The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-10-05
"Fire Preveotion Wei"
To be Observed This Week

Chef p. E. Wifburn announces the
local department will make its quar-
teriy inspection next few days.
Fire Prevention Week" will be OBJ |
served in Union beginning today.
"Fire Prevention Week Is q nation
wide movement with the object of the
week to reduce the enormous yearly
expense caused by fire throughout the
United States. The theory of the week
is to try and "kill" the fire before it'll
is started and to eliminate as far as
possible all possible places where al
fire might originate.
For the past few years the United
States has been observing Fire Pre-
vention Day." During these years the
presidents Of the United States haze
only set aside one day for cleaning up
"fire traps 1t, however, has become|
to be recognized that one day year
Is not enough for the fire department.
in every city to carry On the necessary
inspection, and consequently Presi-
dent Harding has set aside the week
from October 2 to 9Th.
With the belief that all fires are
preventable, the people of Union are
urged to cooperate with the depart
ment this year in trying to reduce the
fire loss. The property loss by fire
during 1921 was S4S5, 900 900, or fg-
ured down every minute that passes
now, fire in the United States de-
stroyed $923.OO worth Of property.
The kovernment, with the cooperation
with all of the fire departments in the
United States, hopes to greatly lessen
this amount. During 1921 $1,000 per-
sons lost their lives by either being
burned to death in a fire or killed by
falling beam from burning build
ing or the like. These figures are Al
most unbelievable but we are certain
that if the people of the United States
cooperate with US we will be able 10
show decided decrease in both the
number of lives lost, as well as the
loss due to destruction of property
during 1922.
There are several ways how fires
may be prevented. They are as fol-
lows:
l. Don't use makeshifts instead of
proper fuses in your electrical cir
cults: the fuse is the safety valve"
of the system.
i 9. Don't Leave electric fiat irons or
other heating devices turned on, 1T
tending to something else.
. 8. Don't use gasoline or other vo-
latile liquids to remove spots from
clothing or for other purposes.
i a. Don't thrown your lighted
matches or smoking material where
they can possible cause fire.
S. Don't smoke in bed. Perhaps
those guilty of this practice are too
green to burn, but the beds are not.
6. Don't let children play with
matches or bonfires.
z. Don't fail to have your defective
chimneys and flues mended.
8. Don't forget to have the SCOT
removed from your smoke-pipe. If
not cleaned, the pipe may overhead
and start a fire when you operate
the furnace.
9. Don't neglect to protect walls,
ceilings and partition from overheat-
ing of stoves, furnaces and pipes.
10. Don't put hot ashes into wood
en- boxes or barrels.
II. Don't fill oil lamps or stoves
by open flame light.
IL. Don't let rubbish accumulate.
i If people would only make these
II points permanent rules of conduct,
the power of the fire tyrant would De
broken.
This is the 5Oth anniversary If
the great Chicago fire.
The most impressive fire in Amer
ican history is probably the burning
of the city of Chicago so years ago
or the 9th of this October
Mrs. O'Leary left her lantern with
in reach of her cows feet while she
was milking and the cow, kicking the
lantern over, started blaze which be-
came a conflagration and destroyed
s165, 100000 worth of property and
200 lives.
All Help Pay the Loss.
A fire is not to be welcomed be-
cause there is ample insurance. The
public pays for all fires in the insur-
ance rates, which are based on the
record of fires, with a good margin
for safety to the insurers.
Insurance does not prevent the
community loss. It merely distributes
the burden. In the end everybody that
carries insurance helps pay the cost
Of all the fire losses. If the losses
could be definitely reduced the fire
insurance premium would be reduced
proportionately. Eight or nine Of ev-
cry ten fires are due to carelessness.
Paul e. Wilburn,
| Chief Fire Department.