The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1924-03-08

To the Honorable Mayor and Members
OF City Council, Absecon. New Jer-
sey.
As Chief Of the Absecon City Fire
Department. 1 feel it my duty TO in
form you of the work done BY the de-
paftInent the past year, also the con
dition Of our fre-fghting equipment
with no prospect Of there being any
improvement this year, as you have
MADE no provision in your budget to
protect the lives Of our citizens from
fire.
Our Fire Department responded to
fourteen I'D fire alarms last year.
with a total loss to Absecon residents
not exceeding S825.00. The buildings
on fire were all frame and most of the
alarms sounded in the night or early
morning. This is proof enough to me
that we have some active hard-work-
ing volunteer fire-fghters in our de-
partment that should have some en-
couragement by receiving some of the
taxpayers money to buy better equip
ment, instead of going on the street
begging some big-hearted fellow to
buy a lot of tickets for fire house ben
efts (volunteer fremen should not be
compelled to beg for equipment).
Absecon City pays the highest fire
insurance rate of any other munich
pality in the County, more than double
the Egg Harbor rate. The blame lies
at the door of City Council for not
furnishing a pump to install on our
present apparatus with a supply of
hose and freplugs.
Last year my understanding was
that your budget called for $4,000 to
install a pump on u apparatus, but
we never received the pump or one
dollar of the appropriation. This year
we have been compelled to raise our
dues higher than ever before on our
hard working active volunteer fremen,
in order to pay for chemicals, soda for
fire fighting, coal TO keep our chemical
tanks from freezing, in order to be
ready at a moments notice.
Our equipment today consists of n
new Ford truck, 2 35-gal. chemical
tanks, 500 fit. 21A inch 10 year old hose,
200 TT. l inch chemical hose. l ladder
truck with about $50 it. of ladders,
hooks, electric lanterns, etc.
Mrs. Hosea Kendall and her COM
mittee came to our rescue last year
with $4,000 that she solicited for our
comfort, which bought l dozen of the
best fire coats and hats that any de-
partment wear They have kept our
boys comfortable on several night
calls.
The protection Of life and property
is foremost in my mind and should
have the first consideration in the bud
GOT incfnaA nf rnodc or 60 mn wLsoh
| think is excessive. In 1910 the road
appropriation was $1,000, and since
that time the State and County have
taken over nearly all the streets in
Absecon and are no expense to the
City. The only poor driveway we
have in Absecon today are the streets
we are paying $4,000 to keep in repair,
take a look at Church street, also Sta
ton avenue, etc.
We have II fire plugs costing ST.
$500 per year, with no pump or hose
to convey the water from plugs to the
fires.
We force our children to go to our
school without fire protection. Tears
and coroners' inquests don't bring
BACK lives cf-s d n. ION
and we will do the rest.
| hereby inform you that we have
not enough good water hose to reach
from the nearest fire plug to u pub
lie school. We have not one fire eX-
tinguisher and not one foot of hose in
our school and nc way to sound a fire
alarm, not even a telephone at school.
l hope you will give this very i'm
portant matter your careful considera-
tion and h0De | have made this mat
ter clear, and I have relieved myself
of the responsibility in case of a seri-
Gus fire with loss of life and property.
Very truly yours,
C. NJ. KESLER,