Milford chronicle., 1936-08-14
ROTARIANS HEAR
FIRE CO. REPORT
[COYtiSaed from FRsf PsgeI

: during the World War.
During the World War your FIR
g company was one of the leading or
: ganizatiOns in war and relief wOrl
! in Milford. Eight Of its member
D were in the service. Those whit
e stayed at home were actively engag
ed in the different drives, and mos
of these drive meetings were held II
our meeting room.
Your company has also held sever
Christmas celebrations in cOnjunc-
, tiOn with the Kings Daughters or
ganizatiOn.
We also staged, with the help ol
others, one big Soldiers Day cele-
bratiOn on July 4, 1916, which net
ted about 100000 for our boys in
the service.
Since 1915 our organization has
held fifteen carnivals, netting ap-
proximately $50 1000. All of this mon
ey having gone back into fire appa-
Tatus, equipment for civic and so
cial service. At the present time our
organization has plans well under
way for another carnival, the date
being September 25 to October 3.
On August 4, 1921, the company
purchased the piece of ground now
occupied by the present fire house
and Community Building.
On May 26, 1922, by unanimous
vote of the company, we decided to
buy a new and larger piece Of fire
fighting equipment, build a fire
house and Community Building ccm-
bined and reeondition our first piece
of apparatus. The reconditioning of
this piece of apparatus cost $4.-
10000.
On February 6, 1923, we held our
first meeting for the organization Of
a soliciting committee to campaign
and raise funds for the above men
toned projects. This committee
raised $S7,77S61 in five year pledges.
On October 3, 1923. the second
piece of motor driven apparatus was
delivered at a cost of $13, ,250.0O. BY
this additional piece of equipment,
Milford ranks as having one of the
best equipped fire companies in the
State. Two pieces of FIRE fighting
apparatus capable of delivering 1900
gallons of water per minute, plus so
gallons Of ready for instant use wa
ter in booster tanks and six addi-
tional small chemical extinguishers.
On March 4, 1924. we drove our
first piling for the present fire house !
and Community Building, and COM |
pleted and dedicated this building on
September 25, 1925. at a cost of $751;
nj
and started to occupy the building
November 2S, 1925.
In July, 1924, our fire insurance
rates on special hazards and mer-
camille were reduced 18c on the one
hundred dollars. In other words,
your fire company and its ire fight
ing equipment, lowered our town de-
ficiency charge from 35c to lie, thus
saving the town about $S,000.O0 a
year on insurance premiums.
Our community now has re-
spectacle place to hold banquets,
dinners, dances, public meetings,
games and other athletic
events.
A Free Library with 5000 books is
also housed in this same building /
and is in charge of a Library Com
mittee. During 1885 over $4,000
books were borrowed or used.
We also have the best set of CLUB
rooms in lower Delaware. To belong
10 the club costs $500 a year. The
privileges of the club are: The fin
EST pool and billiard room south of I
a well stocked reading
'oOm, a four table card room, three
shower baths with warm water and /
/ steel locker for each member to Z
Ieep his towels and other necessities 1
n. All this for $500 per year. and .
It the present writing we only have +
Ibout ten of our tOwnspeOple as
members of this club {
In this building is also the finest {
apparatus room that there is in this c
tate, and possibly as good as any 4
DOM Of its kind in the United 1
tates. q
This building is also being used
y the Kings Daughters and other b
aides organizations, Boy Scouts, De n
lolay, Girl Reserves, CCC Camp for Ii
thletlc activities and our public
chOol is using the gymnasium for Z,
thletic practice usually in fall and Fl
inter. Il
Since the completion of this build Il
lg, the fire company has netted, "
ith the help Of friends, S7,511.44. Il
bis from banquets, memberships to o,
le Community Club, basket ball, Ol
ances, meetings and the. washing al
cars. h,
There have been approximately al
Is meetings held in this building,
'actically all Of them civic and for h,
hich there has been no charge, oil
lese meetings were held by the pt
nerican Legion, the Kings Daugh- on
rs, Library Board, DeMOlay, Girl tri
Boy Scouts. church meet
gs, political meetings and one an IN
saloon meeting Ny reason for no
sntioning these facts is to show tn
u that the building has a real tn,
rpose in this community. that it wi
being used. that It is a necessity, fr,
that our organization is a lead me-
J factor In the civic and social life be
this community, as well as a nec-
iary asset in the handling ana sps
hting Of fires. oul
Since 1910 we have answered ap- rat
'ximately 1910 alarms. saved an for
nense amount of property, and ane
de many mistakes. but at the pre-
ne time some people feel that our cil
d deeds Of every kind more than per