Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-15

!
the fire in the basement of the Doug
las Drug company in 1927, the fire loss
in the city of Douglas for the year was,
according to the records kept by the
city fire department only $1910.
The fire insurance rate for this city
is one of the lowest in the entire
country and this record is one of the
big factors in the loWness of that rate
There was the one fire in 1927 which
caused serious loss. At the Douglas
Drug fire the loss was estimated at
$4450 which made the total Joss for
the year $6360 for all fires within the
city of Douglas.
Even then it must be taken into con-
sideration that the loss in the Douglas
Drug fire was mostly from smoke dam
age The firemen fought against great
odds in that fire as it had started in
a basement and the smoke was so thick
that the men had to use masks in
order to penetrate into the basement
and when they finally got in they were
unable to see anything,
The Douglas fire department an
swered 81 alarms during the year 1927.
The word answered is aptly used in
describing what happens when one
turns in fire alarm in this city and
what happens is one of the reasons
for the small fire loss. One breaks
the glass on the front of a fire box
anywhere in the city and pulls down
the little lever which is found inside
the box when the door is opened after
the glass is broken. If the person
turning in the alarm is a fast runner
l1,n IA oIN ~ no 3O1y RI
of the fire before the fire trucks get
there from the station
Answering an Alarm
The fire trucks probably have to go
eight or 10 blocks through traffic and
the person turning in the alarm could
not be more than two blocks from the
fire. 1t takes training and careful
supervision and eternal watchfulness to
perfect a system OF answering lire
alarms to point where there is no
lost time or lost motion.
If one happens to be near one Of the
fire stations when an alarm is turned
in he will gather the impression that
the doors of the station are opened
by the automatic alarm signal and that
the trucks are started by it also for
Immediately after the alarm whistle
starts blowing out the number of the
alarm box the doors swing open ana
the motors roar and before the first
signal whistle is complete the trucks
are roaring on their way.
Behind the swift efficiency that stops
fires as soon as they are discovered
there is assystem of wires, alarm boxes,
automatic whistles and training of the
firemen. Behind all that there is the
devising gof the alarm system which
placed an alarm box at regular inter-
walls all over the city The water with
which fires are usually put out has
also been made available as readily at
one place as another,
Water Departments Aid
( Probably few people know that when
+ the fire alarm sounds the engineers
T at the city pumping plant are notified
+ and stand by to turn the full force
\ of their pumps into the fire hose if it
Y is needed. 1t is an imposing thing to
!: contemplate that the city is guarded
Y against serious fires by guard that
Y never sleeps
Y There is the power behind the water
y always ready "a hours day. There
Y is the alarm system which flashes the
Y signal to the firemen just the same at
y dead of night and at high noon. There
): are the firennen who have demonstrated
y hundreds Of times in the past few years
Y that they can get away from the sta
X tions with the trucks just as quickly
x at night as in the day time.
* Another thing that everyone hear:
* twice a day is the big whistle on the
* power plant which sounds the alarm
* SO that even firemen who are away
* from their stations on leave may know
81 Instantly where the fire is and repor
S. to their trucks at the scene OF action
:as. Steam is kept under that whistle con
s. stantly. In case of fire one may pull
xX. the little lever on the alarm box anc
y. Immediately hear roaring out into tn
$. air the signal number of that particu
y lar box.
* This whistle is an assurance that thu
* firenlen are coming and no one wait
81 in suspense for their arrival for be-
s. tween the blasts of the whistle on
* NAV hear the answering roar of th
81 fire trucks exhaust, the Changing OF tn
81 fire bells and the scream of the siren
* on the trucks.
* Methods of Fighting Fire
* There are many ways of putting ou
4 tires ana JHe OOuS1dS AA1C OCPo1A VAAANA
* studies many different methods AM
:* uses several of them. The trucks ar
* equipped with miles of hose so tina
sY. the high pressure water may be useo
* but they are also equipped with cheml
* cal extinguishers of the most approves
* type. rfaa
* Ii the department were slow in an
* swering alarms they would need thel
* hose more for big hot fire that ha
* had chance to get well started doe
* not respond readily to treatment wit
r. little tank of chemical and waite
* must be used. That is one reason VII
* the local department has specialize
* in chemicals for they aim to get to tn
* fire second. The person who discover
* the blaze is first and the departmer
y. second.