Evening star., 1937-08-02
Long Hours A,uaiting Alarms
Makes Life of Firemen Hard
Complete Relaxation Is Impossible, as
Eren Sleep Is Broken by Frequent
Sounding of Gongs.

All is quiet in engine house No. is
up on Thirteenth street, rorth Of K
Some of the boys are IN the back
room, behind the huge red-and-nickel
fire pparatus-listlessly indulging in
Just one more round of pinochle be-
fore turning in for the night
A couple of them are scanning the
sport pages and debating Washing
tons chances of breaking into the
first division.
Others are settling down to night
of rest in their neat cots upstairs in
the big dormitory. for Il is after 8
O'Clock, the hour at which flremen on
the night trick may I'd to bed
The night is warm. buathe snoozing
firefghters have removed only their
trousers and shoes. Regulations. you
know No telling when a sleeping
fireman may be called II sudden duty
Down at Eighth and @ streets a
hand reaches toward fteboX. marked
above by glowing rel globe. The
lever moves u
Click Up Call bundled.
A single warning bel Eclangs in No
Is engine house and n other sta.
tions The click up. hemen call it
A signal to be on the lert-that ar
alarm is about to com IN.
One or two of til men upstairs
snap out Of a doze ID cock their
heads from the pillow bsten. Others
continue their snorin A
The gong sounds ae One. two. a
pause. More strokes come after
that pause. the flrem how, but they
do not wait. There many three
digit numbers beg n with the
figure 2 assigned to boxes within
their territory Sev, Buch numbers
are outside their bat to wait
even a few seconds yGetermine the
exact location of t ball box might
mean life or death IN Re emergencies
At the second S of the gong
the sleep of every ii in the dormi-
tory is shattered. heavy sleepers
have not awaken by instinct
and, believe it or Sit is said a good
fireman recognized his signal in the
soundest slumbe Ithe desk man
downstairs has sd 4 to it that every
man in the housMs up and rarin' to
go-by throwingN switch which
sounds big bell In the dormitory and
other parts of the station house.
Noise Fills Station.
The number of the call box at
Eighth and @ streets is 1856 AS the
gong at the sergeants desk continues
to ring out that number, the nocturnal
peace of the fire station is drowned by
the changing Of the bells, the shouts
of men jumping into trousers anc
boots, the clatter of trap doors being
jerked open to give access to the
sliding poles, the roar of powerful
engines getting into motion and the
weird wall of siren warning traffic
outside to keep clear.
Thrilling? Yes, to any good fireman
who has smoke in his blood" But
hard on a person who has nerves OF
dyspepsia or insomnia.
41ldL , WHY CNClS III ClIldll ulAob Pd>A
a rigid physical examination before he
can qualify for appointment. He must
have lot of other attributes, too. He
must expect long hours away from
home and family. Every other week
he must go on the night side"-re-
porting for duty at pm. and remain
ing in the station house until the day
shift comes on the next morning al
8 o'clock.
That means he is on duty IA hours
a day on the night shift and 10 hours
on the day shift. While on duty HI
must eat and sleep right at the
station. His home may be just arounc
the corner, so close he can smell the
luscious aroma of broiled steak in his
kitchen, but he must stay with his
comrades, ready on an instant's notice
to swing into action when the proper
signal rings out.
Hard for Fireman's Family.
A fireman's life is hard on his
family, it is apparent. But flremen's
wives and children seem TO nave
smoke in their blood" too. They
can take it, and do.
They are ardent supporters of the
proposal to give flremen 5-day, 60.
hour week. A bill providing for such
hours was introduced. but lack Of
additional funds needed to finance
the plan has proved serious obstacle
AS things are now fireman work.
six days week, alternating ever!
week on the 10 and IA hour days. Onc'
every week, on the last day OF hi!
shift, he begins duty at 8 am. ane
works right on through until 8 am
the next day, due to the overlapping
Of his day and night tricks
Several cities have what is know
as the three-platoon system, which
provides for three shifts Of eight hour
each. New York City is institutini
this S7sto0.