Evening star., 1943-10-04

me IlSIlelS, cdleC the snow a ire
mendouS success adding that
Washington is reasonably prepared
to cope with fires caused by air
raids, sabotage or other war emer-
gencieS
At the same time. Chief Peterson
. hurled challenge to auxiliary fire
! departments of the Nation to beat
the washington record Previously
Detroit auXiliaries had claimed the
/ national title by producing 1913 81
multaneous streams of water from
"a bumpers.
Auxiliary Gerald F Van Pelt of
4412 Window place NV. a General
Accounting ONCE emplove. is in
Emergency Hospital suffering from
several possible fractured ribs re-
celVed lust as the demonstration
started when he slipped in some mud
and was thrown against one of the
auxiliary fire trucks by pressure in
the hose he was holding He was
taken TO the hospital in a Fire Res
cue Squad ambulance. He is as
signed TO Engine No. 20.
Tossed into Basin.
Fellow fireman quickly rescued
AuXlllarN 1t. NeSter F.. DeleveauX,
! JeWeler, who lives at l34l Con-
! nectlcut avenue NV. after he lost
! control of the hose he was holdinp
| and was tossed over an iron railing
/ INTO the Tidal Basin. Auxiliary
| Capt. M F. Abbott of No. 9 Engine
to which Mr. Deleveaux is attached
led the rescuers.
A native Of Switzerland Mr.
DeleVeauX recently became ma
turallzed American citizen. He was
given first aid by DR.. William
I Claudy, volunteer medical officer of
the Second Battalion, and taken
home.
Auxiliary Harry F. Jones. emplOve
OF the Washington Gas Light Co..
who lives al l705 Capitol avenue
NE. was given first aid by Chief
H. L. Leonard Washington Gas
Light Co, safety engineer, after
his left hand was cut badly. Pres
sure from his hose. he said. caused
him TO lose balance and fall against
his pumper truck, attached to
No. 8 Engine.
Display Preparedness.
Strollers along the picturesque
Tidal Basin on the balmv Sunday
afternoon saw civilian defense
volunteers, men from every phase
Of commercial and Government life
IN the community. demonstrate a
high degree of preparedness to fight
fires during any war emergency.
Weekly practice sessions and long
hours of study had prepared them
for the task
Equipment used in the demonstra-
tion included SO OCD trailer pumps.
which are hauled by the various
departments Of the city in times of
an emergency, and 81 trucks con-
tanning Skid-mount pumps which
are held IN readiness at all times
at strategic locations about the city.
The 81 trucks were donated to OCD
for the duration by commercial
concerns. including everything from
vehicles from dairies to department
store delivery trucks.
Civilian Defense Director H. c.
Whitehurst. warmly complimented
the auxiliary firemen on their
demonstration. He pointed out that
under the "severest of tests" every
piece of equipment had functioned
properly
Others Prai AuxiIiaries.
Others who praised the auxiliaries
included Maj. Gen. John T. Lewis,
commanding general of the WASH
ington Military District: 1t. Col.
Leonce Legendre. executive officer
of the Washington Regional OCD;
Chief S. T. Porter of the Metro
politan Fire Department. and
Frank c. Hanrahan, county mana
ger of Arlington County.
Besides helping to a national
record with their water curtain
over the Tidal Basin which Chief
Peterson said nobody is going to
beat in long time three volun-
teer Washington Gas Light COM
panies, under command of Chief
H. L. Leonard of the Industrial
Battalion. demonstrated three
line hookup in relaying water,
practice used frequently in London
during the blitz.
AuXiliaries of No Engine exc
cuted their weekly drill evolutions
under command of 1t. A. M. Grun-
we'll of the Second Battalion. Using
a suction sleeve placed in the river,
the men set up a "" fire line.
with half-inch hose with spray
212-inch hose with regular nozzle
nozzle to fight incendiaries, and a
to combat the hypothetical fire
caused by the bombs.
Chief Peterson explained that the
hardest job for the auxiliaries came
on completion of the demonstra-
ton, when all of the equipment
and hoses had to be cleaned and
readied for emergency use. Water
for the demonstrations was all
drawn from the Tidal Basin.