USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1928 > Part 4
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Henry E. Charon Sturdy St.
Joseph I. Claflin. 224A Park St.
John E. Galvin. 211 Wilmarth St.
Joseph W. Hearn. 53 Thacher St.
Ralph L. Hopkinson
98 North St.
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ANNUAL REPORT
John J. McGilvray . 109 Union St.
Herbert C. Parker. . 163 North Ave. Edward M. Paton. 2291/2 Park St 16 James Ct.
Delphis J. B. Paradis
Located at South Attleboro Station
Captain Roy M. Churchill.
.531 Newport Ave.
Lieutenant William F. Ahern
.103 Emory St ..
William Coupe. 411 Newport Ave. Clifford E. Disterle Newport Ave.
Manuel Duigmedgian.
.105 Parker St.
Frederick W. S. Moore . 76 Orange St ..
Joseph A. Smith. . Newport Ave.
John Stafford. 43 Fourth St.
George A. Stowe. 15 Jewell Ave.
Herman M. Thurber State St.
Located at Hebronville Station
Peter Gagner 27 Knight Ave.
CALL MEN Engine Co. No. 1 Located, South Main Street Station
Willard J. Barney
Charles C. Monroe
Hose Co. No. 2 Located, Union Street Station
Frank J. Lyle Albert C. Parker
Arthur B. Read
Hose Co. No. 5 Located, Hebronville Station
Andrew J. Murphy J. Everett Hoyle Garner W. Ousley
Ladder Co. No. 1 Located, Union Street Station
John Stafford
Berlyn E. White
Ladder Co. No. 3 Located, South Main Street Station Orrin W. Clark Earle C. Whitney
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ANNUAL REPORT
Report of Board of Engineers
To His Honor, the Mayor and Municipal Council:
We have the honor of submitting the annual report of the Fire Department for the year ending December 20th, 1928, together with such recommendations as we think necessary for increasing the effi ciency of the Department.
ORGANIZATION
The Department consists of:
4 Engineers
42 Permanent Men
12 Call Men
2 Engine Companies
2 Hose Companies
2 Ladder Companies
FIRE STATIONS AND APPARATUS
Central Fire Station, South Main Street Station No. 1
2 Aherns-Fox Triple Combinations
1 Aherns-Fox City Service Ladder Truck
1 Chief Car
1 Supply Car
Union Street Station No. 2
1 Kelly-Springfield Combination Hose and Chemical
1 Seagrave Tractor drawn 75 foot aerial
In Reserve
1 Knox Combination Hose and Chemical
South Attleboro Station No. 4
1 Aherns-Fox Triple Combination
1 Seagrave City Service Ladder Truck
1 Kelly-Springfield, rebuilt, Combination Hose and Chemical
Hebronville Station No. 5
1 Federal Combination Hose and Chemical
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ANNUAL REPORT
APPARATUS
3 Aherns-Fox Triple Combinations
3 Hose and Chemical Trucks
3 Ladder Trucks
1 Chief's Car
1 Supply Car
In Reserve
1 Knox Combination Hose and Chemical Truck
IMPROVEMENTS
A new Baker pipe purchased.
Improved gas mask cannisters purchased.
New electric sirens installed on apparatus.
A new door on the shed at South Main Street Station.
Battery charging equipment added.
Inhalator purchased.
Four additional permanent men assigned to South Attleboro. Interior South Attleboro and South Main Street Stations painted.
INSPECTIONS
We believe the inspection of the business district has been about three hundred inspections.
SALARIES
Chief
$2,500.00 per year
Assistant Chief.
2,400.00 per year
Call Men, in Center
200.00 per year
Call Men, Hebronville
140.00 per year
Semi-Permanent Man, Hebronville. 828.12 per year
Permanent Men
Captains
$5.50 per day
Lieutenants
5.25 per day
1st 6 months, men.
4.50 per day
2nd 6 months, men.
4.75 per day
2nd year, men.
5.00 per day
FIRE RECORD
Taking into consideration the amount of property at risk we con- sider the actual loss small. There being no fire where the loss exceeded $5,000.00.
