Fire control

“ At least 27 per cent, of the fires, those attributed to lightning, are not preventable, and the only way to combat those is for the Forest officer to get to them as soon as possible after they get started. The preventable fires, however, may be arrested at their source, that is, by popular education dealing with the use of fire in the woods these causes can be greatly reduced and, in time, no doubt, eliminated. Therefore, the fire protection problem immediately resolves itself into two almost distinct phases of action—fire prevention and fire control. ”

“ As nothing is so hurtful to the efficiency of an establishment for extinguishing fires as unnecessary noise, irregularity, or insubordination, it is enjoined on all to observe quietness and regularity, to execute readily whatever orders they may receive from their officers, and to do nothing without orders. [Pg 117]
The first engine and company which arrive at the fire are not to be interfered with, nor their supplies of water diverted from them by those coming afterwards, unless by a distinct order from the superintendent, or, in his absence, from the chief magistrate on the spot. ”

“ Thousands of injuries and deaths occur each year as a result of fires, and Americans have a shared responsibility to help minimize the risk of fires that can cause harm to people and property. By installing and maintaining smoke alarms and having a plan of action in the event of an emergency, citizens can practice simple but effective fire safety measures. ”

“ Then, because they're wet, some sort of a gas develops, and the fire starts with what they call spontaneous combustion."
"They have a fire patrol in some places, don't they?"
"Yes, and they ought to have one wherever there are woods. Out west the government forest service keeps men who do nothing all day long but keep on the lookout for fires. Up on the high peaks they have signal stations, with semaphores and telephone wires, and men with telescopes who look out all day long for the first sign of smoke." ”

“ No regulations for fireproof building can be complete without most stringent rules for using the best fire resisting doors, for what the door of a boiler-furnace is to the fire within, the door of a room is to combustion going on inside: it will, if insecure, allow air in to feed the flames so long as there is fuel to burn. ”

“ It is evident that something should be done at once to furnish the Fire Department, the relief that they have a right to expect from the excessive labor that is unavoidable in drawing their engines to and from, and the hazzard and fatigue of working them at the numerous fires that take place.
In the opinion of your subscriber, the plan of placing light carts with hose at convenient distances in every street, to be at the service of a body of police, all interested to use this hose for the extinguishment of fires with the greatest possible energy and effect, is the best that can be adopted. ”

“ And so we find, thanks to superior building construction, less hurry and rush in business methods, and a wholesome regard on the part of the citizens for certain rigid laws covering the use of explosives and materials of all kinds which usually cause fire, the lot of the foreign fire-fighter is not as strenuous as that of his brother fireman on this side of the water. Because of the excellent character of the buildings abroad fires burn slowly, and rarely extend beyond the room or floor in which they start. ”

“ They have determined the best appliances wherewith to combat flame, and how they can be best placed and used. An important principle in the construction of these appliances has been evolved as a result of their labors— the principle whereby, on the first bursting out of flame, automatic means of safety begin their work. Developed fully, this principle promises to be the most effective known against the incendiary, whose crimes lead, perhaps, to one third the losses by fire. A watchman usually vigilant may be unobservant or negligent at a critical moment. ”

“ Unless local authorities advise otherwise, fill buckets, bathtubs and other containers with water, for use in emergency fire fighting.
If a fire does occur, your home might be saved if you know how to fight fires, and have on hand some basic firefighting tools. These should include a garden hose, a ladder, buckets filled with sand, containers filled with water, and a fire extinguisher. Keep in mind that vaporizing-liquid types of fire extinguishers can produce dangerous fumes when used in small enclosed spaces. ”

“ The International Fire Exhibition held in 1903 at Earl’s Court, and the Fire Prevention Congress of the same year, may be said to have revolutionized thought on the subject of fire brigade organization and equipment in the British empire; but, for all that, the advance made by the fire service has not been so rapid as the development of the fire-preventive side of fire protection.
Fire Protection.—The term “Fire Protection” is often misunderstood. ”

“ Where the strength of the men and the supply of water used to be wasted, by being thrown against windows, walls, and roofs, the firemen now seek out the spot where the danger lies, and creeping on hands and feet into a chamber full of flame, or smoke, often at the hazard of suffocation, discover the exact seat of danger ”

“ Men and boys ran to the fire and did their best to put out the flames, but they had no leader and could not work to advantage.
The first fire-engines were drawn through the streets by men, instead of horses, and water was forced through the hose by means of a hand-pump worked by these same men.
Every year the system of fire protection is being perfected, new apparatus is invented, and better methods are introduced.
In the smaller towns the fire companies consist largely of volunteer firemen, who leave their work at the sound of the alarm and hurry to the scene of action. ”

“ One place we can all start is with this year's Fire Prevention Week theme, "Fire Drills Save Lives." Everyone should plan ahead noting the most convenient fire exits. Families should install and maintain smoke detectors in their homes to provide early warning of fire. ”

“ The American people must redouble their efforts to prevent fires and their terrible toll in human lives and the destruction of property. There are encouraging signs: Today smoke detectors have been installed in 75 percent of American homes. Our target is 100 percent. National public awareness campaigns have prompted many families to plan and practice means of quick escape if fire strikes in the home. Fire safety concepts, such as "Stop, Drop, and Roll" to smother a clothing fire, are gaining currency. ”

