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Show :1 1 V. i N tC;',; ' urf - iL.t : . r l V . . . t "-"xr-i . ., p. J . - '!l-v ; -T ' r :- : - -. ." -.. V t '7 wr ; . . ''. V'-v' :i77- f f 'v""? -ivtt'- V- A '- .- (T-l Slafl Photo by Frank Roseman) W fire occurred at trie Plateau 79 station on south Highway 163 mid-day Sunday. July 13. A motorcyclist had filled his tank, not V Ihoticing that the kickstand had caught the filler hose when he (replaced the no:;le. leaving the station, the hose jerked the gas i ymp over and resultant sparks ignited the gasoline. The fire Mcab's volunteer firemen J ent 5x2 hours fighting fires I' bring the second quarter of Lb vear, answering 27 fire department responded Immediately and the blaze was extinguished with dispatch, however there was considerable damage to all the pumps. Swift work on the pasrt of firemen, prevented the station building from catching fire, however the' paint was blistered from the extreme heat. iJ62 Hours Spent Fighting 27 Fires Li April-July Record of Department alarms. Of the 27, 2l fires occurred between June 14 and June 30, and all but 3 in that period were grass and weed related, according to Fire Chief Troy Black. Also during the second quarter firemen spent roughly 700 hours in training sessions. The department has just completed a 12-week training course through Utah Technical College, resulting in the certification of 18 men. This course w as the only one in the state to be brought to completion, due to the interest and good participation of the men here. Chief Black reported that there was an average of 25 men in attendance at the training meetings, and that as of now we have 29 active volunteer firemen with 11 in the trainee category. During the first half of 1975 the department answered 43 alarms, plus 1 false alarm. Of the total, 26 fires were grass and weed related. Chief Black has several suggestions to help prevent these grass and weed fires. If citizens will mow or disc the June grass before it dries, the problem will be virtually eliminated, he said. However even now, when the grass is dry and highly imflamatory, it will help if the grass and weeds can be cut, and gathered if possible. Motorbikes can be a real fire hazard, he said. Some bikes emit a flame of several inches from the tailpipe, a real torch to ignite grass, and these are felt to have been the cause of several fires this spring. If riders will stay on designated trails or in areas that are free of weeds and grass, this hazard can be eliminated, he stated. Burning in barrels and kids with matches are the other major problems that can be substantially improved with the cooperation of the public. In fact, said Chief Black, it's not just kids with matches, it's general carelessness with matches that has caused a number of fires, and if people will be more careful themselves, them-selves, and keep matches away from their children this will help greatly. A number of people and businesses burn refuse in open barrels, and if these can be covered with screening, undue disbursal of sparks will be prevented, he concluded. |