Our Fire Department

The great loss by flre in Detroit last veek has brought to the attention of the leople more than ever the excellent failities Ann Arbor has for extinguisliing ires, and particularly fhe work of the nembers of our fire department. One enthusiastic gentleman remarking upon he Detroit fire said : "1 actually beieve that if Detroit had as good a fire department as Ann Arbor has got, that ,he fire would have been confined to the opera house." He rnay be a little enthusiastic, but Ann Arbor has a fine lepartment, nevertheless. One great secret of the success our ire boys have had lies in the promptness with which they respond to alarms ; another secret is the water supply, which is always ready the moment the hose is laid and coupled. In these two important essentials Ann Arbor is very fortúnate. There is much gained by the reservoir pressure in our water works system. No matter how good the fire department of a city may be, there is always more or less deiay, in getting a stream upon a fire from a steam fire engine. The excellence of Detroit's fire department proves this assertion, for although they respond quickly, there is always some delay in getting a stream on, and so the fire gets beyond control. Seconds are precious when a fire first starts, and the f act that out of 47 fires in Ann Arbor during the past year only 22 resulted in loases, is a proud record for our fire fighters, and one that must impress upon everyone the value of our water supply which is always ready for business, and the alertness of the boys in getting there. Perhaps a few figures, giving the losses, insurance, etc, in this city, from October 1, 1896, to the same date of 1897, may interest our readers. Taking each fire where there was a loss, by itself, we find the figures to be as folio ws : TOTAL LOSS. INS. PAID. TOTAL INS. S275.U0 $275 UU $100 i,mco ïeu.uo 25,uuo 55.00 55.00 5,500 32 63 32.63 4,500 1,010 00 1.01O.UO 3,500 24.00 24.00 1,500 ■iö.UU 45.00 2,000 200.U0 ltiO.OO 500 &S8.86 388.86 1,000 1,196.00 S96.00 5,500 116.00 116.00 2,900 962 24 962.24 5,900 238.50 198 50 800 97.50 97.50 6,500 27S.90 278.90 15,000 4.15 4.15 750 420.00 420.00 500 10,000 00 5.668.00 6,000 475.00 475.00 700 287.00 287.00 2,800 35.38 35.38 1,500 50.00 95.00 150 $17,451.16 $12,784.16 $92,900 It will be seen by the above that more than oue-half the total losa was in one flre, that of the Holmes livery bam and dweiling. In that fire the departuient did not receive the alarm until the barn was past saving, and the run was a long one, also. Of the 25 other fires where the loss was reported as nominal, we wish to quote a paragraph from the last issue of the magazine called Fire and Water, as follows : "Damage trifling,7' "loss slight." Possibly, but what do these words represent outside of the bald report sent in by the cbief of the fire battalion to hig superiors? Tliey show that the firemen are promptly on hand at auy hour of the day or night, and can tlms quench the incipient flre before it luis made any lieadway. Tliey show much more. ïhey teil of dangeroua and exhaustive work done by the firemen, which none outside the ranks ever sees, of ;i majority of fires - as the report of the New York fire department (jnst issued) points out - stopped at the very begiuning by the skill, coolness, and courage of the officers and men in getting quickly tlnough sinoke and flames, atthe'out set of the fire. Iu subeellars and basements, over-hanging ceilings, in lofts and under stairways lires break out, which can be subdued only by promptly getting at the point of starting. To do this the riremen must, in many cases crawl and foei Iheir way throug'u blinding and suffocating smoke, and almost unendurable heat. Sueceeding by diut of their effort in distinguishing tlie fires and thus preventinij heavy loss of property, such lires iré quite natm-ally dismisseil with tlie vtords "damafte ! trifling," "slight," etc, when, in ! tv, th( service may have been far more hazardous than some of the coospicuous acts performed at large lires, in f uil i view of tl'.e spectators. The contract of the city with the Ann - Arbor Water Co., calis for a reservoir pressure at the court house square tliat will tlirow six streams of water 80 feet high, or with direct pressure 110. feet high. At tlie University campus, five streams of water 54 feet high from reservoir, or 90 feet high under direct presure. Chief Sipley informa us that there bas been no cause for eomplaint in regard to the water pressure under the present management of the Water Oo. From the admirable records kept by Chief Sipley, we find that since the organization of the fire department in 1889, there have been 411 alarms responded to, to accomplish which 339 miles were traveled, 120,000 feet of hose were laid, and 263 small chemicals discharged. The latter item tells the story of many of the "slight" losses. The department always lias ready for nstant service four horses, two hose wagons, eacti carrying 1,000 feet of hose and two hand ehemicals, oae hook and adder truck earrying two hand cheincals and tnany tools often found necessary at fires, together with a box conaining bottles of medicines and bandiges, so that any cut or bruise may be nstantly cared for. This has often saved much pain and suffering from these causes. There is also a Button steam fire engine that can be used outside the water systein liniits, or in case the water pressure should happen to fail, but there never has been such an occasion since ;he water works were established. There are eight full-pay or regular men in the department aside from the Chief, five "cali men," who sleep at the engine house nights and respond at all alarrns. The list of the department is as follows : Chief- Fred Sipley. Assistant - Chas. Edwards. Regulars- Wm. H. McLaren, Max Whitlinger, Albert West, Eugene Williams, Herman Kirn, Samuel McLaren, Ed. Hoezle. Cali Men - W. L. Schnierle, George Hoezle, Wm. Rettich, Albert W. Sorg, Ed. Hül, Nightwatch - Chas. Carroll.