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Show Recent Costly Fire Shows Need For More Manpower and Equipment - ' I .i 1 . . -- I , U y Naturally The Independent being a weekly cannot hope to compete' on a n on-the-spots news basis such as displayed in the above picture of the Grand Central fire which occurred Wednesday, July 22. However How-ever our Independent staff was at the scene of the fire to bring you a little different slant on a catastrophy. We would like to take this opportunity to express to Mr. Warshaw our sincere regrets of the loss of not only his store but his valuable records of his trips overseas. Also we congratulate the fire . and police departments in the manner in which the fire and the traffic was handled. Sincerity is more successful than genius or talent. Only last week we had started a series of articles on the fire department in which It was the intent of The Independent to show in the series the great need for the additional men, equipment, and fire stations. We definitely concur with Fire Chief L. C. Piercey' that the city must have additional addition-al equipment added to the fire department in order to prevent a serious disaster which would result from two confligrations such as the above occruing simultaneously. simultane-ously. During a great deal of the , time of the Grand Central fire the balance of the city was left with inadequate fire protection It was only through the goo'd neigh-borliness neigh-borliness of Murray and Volunteer companies that we had any protection pro-tection at all. Even when all engines are in their stations there are areas of this town, 20-30 blocks from the nearest engine house. J In no way does The Indepen- f dent imply the slightest criticism 1 of the men in these fire depart- 1 ments, but we feel that under the 1 conditions which they have to work I they are one of the outstanding : 1 fire departments of the nation. 1 |
