Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-06
7 PREVENTION

Perth Amboy might well heed what the head OF the department
sf combustibles of Newark had to say to the Lions Club yesterday
regarding the fire prevention and building inspection. There ought
10 be greater efficiency in the building inspectors office, which
means a strict enforcement Of the building code; more important
still it means the adoption of a coming ordinance laying out resi-
Dental, business and industrial districts. Regarding fire protection,
here are two features to be borne in mind. One is the extension Of
.he fire, limits and a permanent head of the fire department who
would make a study of the fire hazards throughout the city.
Regarding fire limits. the preliminary report of the City Plan
Commission which was submitted to the Board of Aldermen at the
close of last year, had something to say. Bearing in mind that it
vas one item touched upon in a preliminary report of a city plan,
it can be seen what a real comprehensive city plan would mean
in this matter of fire protection alone. a glance at the map which
accompanied the city planners report will show how useless the
present fire limits are and what a decided improvement it would
b. to extend them as the city planners suggested.
cit is the present tendency in progressive communities" the
report says, so promote a type Of construction which will de-
Grease fire hazard. This eventually cuts down the burden of insur-
ance rates, and in addition lightens the weight of taxation. The
srea within the fire limits Of Perth Amboy are arranged in long
narrow fingers following the principal developed streets. These
strips protected by fire regulations and extending out into u-
protected districts, are almost valueess for the purpose intended.
It seems desirable to fix fire limits around a central and more
compact area, for example, that bounded by Washington street,
High street, Market street, and the Central Railroad Of New
Jersey
Regarding the FIRE department, the Newark representative
acknowledged that the volunteer department here is above the
average in efficiency. But there is a decided need for a permanent
head for the department. Under the present method Of choosing a
head Of the fire department, the matter is left with the fremen who
elect a chief every year. But because a man is a popular fremen
does mot necessarily mean that he is a capable executive and knows
how to handle men to the best advantage. Furthermore, being in
office for only one year and being a volunteer, he does not have a
chance to study the fire hazards of the city as they should be
studied.
In one of the articles describing the working of a municipal
government under a city manager, which the Evening News pub
tshed recently, it was stated that the man picked by the city man
ager to head the public safety department, combining the fire and
police departments, had made a thorough inspection and study of
every building Of any size in the city. A map of the interior had
been drawn with especial reference to fighting a fire in that build
inr. All the entrances are known, the Railways and areas are
marked. The chief is familiar with the drafts in the building and
be knows in an instant just where to place his men, where to lay
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