New Britain herald., 1922-07-29
TWO PLATOON PLAN
 COMMITTEE MEETS
Change Would Increase Efficiency
 of fire fighters, Is Claim

IT the tWo-platoon system, as sue gested by the board of Ire commi, sioners, Is adopted by the commo council, there will be one chief an two deputy chiefs, one chief enginee, one assistant chief engineer, one sec ond assistant chief engineer with du
 les of drill master, one master me chanic and two chiefs drivers
 According to the plan discussed a a meeting Of the special comnlitte last evening, there will be a total 0 7s men in the department, with substitute force Of 70 instead Of tn present force of call men.
 Eliminates Callmen
 Call men, under the proposed ney plan. will be eliminated, but thos eligible will be appointed to the de partment. The plan also calls 10 two captains instead of one captain and one lieutenant.
 Former Fire Commissioners E. G Hjerpe and w. c. Kranowtz wer, present and explained the result oi their Investigations. MT. Hjerpe stat. cd that he knew of no set of mer who were required to put in as Ions hours as the local fremen. Mir Kranowitz pointed out during the meeting that, while the cost of main tainance would be increased from s112,oo0 to s142,o0o, the man power would be increased from 52 to 7S while the efficiency would be raised because the men would be on duty only l2 hours instead of 21. Bremen Want It Ninety per cent of the fremen are in favor of the two-platoon system now and 1t is only a matter of time when the city will have to adopt it anyhow. according to Mir. Hjerpe. He and Alderman Gill both said there seemed to be an act of injustice in the city spending the money appro- priated for the o-platoon system for other purposes.
 Decrease Of 50 Cents Per Day
 The proposed new plan provides for a cut of 50 cents per day for each man. Pensions to all who have been in the city service a sufficient length Of time and are beyond the age limit, are provided in the plan.
 Captains Have Plan
 A plan adopted by the captains of the department was submitted by Chief Noble. at the request of the captains He explained that he did not approve of the plan.
 The cost of labor for the commits sioner's plan would be as follows:
 Figuring on six months from Octo- Der l, 1922 to April l, 1923, would be M,093. The chiefs salary would be increased from s2,765 to $3,e00 per year. The first assistant chiefs sal ary would remain at s2.500 and the position of second assistant chi.f would pay s2,250 per year. The mas ter mechanics salary would remain at S2,2o0. The captains woull be cut from S4c to st0 per week: the lieu !ensnt's from Sto25 to s3S.5o per week: .irst grade fireman from s3s.5n to S51 rer week: second grade fire men from s3s.75 to $35.5o: third grade firemen from $35 to $s4 per week.
 The committee will meet again Thursday n"eriNg at o'clock
 The assignment of men under the proposed new system would be as follows, according to the recom- mendation of the committee:
 Headquarters Company.
 Headqua' ters Company 1, ten men; one captain, one lieutenant and eight regular flremen, these to be divided Into two platoons, which would mean haf tho ready to respond to a first alarm one officer and four men. Company num- Der 1 is combination chemical and bumper which needs one officer in command ,one man on chemical line backed up by two men on water lihe md one man to operate pump.
 Aerial Ladder No. 1
 This company would consist of 12 | men divided into two platoons, six men to a platoon, one officer, one lriver, one tillerman and three lader- nen.
 Company No. (Combination)
 Company No. would consist of | eight men divided into two platoons ls follows One officer and three | nen to a platoon. This would all ow one man on chemical line, two nen on water-line and one man on ,ump or hydrant.
 H. X l.. Go. No. 2.
 This company would consist of not ess than 10 men, to be divided into wo platoons, five men to a platoon, which will allow one officer, one lriver three laddermen.
 Q. No. 8 (Pump & Chemical Truck) Company number three would con list of eight men. divided into two 'latoons of four men each, one off CT and three men to a flatooN This } a bumper company with a pumping apacity Of 750 gallons of water a minute. It Is also equipped with a tank. This company should ave one man on chemical line, two len on water-line, one man to oper- te pump.
 Company No. 4 (Combination)
 This company should consist also eight men, divided into two pla- oons, as follows: One officer and 1ree men for the same reasons as ompany No. 3.
 o. No. 5 Chemical and Hose WaRon) his company would also consist of ight men divided into two platoons 5 follows. One officer and three men, ne man on chemical line, two men n water-line and one man on hydrant nv,I | .