Evening star., 1927-04-03
The Fight Against Fire.

With an annual fire loss in this
country Of $500, 900, 900 in property
and IL 900 lives, it is of the most vital
Importance that an effort be made to
check and reduce this rate. the
greater part of which is preventable.
Such an effort is now about to be be-
gun through the organization of a
nationwide committee of business
men, the first object being to raise
fund of 100000 as working capital"
for a campaign of education and pre-.
vention. Irving T. Bush, head Of one
of the most important terminal com.
panies in the United States, is chair.
man of this committee. The immedi-
ate plan is to engage ten skilled fire.
prevention engineers to operate for
five years in such localities as are
most urgently in need of their serv.
ices.
The National Fire Prevention Asso.
citation, which for some years has been
making a scientific study Of fire
causes, has through it's technical ex.
perts, who have surveyed the country,
concluded that so per cent of all fires
are easily preventable. and the other
10 per cent are comfortable. Most
of the fire losses result from careless
ness with matches and cigarettes. 1t
is now estimated that by intensive
work through ten field engineers CO.
operating with local authorities to se.
cure better methods of fire prevention
in the cities the fire losses can within
five years be cut down from 25 to 80
per cent.
Repeatedly in the news accounts of
large fires occurs the statement "The
fire was caused by carelessly thrown
match or cigarette" The real cause,
however, is not the throwing Of light.
ed material, but its falling into COM
bustible material. In other words, the
actual cause of our great fire losses
in this country is carelessness in al.
lowing accumulations Of waste in
places where spark or a flame can
cause ignition. A thorough super
vision and cleansing of all premises,
industrial and domestic, will eliminate
this danger. It is obviously inpossi-
BILE for any city organization to be 20
far.fung and detailed in operation as
to cover every building In frequent
systematic inspections. It is distinctly
UP to the owners of property and the
managers Of industrial ana CONNER
cial establishments, as well as house.
holders, to keep their premises free
from fire-inviting and fire-making con.
ditions.
Regulations against the careless
throwing Of matches and cigarettes
are not enforcible. Regulations
against the accumulation of waste,
however, may be enforced TO q very
high degree. Business interests them.
selves can insure observance. A very
small percentage Of the fire loss, q
negligible percentage indeed. expend
ed in efficient jarlitor and houseclean-
ing service will keep industrial, com.
mercial and domestic premises in such
order that carelessness in the han.
ding Of matches and "smokes' will
not cause fire.
It is a reflection Upon the business
capacity of the American people that
this country suffers an annual loss Of
half a billion dollars, not to speak OF
the 10000 lives. from fires. 90 per cent
of which are easily preventable. One
per cent of that amount is now to be
appropriated by business through con-
tributions for belated. but it 10 to be
hoped an effective, effort to demon.
strate that American business is more
efficient in self-protection than the
record shows 1t to have been In the
past.