The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-14
AKIN. AND. .CLOE
HIGHLY PRAISED
Birmingham Fire Depart
ment Written Up In Ma
tiOnal Publication

4 ? = aF4t M
High praise for Birminghams fire
fighting facilities and the attitude of
the citizens in regard to preventing
fires is given in an article by Raymond
Daniel, published in the Insurance
Field, Louisville. KY, March 27.
Mr.. Daniel, an insurance investiga-
tor. states that Birmingham's new rat
ing is. based as much on the attitude Of
the citizens as on the purchase of mod
ern fire fighting equipment. His ar
ticle, in part, follows. l. zs
Birmingham. in Alabama, cram
jam" full of civic pride, intensely mod
ern with a completely motorized fire
departnent---the second on record
with every interest unified for fire sam
itation, fire protection and fire proven
ton. Well, there's BIRMINGHAM
Vastly Different
Just decade ago it was vastly diff
ferent. Then with every fire, and they
were frequent. it was Poor old Bir-
mingham." Most every on ewas fight
ing mad over the pink slip" Tan in
surance rate penalty IMPOSED for heavy
and suspicious losses and for general
laxness of administration the insur-
ance trust" was frequently and pub
licly denounced and there was the
deuce to pay. ~ AZ
Everybody credits everybody else for
everybody puts shoulder to the
wheel. Folks generally credit much
of the late improvemcnt---it has been a
gradual uplift, you know-to w. B.
Cloe, commissioner of public safety.
He, himself, credits Chief j. i. Akin of
the fire department. Together both
say they could have done nothing with
out the backing of the Birmingham
Chamber of Commerce tnow laying
plans for the establishment of an in.
surance diyision) and other civic or
CARNATIONS. When YOU get away down
in the works you find the inspiration
came from pioneer band of CO..
agents determined to get their city out
of the ranks of the most improbable
in the country-what is. termed in the
business as a ''sink-hoie."
First Class Grading
Birmingham today has a first-class
grading, and "'first-class in insurance
parlance means away up in the purple
And all brought about by an awakened
public conscience. ~
Has it paid? 1t has. Reduced fire
insurance rates, effective March 1
have been promulgated, and further.
more they have been made retroactive
dated back to January 1, 1924. They
were not won by denunciations and
abuse; they were eranedi
The evolution of Birmingham was
gradual, Of course. Rome was not built
! in day. However, the change did
come, step by step, and from 5-year-Old
Sarah Helen Candy, who turned in a
| fire alarm the other day to Commits
sioner Cloe with a solid backing oi
ever ywOrthwhile citizen, there is q
harmony of purpose that is making
Birmingham a city Of cities.
| In order successfully to cope with
the Red plague, which is eating into
the economic yitals of the country, there
| must be belief in and strict observances
/ of three maxims, namely:
| ]. Prevention is better than cure.
2. Preparation is half the battle.
| 3. Perseverance wins.
What world of wisdom is wrapped
] up in these few words Fire safety
lies in preventing every possible blaze
no matter how small sighting fires, &C
tually, before they take place! Every
fire that can be prevented by removing
the conditions that breed them, inelud
ing the alf-important, element of educa
ton in carefulness, is, in a city like
Birmingham Cor any other city, a DO
tential conflagration nipped in the bud
| With preparation comes--but everyone
knows what preparation means: those
physical conditions in the way Of
wholly adequate fire and water service
never failing signaling systems, an of
| fetal personnel dri1IGd like a company
of soldiers to fight as. did the American
marines at Belleau wood.
Backed BY ClOe
In all these things Chief Akin be-
Heves, and backed by Mr.. Cloe, contin
ues the never ending fight to achieve
1t will stretch no ones memory to re
call the conditions that existed a de-
cade ago--and less. IN 1914 Birming
ham wore a pink slip sort Of
immoral wrapper, aneaning high
moral hazard in the populace, ram
pant fncendiarisnl, poor fire and water
service and personnel civic slothful.
ness in fire situationx al that Birming-
ham mot now is" assAfy one of Roy Oc:
tayus Cohen's characters might say.
1t il only six years ago that a % pei
cent rate penalty was removed, this hav.
ing succeeded the pink Slip"
Remember, too, that it is only five
years ago that an Indictment was re.
turned against the companies by the
Jefferson county grand jury for ''oper.
ating a trust.s,, {
Those were the days when the now
defunct Civic association of Birming.
ham was leading fight against fire
insurance and doing nothing to prevent