Show KEEPING r TA TAB ON ON FIRE CHIEF CHIE 1 i How the Head of the Department Is I s on Call Cal Every Minute of the te Year Yea j I How would you ou like Uke to live Ie without respite from duty sleep sl p In your underclothes with your boots and garments ready to jump Into at a mo moments moments moments ments notice sit down to no meal nor norlie norlie lie le down a a nap that you may be sure will be uninterrupted in short to real realize realize ize h furs a day and seven days a iek that you cant call cal your our time Much like that of at o a prisoner on pro probation bation tt this that of the fire lire It I is s this life me that Chief W H By Bywater water of q the theS Salt lt Lake City lives days out of the year with exception of a short vacation each summer It I Is the strenuous life of the simple life ideal the tho antithesis anthe ls le You Mr Business Man or Professional atonal ran Man or Student how would you OU like to have every move during the tho day carefully noted on a tab If I you stepped down the street tor a atle tie or into a res restaurant restaurant for a l meal or to some play playhouse playhouse playhouse house for tor mental recreation how would you ou like to know that from one oneto oneto to a dozen do S men kept k pt strict tab on your movements so 10 any time tm or any anyplace anyplace anyplace place some one might place his finger linger on you and say sy Youre needed or maybe s broke loose loos in the building Ins the wagons on the road It I make malce any difference H whether bother you were just sinking your our teeth into a juicy steak or that the villain In the play was as about to get bis bJ l and the hero come into his own drop everything and get et busy that Is It If you ou were fire tire chief chiefs Keeping Keeping s Tab iab on Chief Some may think RL I statement s a aI little I le overdrawn wn but arl c t any fireman and as the chief of the department is properly the fireman freman of or them all Rl it Is natural that his story should be the most mOll Int A peep at a small Imal tablet Jn n tw tho call cal office of the th central fire department any day will show something e ll hers bers Call Cal chief chef ch ef at jl i num numbers m 21 This hl was a the record for tor Sept Sopt 22 up to 4 p m rn It I means mean mean tuat when ahon han Chief By Bywater water left the department In the morn mornIng ing after returning from his breakfast he went first to the office of the board of underwriters of the Pacific theirs being Ing the first telephone number on the list Upon leaving there he lie phoned the station that he was going to the office of Councilman C M Neuhausen From Fron there he went to see Assistant City Attorney W H Bramel Next on the list is ia the waterworks department and from thore there Chief Bywater went to the mayors mayora office It I will wm be noticed that tha the three last calls cals are in the city and county building and yet no pre precaution precaution caution cauton was overlooked for the three offices of are on different floors Chain of Communication This is only one link in It the complete chain by which the station staton knows that it I can cn get into communication with the tha chief in the quickest possible time Wheat Chief Bywater leaves his office he lie sleeps at the station at each ech morning morning the men mw know that he will wi go to his home at Sixth street by a certain prescribed route This never varies or if it I does the theoffice theo office o ce is notified The chief has both phones and can be called caled away at at any anytime tUne time during breakfast When he leaves his home honie he telephones to the central station staton If I he intends stopping at No Xo 4 on I street t he makes note of it it On arriving at and leaving No 4 other tel telephone telephone telephone ephone messages are delivered Once he has returned to the central station staton from tram breakfast Chief Bywater begins the real rel business of the day This includes consideration of official correspondence and the regular dally daily daiy Inspection etc of station staton equipment horses i How System Works From this time on the work of keep keeping keeping keeping ing tab on en the chief by telephone be begins begh begins gins gh in the tho manner shown in the in introduction introduction of this article artcle A question queston may arise as to what is to be done where here the chief happens to have just left one place and has hRs not arrived at atthe atthe atthe the next rhe The best bet answer to this is the relation of a 0 little incident which a afew afew few tew Salt Sal Lakers witnessed a short time ago which shows how chief and men work together in a case of a fire where the former happens to be absent from the station Chief Chiet Bywater accompanied by City Clerk John S Critchlow and Water Su Superintendent Superintendent Frank L Hines was waR walking up State street near Third South street when he heard the sharp rattle of his horses hoofs as they rang out on the Second South street cross crossing crossing big ing Neither the chief nor his compan companions companions companIons ing ions saw the rig riI but the chief recognizing recognizing the familiar gallop jumped to the rear rr and before either Critchlow or Hines Hine was aware of what was up he lie had hal jerked jerke off of his coat an was in inthe Inthe inthe the middle of State street He swung the coat to attract the drivers atten attention aten attention tion By the time his buggy with wih Driver ton Frank Angell n eU had reached him he was ready redy to don his firemans coat and helmet Hardly a second was con can consumed consumed in clambering camberIng into the rig after fter it I had wheeled up to the spot No Words Wasted Title This is not uncommon as ninny many m ny who have been walking with Uh the chief when lila his rig came dashing down the street can call testify Conversation is io cheap as compared with wih no words are aro ever wasted once the chief sees his buggy bugg approaching as fast as iCe hh one of ot the gamet animals in the de do department can pull it I Chief Bywater would rather inspect his department or confer with wih under underwriters writers wrier or advise merchants to com corn comply ply with wih the fire fre ordinances he would rather pl do any of these duties dutes pertain pertaining ing to his office than tell teU stories stores In which he is a personal factor He be believes believes in system and discipline not tell telling tel leves lag ing what part he lie has to co GO with wih It f Hes a doer loer not a teller teler but he Instances after be being beIng consented con to give ater ing big pressed pr sd of how a chief or a fire fireman fireman man may caught by a sudden alarm of fire Caught in a Barber Shop One of these and aud he ho says SS its its an ex ox experience experience which others of at his men can en duplicate concerns the Uw chiefs visit to toa toa