Paid Department for Greensboro

Paid Department for Greensboro

According to Fire Chief Fred N. Taylor, of the Greensboro, N. C., fire department, it is only a matter of a short time before the city will find it necessary to maintain a full paid fire department. Greensboro’s population is said to be about 21,000, and in the matter of expense for fire prevention and total of fire loss probably has the best record of any city in North Carolina its size. With the exception of drivers and enginemen, the local fire department is made up of volunteers, most of the men having served so long that they could easily qualify as trained fire-fighters. The volunteers have done their duty faithfully, and are entitled to every praise, but as time goes on it is quite evident that gradually one by one will of necessity drop out, and there are few volunteers entering these days. The city has now grown to such an extent that in justice to its volunteers and to itself it should he put on a full paid basis. Greensboro is the home of four fire insurance companies and many local agencies, all apparently doing good business. The fire loss, it is said, has been very small in comparison to that of cities where large paid departments are maintained.

The city council at Rochester, N. H., has recommended a storage battery for a compressedair whistle in place of a steam fire whistle at a cost of $1,900.