Evening star., 1948-05-04
D. {. Considers
Change toAvert
Ga||inger Fire
Firemen Assigned
Pending Study Of
Improvement Costs

The Commissioners today ordered
District Budget Ofncer Walter l..
Fowler to see If funds are available
for Improvements recommended by
Fire Marshall Raymond c. Roberts
to reduce fire hazards in the Grip
Piled children's building of Gallinger
Hospital.
They asked Mr.. Fowler to see If
the necessary changes could be
made with money already appro-
priated for the municipal hospital.
Meanwhile, they ordered three
firemen assigned To the building,
relieving each other in eight-hour
shifts, as precautionary measure
pending corrections of dangerous
conditions.
AS reported in Sundays Star, Mr..
Roberts recommended that an open
stairway in the building be COM
pletely inclosed and that doors,
doorjams and transoms be covered
with metal to make them fire re-
sistant, the city heads said.
The cost of these improvements
has been estimated by Archie Hut
son, director of municipal construc-
ton, at between $1,000 and $4,000.
Called bad but Not Critical"
TIE Districts study of conditions
in the crippled children's unit was
undertaken at the request of Chair
man Dworshak of the Senate Appro-
priations Subcommittee on the Dis
trict, whose assistant, Kimball San
born. had made an inspection of the
building.
Mr.. Roberts called the f1re-safety
situation in the building bad but
not critical"
DR.. Alvin R. Sweeney, Gallinger
superintendent, said he thought
safeguards recommended in the re-
port would be adequate, until a
new building is constructed"
The report was submitted by Com
missioner John Russell Young to
Senator Dworshak last week, along
with letter noting that the an
cient structure falls into the same
category with many other build
1ngS in failing to meet proposed
egress regulations for the city.
After a visit to Gallinger late yes
terday, however, Senator Dworshak
sent an urgent recommendation
that the city heads remedy the fire
hazards Immediately. In his letter,
the legislator told Mr.. Young that
the rashness of exposing crippled
children to unnecessary risks of fire
is apparent"
Staff Housed on Top Floor.
DR.. Sweeney said only two of the
three floors in the Crippled Chill
dren's Building are being used to
house the 36 patients registered, and
that only ambulant patients are
permitted above the first floor. Hos
pital staff members are housed on
the top floor.
An elevator and one stairway con-
meet the first and second floors, he
said, and two outside fire escapes
furnish additional exists. The first
floor, with three exits I'VE think
is SAFE" he added.
The superintendent said a new
building for the crippled children
has been requested, but that no
funds have been appropriated.
The Commissioners also sent to-
day, but did not make public,
letter to the District Medical So
ciety, which charged last week the
Receiving Home for Children here
is fire trap" and complained of
other bad conditions at that in
Stitution.
The city heads said they had
received report from Mr.. Roberts
on the receiving home, indicating
many Of the indicated changes
there were administrative" includ-
ing the hiring of night watchman
and the removal of barred and pad
locked doors.