FARM FIRE MENACE 



This may happen on your farm! More 

 than 40.000 bams were either destroyed 



or damaged by fire in the United States 

 last year. Check your barn for fire hazards. 



ORGANIZE TO FIGHT IT! 



I'vcry \^ minutes durint: the day .1 

 f.irm home or farm building' t.itclies 

 fire in the United States! 



With this fiuure in mind, the I'. S 

 DejMrtment of A^riciihiire urges' ali 

 farmers to take advanta^ye of fire pre- 

 \ention week, Oct. 8 to 1 1. to organize 

 local fire-fighting groups. (Cooperative 

 neighborhood action, efficiently or- 

 ganized, will give the farmers better 

 protection against fires and help cut 

 down the nations fire loss, according 

 to the National Fire Protection Asso- 

 ciation. 



Figures show that tlic nations ti:c 

 loss showed a ^harp increase over 

 19 12. with indications it will f,o e\en 

 higher bv the end ot 19 it. .More than 

 lO.OOO j-'ersons lost their lixes .\x\d 

 more than s"'* million dollars in prop- 

 erty was destroyed. 



Next to the hoine. the barn is tin 

 most important bi.ilding on the farm 

 ^'et. largely throLigh carelessness more 

 th.iH lO. (){!() barns were either destroyed 

 or damaged by fire in the Inited .States 

 last year. 



SO THIS COMMUNITY DID JUST THAT! 



A BRIGHT, new swanky red fire 

 trutk is now a\ailable to loo co- 

 operating farmers for fighting fires on 

 farms in the vicinity of Manhattan. 

 Will county, as the result of many peo- 

 ple working towards a community ob- 

 jective, according to John H. .Brock, 

 farm adviser. This project has been ac- 

 complished as a result of the efforts of 

 a loc.il committee, the Extension .Serv- 

 ice of the College of Agriculture, the 

 Will County Farm Bureau, and the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association. 



Two years ago the first series of 

 meetings of the Wartime Fducational 

 Program for Agriculture presented fire 

 prevention as one of the discussion top- 

 ics. These meetings were conducted by 

 local people in their school districts un- 

 der the county co-chairmanship of 

 Leonard W. Braham and Mrs. Edith 

 Huffman, former Will county farm and 

 home advisers. 



After discussing the need lor fire 

 prevention, the local school distrut 

 groups around Manhattan dec-idtd to 

 do somethini; more than talk about it 



I hey appointed a lOinmittee composed 

 of Harry White, diairman. Cieorge 

 Bovee. Henry I'.berhardt. Vi'ilbur Fran- 

 eis, Robert Haley. Arbie Seltzer and 

 Har\ey Weibel. 



Braham worked closely with the 

 (Ommitlee and attended many of tlie 

 lommittee meetings. About a year ago 

 it was decided to organize a stock loni 

 jMiiy. Paul Mathias of the lAA legal 

 department assisted in pre|iaring the 

 necessary legal papers for organizing 

 the association. 



As it now functions, the truik and 

 its fire fighting ecjuipment is owned by 

 tilt, corporation known as the Manhat- 

 t.in Rural F'ire Protection Association 

 with a board of five directors. Officers 

 of the association are Harry White, 

 chairman: Cieorge Bovee. secretary; 

 Arbie Seltzer, treasurer: Wilbur F'r.in- 

 cis and Harvey Weibel. 



'I he purchasing and maintenance of 

 the truck and ecjuipment has been ac 

 complished by the sale of two shares 

 of 52^ stock and an annual membersliip 

 fee (it S'>.(i(i. From this memfHrshij-) 

 fee the diiectors hope to be able to lav 

 aside sufficient income above actii.il 

 cost of operation to cover deprec lation 

 of the ecjuipment. The board has 

 .iLTCcci to purchasi. the stock of any 

 landowner or operator in case of a s.ilc. 



The rural truck will be operated by 

 the Manhattan X'oluntccr Fire Depart- 

 nient. .As .111 example' nt ctfeclive co- 

 operation between rural .md urlvn 

 groups, .irrangements have been ma.le 

 for both trucks to be used in either the 

 town, or the countrv .11 any tinv- there 

 is a fire of serious enouch proportions 

 to need both pieces of ec|uipment. 



.-\s soim .is some ad'.iition.'l rie( cs 

 o! sin.dl ecuiipment .it'j secured bv tfie 

 ,isso, ijticui and approved bv the under- 

 v\niers. f.irniers who arc cooper.iting 

 'II this prole I iiavc been loM tliat they 

 I .'.n L'et a sueable reduction in their 

 f'Tc- insur.iiiic r.itcs on their buiKiings 

 ;.:i.f persoc.il ecjciil'ment. 



This bright, new red fire truck of the Man- 

 hattan Rural Fire Protection Association 

 makes an appropriate picture for Fire Pre- 



vention Week. Left to right: Arbie Seltzer. 

 George Bovee. Wilbur Francis. Harry 

 While's son. Mr. White and H'arvey Weibel. 



OCTOBER, 1944 



