94 



Our Surroundings 



Fire Dangers and Losses. As long as fire is kept under 

 control it is a very useful servant, but whenever it gains such, 

 headway that it cannot be held in check, it mercilessly burns 



nearly all things with which it 

 comes in contact. It is, therefore, 

 important to remove or guard 

 all fire hazards in the home, 

 the school, the factory and the 

 theatre; in fact, in all buildings. 

 That there is not sufficient atten- 

 tion given to this is proven by the 

 great losses each year from fires 

 that might have been prevented 

 with care. Every year many 

 buildings are destroyed because 

 authorities in charge of them 

 have not exercised adequate care 

 in looking for fire hazards and 

 in removing them when found. 

 These dangers may be caused 

 by the throwing of old cleaning 



rags into a closet, the leaving of some combustible material too 

 near a furnace in the basement, or by some other careless act. 



Fire Exits. In case of fire, the regular doorways are some- 

 times inadequate, or are even entirely cut off by the flames. It is 

 therefore necessary to have other exits by which to leave a 

 burning building. If above the first floor, such exits are com- 

 monly connected with a fire escape which consists of a stairway 

 on the outside of the building, or a chute, somewhat like those 

 seen on playgrounds, by which a person can slide to a place of 

 safety. 



All exits and escapes should be regularly inspected to see 

 that the doors leading to them are not locked and that the stairs 

 or chutes are not in any way blocked. In schools, regular fire 

 drills are required by law. These drills are desirable in factories 

 and in all buildings where a large number of people assemble daily, 

 but they are not always required by law and often are not held. 



REMOVING A FIRE HAZARD 