toa a barber shop last fall fal Chief Bywater happened to pick the precise during which a fire fre broke out to g gt t a shave ahat He had left directions at the department to be bc called caled at such and such fuch a a shop in case ase case things broke loose The razor wielder had just scraped one halt half hil of the tho chiefs full tul face lace clean cean of its Is bristly growth when an alarm came In Instanter the chiefs buggy bugg was on its Is way to the tonsorial parlors the chief was wriggling from tram under a maze inaze of fluffy lather towels and astonished bar barber barber barber ber and in a few minutes time the tho head hed of ot the department was racing toward the lire fire fre with a 7 cent shave the union prices price to the contrary Or in aBath a BathTub Tub Now this thia might be thought the limit Its Is enough to get on any ny mans nerves this attention to business with wih a half bearded face fa e But heres hers one ono a little better beter or rather bore here are ae several of ot the same samp kind that are a little better beter Chief Bywater says it I is no common thing thin to get g t caught Jn In Ii a bath lb b by byan byan byan an alarm al rm of fire He gives solemn as assurance that he hE never nover takes a bath without having towels boots trousers or rubber coat cont and helmet within Im Immediate Immediate immediate mediate reach Indeed the thc transition from the hot hor suds and soa io o that tat floats into boots pants and helmet seems to tobe tobe tobe be looked at in the light of the routine at the central station staton Numerous instances Instance might be related of ot how quickly the chief makes makos make eon con connections cn with his wagon whon when wanted At the city elt council counci chambers a few fow nights ago Chief Bywater was in at attendance attendance attendance as usual usual This particular evening it i was a case cUse of ot now you see him and now you ou dont for tor a few minutes after the chief had been seen in the chambers he h had disappeared dIsappearEd It I developed that he had ad seen the wagon drive up to the joint building from State street and had immediately gone down stairs When hen the driver was ready to turn about and go to the fire I In the barns the chief was vas 1 in the buggy bugS Again a it i week ago last Jast night the chief chiet was at the thc Commercial club where a few tew citizens had gathered to t resolute on flowing wells A tele telephone telephone telephone phone message came to 26 notifying the chief that there was some difficulty diff culty culy at Main Iain and ana N rth streets where an engine was engaged in pumping ditch water into sprinklers As soon soun as the chief had bud attended to the difficulty referred to he started back to the meeting On the way down he stopped in iii a department store and noti notified not fied fled the station of his whereabouts ts and staton destination Fire vs Drama It I is thus that the tn department keeps track of Its I chief and the tie chief of the department during business busine hours It Itis I Itis is the same sRm in case cuso C Chief Bywater de decides derides rides to spend pend an un evening atthe at the the theatre theatre theatre atre Before leaving he lets let those at atthe atthe atthe the station staton know which seat he Is to occupy so O that In case of fire he can be reached with wih the tho least les possible de delay delay delay lay While not pot a frequent theatre theatregoer theatregoer theatregoer goer the chief has had more than one spoiled at the slow music point by an alarm of fire tire It I is thus that the chief of ot the fire tire department spends his Ida day here there and everywhere but always In touch with wIh the station staton That his duties dutes and those of the for men under him require trib tribute tribute ute In sleeping as well wel as waking hours can be gathered from tram the fact tact that no fireman lies les down to rest until he has placed his boots with wIh trouser legs in inside inside side beside his bed His Hi coat and hel helmet helmet helmet met are also near by so that It I takes hardly a jiffy to jump from the Ule mat mattress mattress mattress tress into the firefighters uniform Prevention Best Protection This system of speedy speed Communication and alertness is after all al but a part of the general plan of prevention The best protection is prevention is Chief Bywaters motto It I is along this line lne that he anti and his department are bending their energies Not a day goes by that firemen do not inspect buildings so that they may learn lear every ever ingress and egress basement b plans fire escape rott ro v etc Not a a month goes by that hundreds of o notices are not sent to proprietors of business blocks and stores warning them to conform with wih the he city ordinances re regarding regarding regarding garding the accumulation of or Inam Inflammable mable debris and the placing of a red light in the hall ball haJ indicating the direction of the fire fre escape The number numbe of no notices notices tices sent out Is surprisingly Jarge targe arge A glance over the list showed a block or store of prominence that has not been negligent at some time or another in the last few months We have no friends in this depart department department department ment when it I comes to the Ute enforcement of the city ordinances for the regula regulation regulation tion ton of tires fires says Chief Bywater We c want people to understand that when an order to clean up is received it i is for their own benefit No one need feel teel any alarm at seeing a fireman Investigating ing building conditions for it is all al part of our system for the prevention 1 reventon of fires One of pf a import important ant duties dutes Is to have a thorough ac quain nce with wih all nil buildings especially with wih w h basement entrances and fire es escapes escapes escapes capes How Department Has Grown Grow It I is under this system that the Salt Lake fire fre department has reached its Is highest efficiency since its birth When Chief Bywater first t joined as a volun volunteer volunteer volunteer teer in the early eighties there was one paid man mat outside the chief Engineer Reuben Reubon Simpson n the esteemed veteran of the force today toda A few years after the thc volunteer who was to become chief had joined the paid force was was Increased to five Later Lateri it i was ten then and then Subsequently it dropped back to Today there are forty eIght full ful paid men Each has ha an hour and ad five minu I tens tess tes off otC twice a day for tor meals The Utah Light Railway company allows the men to ride free when in uniform so 50 that the time allowance is ample One day in every seven 2 ven is given each fireman for his own own amusement Under Chief Bywater the system of docking for tardiness in tn cases of sick sickness sickness ness In the family has a been abolished |