PASSAIC FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT

PASSAIC FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT

The annual report of the Passaic, N. J., fire department for the year 1914, submitted by Chief Reginald H. Bowker to Commissioner of Public Safety John H. Kehoe, gives the following information: The number of alarms was 281; the number of fires in brick buildings, 61; in frame buildings, 153; fires other than buildings, 67. The value of property involved in fires was: Buildings, $1,143,600; contents, $506,605; total, $1,650,205; total of insurance thereon: Buildings, $921,000; contents, $443,075; total ,$1,364,075. Total insurance loss: Buildings, $39,557; contents, $38,015; total, $77,672. The manual force of the department consists of 47 men, including officers, assigned as follows: Chief engineer, 2 assistant chief engineers. 1 captain, master mechanic, 4 captains of companies, 1 lieutenant, assistant master mechanic, 7 lieutenants of companies, 2 fire alarm operators, 29 firemen. In his recommendations Chief Bowker says : "While up to the preset time this small number of men have proven themselves equal to every emergency to which they have been called, it is too small a force for a city of this size, and especially a city mostly of wooden construction. At no fire have we a force of forty-seven (47) men. This is caused by vacations, meal hours, and regular days off. I would therefore recommend to your honorable Board of Commissioners that provision be made in the next annual appropriation for fifteen (15) additional firemen, all appointments to be made on three months’ probation.”

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