FIRE DEPARTMENT 



2181 



FIRE DEPARTMENT 



shals, battalion chiefs, captains and lieutenants, 

 firemen (who are the "privates" of the fire- 

 fighting force), engineers, and veterinary sur- 

 geons. Since the introduction of motor-driven 

 apparatus, the latter are reduced in number 

 and more of the men must be technically 

 trained. The various companies, under com- 

 mand of captains and lieutenants, are sta- 

 tioned in widely-scattered permanent quarters, 

 and over groups of these are the battalion 

 chiefs and assistant marshals. From one cen- 

 tral point the chief marshal directs all oper- 

 ations. In proportion to population the Amer- 

 ican and Canadian fire-fighting forces are four 

 times as many as those of Germany and 

 France and three times as many as those of 

 England, yet losses in European countries, 

 which are much more densely populated, are 

 very slight compared to the fire waste in North 

 America. 



Fire Engines. The first successful steam fire 

 engine was used in Cincinnati in 1850. But 

 special fire pumps had been known since Ro- 

 man times; one was described by Hero of 

 Alexandria about 150 B. c. The business of the 

 fire engine is to force water through the hose 

 at a high pressure. The highest type of en- 

 gine can pump 1,300 gallons a minute. Horse- 

 drawn steam engines are being supplanted by 

 those which are motor driven, and in some 

 cases the pumps are operated by the gasoline 

 motor which propels the vehicle, instead of by 

 steam. Where cities install high pressure water 

 mains, the fire engine becomes unnecessary. 

 Though some pumps can throw water to the 

 height of a twenty-story building, they are 

 little used, as most "skyscraper" fires are fought 



and a lighter hose is required than for extin- 

 guishing with water alone, the chemical en- 

 gines can be built lighter, and they are more 

 speedy than the steam engines. They reach 

 the scene of a fire first, and often have it under 



MOTOR FIRE ENGINE 



rom the inside with the apparatus which is a 

 part of the building. 

 Chemical Engines and Fire Extinguishers. A 



ire which has not spread far is readily extin- 

 guished by carbonic acid gas or other gases. 

 The gas is usually conveyed to the fire in 

 water through a hose, but as much less water 



COMBINATION MOTOR VEHICLE 

 Comprising hose cart, hook and ladder equip- 

 ment and chemical engine. 



control before the rest of the department ar- 

 rives. Hand fire extinguishers working on the 

 same principle have been known since 1816; 

 they are an English invention. 



For warehouses, factories, "skyscrapers" and 

 other large buildings, automatic sprinklers are 

 advocated by insurance companies. These con- 

 sist of pipes, within the ceilings of rooms, con- 

 taining water under pressure. At intervals, 

 sprinkler heads are attached, the openings be- 

 ing closed by a thin piece of metal which 

 melts at a low temperature. Even a small 

 fire raises the temperature, the metal softens 

 and gives way, and the water is sprayed over 

 the floor. 



Fire Escapes. Special measures are neces- 

 sary to furnish means of escape from public 

 and semi-public buildings in case of fire. There 

 are various crude forms of fire escapes, such 

 as ropes, slings and baskets, by which those 

 in a building may lower themselves to the 

 ground. The most common fire escape, how- 

 ever, is an iron ladder running from top to 

 bottom of a building, with a platform or bal- 

 cony at each story which may be reached from 

 a window. Enclosed fireproof towers with 

 broad stairways are the best type of escape. 

 Fire departments are equipped with ladders, 

 which may be adjusted to various lengths, and 

 with short scaling ladders. Tubes of strong 

 sailcloth through which persons may easily 

 slide are often provided. If all means of 

 escape are cut off it is sometimes necessary for 

 persons in a burning building to jump into 

 large sheets of canvas or tarpaulin held by 

 firemen below. The laws in most civilized 

 countries are strict in requiring factories and 

 public buildings to be provided with adequate 

 fire escapes. When inspection is lax and laws 



