficient fire department than
that maintained by the city of Phoe-
nix. Thousands of dollars are expend-
ed annually in tie maintenance of
this agency to safeguard life and
property.
Value of fire department in the
community where it serves is i'm
measurable. Especially is this true
with reference to the local depart
ment and the city of Phoenix.
Fire fighting is, in reality, only one
OF many capacities in which the de-
partment serves the public of Phoe-
nix. Using tn, old axiom, an ounce
Of preventative is worth pound of
cure" the department centralizes it's
efforts on fire prevention. A never
ending inspection service is in force
and here the department does it's
biggest and most effective work. VAL
ue of this inspection service to the
public cannot be measured in dol
lars and cents, for it would he inn
possible to estimate the annual loss
here if some system were not main
tained whereby proper safeguards
The department, for example, has
police authority to enforce certain
regulations which, in the opinion Of
the inspector or the fire chief. are
necessary 10 remove fire hazard. It
has the power of condemnation. the
power to order being removed or
razed any structure or building or
device which, in the opinion of the
inspector, would contribute to the
fire hazards of the city. Fire hazards
are specifically defined i'm the city
ordinance and through this ordinance
work of the inspector is clearly set
forth. Penalties are provided for the
failure to comply with orders of the
inspector or fire chief.
Aids in City Cleanup
Keeping the city clean is another
phase of the departments activities.
Twice each year. in the spring and
fall, the fire chief and his assistants
are active in cleanup campaigns.
urging removal of accumulated waste
materials and going so far as to sup
ply vehicles for the purpose with
out charge TO the Individual.
Through its system of checking, a
careful record is maintained Of
grass or bonfires. An ordinance has
been provided making il necessary
for the individual to secure permis-
sion from the department before ap-
plying the match to any pile OF
debris This system makes il pos
sible for the department to keep a
close check on all such fires and
be in readiness for any emergency.
An inspector or inspectors watch all
fires of this nature, reporting prog
ress and making sure that there are
no kindling Goals when the watch is
abandoned. 1t is the, experience OF
the department that many avoidable
blazes have started from debris fires,
which have been abandoned at night
fail when it was supposed that they
were dead.
Fo. this reason. a regulation was
promulgated and is now in force pro :
hibiting the lighting of any debris
fire later than 4 o'clock in the aft
ernoon.
An educational program in which
the department endeavors to obtain
the co operation of the public in fire
prevention has been found valuable
in the fight to reduce fire losses in
the city. This program is in opsr-
alton 800 days each year.
New Equipment Bought
More than $4,000 was expended by
the city in 1921 in new equipment
and in providing an auxiliary alarm
reporting system. Two new motor
fire fighting machines were added.
one 20 foot aerial ladder, consid-
cred one of the finest products ever
turned ont at the plant OF the Amer
ican-La France company at Elmira,