The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-02-01
Fireman Argues
In Favor OF Libby
Bond F1otatiOn
Tells Why the Fire Ladies' Think VIZ
Should Have City Hall and
FiEt Station.

The Libby Fire Department was or
ganized in 1910, and consists of % Of
ficers and firenen. The equipment con-
sists of two trucks with the most up
to-date fire fighting apparatus, the
value of which amounts to about 5000
The place where this equipment is
now housed is nothing but fire trap
The floor is saturated with oil. If any
one should happen to drop match, we
will let you Judge what would happen
1t would be case where the city would
have to spend a bunch of money in a
hurry and in the mean time our prop
erty would 60 unprotected The roof
on the shack that houses the fire equip
ment and is known. as the city hall
leaks like a seive The fire equipment
is soaked nearly all the time. Let the
fire 60 out and you have a bunch Of
frozen hose that would be useless in
fighting fire.
We want to remember that the ire
men do not receive any compensation
for answering a fire call They are al
lowed fifty cents per call for calls other
than chimney fires, for which they do
not receive dime, They are not al
lowed anything for calls outside the
corporate limits. The firemen use The
fifty cents to help defray expense Of
cleaning clothes and paying for their
annual banquet and picnic No fires no
money, and believe you me, as far as
the firemen are concerned If that siren
never blew it would be soon enough
The firemen have always appreciated
the treatment they have received at the
hands of the city dads. Regardless of
the time Of day or night or weather
condition1/y you have always noticed that
the firemfn were on the job. II must be
some sort Of satisfaction to the home
owner to know that they can bank on
i the fire department to do their stuff
| When the excitement is over and the
fire out, most people 90 home and for
get it. Not SO with the firemen They
have to pick up their equipment, put
the hose on the trucks and report back
to the fire hall. Listen closely, folks
following is the biggest reason and
argument that we should have suit
able place for fire equipment Did you
know that on two occasions the fire
trucks have been frozen up and unable
to answer the calls Just a streak oil
good luck that the fires were put oui
by the use of chemicals. Did you know
that ice formed in the hose because
there was no chance to properly drair
it, and it was in this condition for q
hours, during which time the firemer
were thawing it out length at a lime
by dragging it into the council room.
The 28 firemen are one hundred pei
cent for the new hall, Eighty per cen
of them own their own home and ART
interested in the welfare of the city
They believe that it is good business t
house the fire fighting equipment in ;
, safe place, and that this alone woulc
justify the expenditure Of the amour
needed to build the new building. The,
! invite everyone interested to visit TIL
J present city hall, look over the equip
J ment and decide for themselves wheth
) err or not it should be protected. Thi
equipment belongs to the taxpayers 0
/ Libby, the firemen are your servant
I and in recommending that new hal
: be built they are doing 50 because The.
) believe in SAFETY FIRST.
E. M. BOYES.