“ The small fines that have been paid by members for absence at the monthly meetings have been apply'd to the purchase of fire-engines, ladders, fire-hooks, and other useful implements for each company, so that I question whether there is a city in the world better provided with the means of putting a stop to beginning conflagrations; and, in fact, since these institutions, the city has never lost by fire more than one or two houses at a time, and the flames have often been extinguished before the house in which they began has been half consumed. ”

“ When such men come to a fire they would all be armed with police powers to protect property, and to bring and use the carts with hose on the fire, until the general alarm became necessary to summon the firemen to the charge, which would seldom happen with such facilities and such an interest to extinguish fires. ”

“ Because approximately 80 percent of last year's fatal fires occurred in the home, every family should develop a home escape plan. If a smoke or fire alarm sounds, everyone must react quickly. When away from home, we need to make it a habit to locate the nearest exit in any building we occupy. Most important, we must never reenter a burning building.
By following these basic safety rules, we can save lives and reduce the risks to our Nation's firefighters. Every 16 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States. ”

“ The energies of each band of firemen were commonly reserved for the protection of property only in which their own insurance company or parish was immediately interested. As a rule, whatever water was thrown upon a burning building was dashed against the walls, windows, and roof from the outside only, very little if any really reaching the actual seat of the fire within. ”

“ The application of these available common-sense methods of fire prevention will practically eliminate the fire risk. An ounce of such prevention effort is to be stressed rather than placing dependence on means of fire suppression after the combustion occurs. ”

“ The work that can be done in attempting to extinguish a fire at an early stage is worth everything, and yet matters are so arranged that the firemen may get to a fire and watch it burning, while the turncock is sent for to find the plug and get the required supply of water; and if the pressure happens to be low in the main the supply runs short. ”

“ FIRE-ALARMS AND AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Assuming that a town has a well-appointed fire brigade, equipped with the most up-to-date engines, it still cannot be considered efficiently protected against the ravages of the fire-fiend unless the outbreak of a fire can be notified immediately to the stations, and local mechanical means of suppression come into action almost simultaneously with the commencement of the conflagration. ”

“ When the two first firemen have gained a favourable position, they should keep it as long as they are able; and when they feel exhausted, the men behind them should take their place.
The great point to which everything ought to be made subservient is, that the water on its discharge from the branch-pipe should actually strike the burning materials. This cannot be too often or too anxiously inculcated on every one connected with a fire-engine establishment. ”

“ This arises from the door on that particular floor having been shut, and the draught directed elsewhere. If the person who has examined the fire finds a risk of its gaining ground upon him, he should, if within reach of fire-engines, keep everything close, and await their arrival, instead of admitting air to the fire by ineffectual efforts to oppose it with inadequate means. In the meantime, however, he should examine [Pg 64] where a supply of water is most likely to be obtained, and communicate that, and any other local information, to the firemen on their coming forward. ”

“ A chief object therefore of man’s policy in economizing fire, in subduing it to his use, and in governing its decomposing and destructive powers, should be to prevent its finding fuel in the ascent. No connected timbers ought therefore to join an inferior floor with a superior, so that, if one floor were on fire, its feeble lateral combustion might easily be extinguished with a mop and a pail of water, provided no train of combustibles were extended to the floor above. ”

“ I urge citizens, industry, and State and local government to continue their successful efforts to safeguard lives and property from the dangers of fire by installing and maintaining smoke detectors along with proper and adequate escape plans. ”

“ Only a small proportion of these 38,000 fires were very serious ones; yet the majority of them might have been so but for the precautions and appliances at hand to prevent the mischief spreading. The best way of combating this foe for the future is to ensure better house-building, and to hold an enquiry into the cause of each fire, as already suggested. But we have to deal with cities and towns already built, and with the greater part of their buildings ready to form bonfires when any care [101] lessness lets even the smallest portion ignite. ”

“ The minute the engine starts, the connection with the pipes underneath is shut off automatically, and then as soon as the wheels cross the threshold of the building, the fire is lit, and as the swift motion of the street acts as a sort of draught, there is a big blaze going in less than two minutes. ”

“ Even should the wind fan them into a flame again they could do no harm, for there was nothing for them to feed upon. Along the entire edge of the burned area the fire crew had made sure there was a wide belt of ground in which no spark remained. Thus, though these glowing embers might continue to smoulder for hours, they could do no harm. The quantity of smoke arising was still considerable, but it did not shut off the vision as the dense clouds of smoke had done during the fire. So the onlookers could get a fair idea of the extent of the blaze. ”

“ As we work to put out the fires and bring relief to their victims, we also have a responsibility to prevent the devastation that can be caused by future fires. For too long, America's fire prevention strategy has been shortsighted. ”

“ To prevent accidents of this kind, before kindling the fire a space should be cleared away sufficient to embrace the limits of the flame, and all combustibles removed therefrom, and while the fire is being made men should be stationed around with blankets ready to put it out if it takes the grass. ”

“ If there be enough of water, however, two, three, or any convenient number of people may be employed in throwing it; on the contrary, if the supply of water be insufficient to employ even one person, the door should be kept shut while the water is being brought, and the air excluded as much as possible, as the fire burns exactly in proportion to the quantity of air which it receives.
One great evil, and which ought to be strictly guarded against by people not accustomed to fire, is, that on the first alarm they exert themselves to the very utmost of their strength. ”