PROGRESS REPORT ON PREPARING FOR WARTIME EMERGENCIES
Committee Consisting of Comr. and Chief McElligott of New York, I. H. Case of New York and Chief Roscoe Foster of Norfolk, Va., Submit Report at I. A. F. C. Convention of Work Done During Past Year
DURING the past year, since the Committee on Preparation for War Emergencies was appointed following the last convention of this organization, war activities in other parts of the world certainly have shown no signs of diminishing. As this is being written, in fact, the pot is beginning to boil again in Europe.
Fortunately there appear to be no developments as yet, politically or scientifically, to give this country any immediate cause for alarm. While continued advance in the military aspect of aviation is bringing the day nearer when bombing from the air will likely be a menace of serious proportions, military experts agree that any real danger is still a long way off because of this country’s isolatel position. Consequently, the problem of preparing for war emergencies, so far as the fire service is concerned does not seem to call for hasty action at this time and resolves itself down more to a matter of long-range planning kept attuned and in step with the changing order of things.
Realizing that there is little or no actual experience to draw upon, outside of what has happened in China and our own practical understanding of what could happen here under similar conditions, the Committee has been feeling its way slowly and carefully to avoid getting off on the wrong foot. Accordingly. rather than attempt to definitely lay out a comprehensive and detailed plan, which with all its ramifications is a task of no small proportions, attention thus far has been given chiefly to the matter of formulating general policies on which the work of the fire service could be based and facilitated.
Fire Hazard a Major Problem in War
As a starting point in this connection comes the question how far should the fire service go in this war emergency work. Most communities expect the fire department to handle almost all emergency situations where life and property are at stake. In war time, however, the fire hazard of aerial bombardment will undoubtedly be a major problem in itself, and Fire Departments would be pressed to the limit to handle this one thing alone. Therefore, in any local or general war emergency set-up it is felt that the Fire Department should confine itself solely to fire fighting duty and should not undertake added responsibilities that are more properly the function of other civil forces.
The committee held its first meeting last April at the office of the Chairman, in New York, attended, in addition to the Chairman, by Chief Roscoe Foster of the Norfolk Navy Yard, and I. Herbert Case of New York. A short time later, Foster and Case, as a sub-committee appointed by the Chairman, went to Washington to confer with military authorities relative to the fire service and its place in the war picture.
General Beck of the War Planning Division of the Army General Staff, with whom the matter was discussed, expressed a willingness to be helpful in working out some program of cooperation. He gave the opinion, however, that the army in time of war is too much occupied with active military combat to give attention to any fire-fighting angles, and that the problem of fire protection, even in the face of aerial bombardment, would have to remain a matter for each community to handle in its own way except, perhaps, where munition plants are in jeopardy. Nonetheless, he suggested that some kind of a plan be submitted for further consideration—a plan embodying a detailed inventory of the equipment and man power of every fire department in the country. Unfortunately, this data is not readily available, and considering that there are over 10,000 Fire Departments, paid and volunteer, such a compilation would be very costly and require a lot of time to make. The idea is to work out some mutual aid program covering the whole country, as originally proposed in the paper presented at the last convention, but the committee feels that there are many angles to be ironed out by the fire service before a project of this magnitude can be properly lined up or undertaken, and that the whole thing should be held over for further consideration.
Mutual aid will naturally be the major factor in any plan that is promulgated. It is the all-important element around which everything else should be built. But mutual aid falls flat, and is rendered meaningless and impotent unless, for one thing, fire hose couplings everywhere are made to conform to the National Standard, and unless, for another, each community does its part in maintaining np to full strength at all times a well-manned, well-equipped and efficiently organized Fire Department.
The committee will carry on its work as effectively as possible and hopes to have substantial progress to report later.