The department, including all companies, have laid 32,450 feet of hose, raised 2,726 feet of ladders, and used 1,020 gallons of chemical.
The booster pumps were used 48 times.
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ANNUAL REPORT
The department has responded to the following alarms:
Alarms from boxes 52
Still alarm 217
Assembly calls.
4
Total
273
Classification of Alarms
Calls for Assistance
Fall River
1
Norton
3
Seekonk
3
Rehoboth
1
Cumberland
1
Buildings
77
Chimney
36
Brush
87
Dump
16
Automobile
17
Sprinkler
10
Rescue Animal
1
Oil Stove
2
Oil Burner
1
Inhalator
2
False Alarms
8
Bon-fire
1
Lost Person
2
Tree
2
Amonia
1
Tar Kettle.
1
Total
273
Fire Loss
Value of Building at risk
$235,815.00
Value of contents at risk
555,025.00
$790,840.00
Insurance on Buildings at risk
$554,100.00
Insurance on contents at risk
364,400.00
$918,500.00
Loss on buildings
$26,504.88
Loss on contents.
7,669.37
$34,174.25
Insurance paid on Buildings and contents.
$32,714.25
Loss not covered by insurance.
$1,460.00
FIRE PREVENTION
It has been our endeavor in the past to Inspect Buildings in our City as frequently as our limited force of permanent men would permit, and we have hopes that some future day our Department will be large enough
No Fire.
59
ANNUAL REPORT
to establish a regular system of inspections without crippling the regular fire fighting force.
Fire Prevention is recognized as a most important function of a paid Fire Department, but until the time arrives when we can have more men so as to make more frequent inspections, it will be necessary for us to depend upon the co-operation of our citizens to help in every way they can and, if possible, to observe the following suggestions which we have to make. If these suggestions are carried out, a great many fire hazards will be eliminated.
1 -- Don't fill kerosene oil lamp or heater while lighted. Fire and ex- plosion will inveitably follow by the kerosene vapors becoming ignited.
2-Don't look for gas leaks with lighted candle, match or open flame. Notify the gas company; let them find the leak.
3-Don't go into dark closets or storage closets with lighted match or candle to light your way. Use a flash light.
4-Don't have lace curtains in close proximity to gas jets. An open win- dow, a slight breeze, the curtain and gas jet come together, and a quick spreading fire results.
5-Don't put hot ashes in wooden receptacles, or against wooden parti- tions or dumb waiters. Hot ashes will set fires.
6-Don't leave lighted cigarettes or cigars around on table or in re- ceptacles as these two are a great menace and have been the cause of many serious fires.
7-Don't have open fireplaces unprotected. Put wire screen in front of fireplace, as sparks are likely to fly out and set fire to carpet or clothing of person sitting nearby.
8-Don't do any electric wiring that is connected with your light service as this is a violation of a State Law.
9-If you blow a fuse in your light system be safe and call an electrician as the fuse serves as a safety valve and indicates that something is wrong with your wiring or that the load on some circuit is too heavy. 10-Don't leave the current switched on in an electric iron, or gas turned on in gas iron when not in use. These conditions have caused dis- astrous fires in households.
11-Don't use gasoline, naphtha or benzine in a room with open fire or flame. Their use under such conditions will cause explosion and fire. If they must be used use them in the open air, and then there is danger.
Use Cargon Tetrochloride in place of gasoline, and use it out of doors. 12-Don't have storage closets under strairways. A fire in such a closet would prevent your using stairway as a means of escape.
13-Don't neglect to have chimney flue cleaned out once a year. Soot accumulates cause fires in chimneys. A chimney fire causes thou- sands of sparks to fly over the neighborhood.
14-Don't depend on the landlord to keep your home free from combus- tible rubbish or other fire hazards. You live there and should in- spect it and see that conditions are such that a preventible fire cannot occur.
15-Don't block the fire escape or hallways with utensils or articles that should not be allowed there. This is a violation of the law, and besides you might need free passageway tonight if fire occurs in your home.
16-Don't keep matches loosely about the home and within easy access of children. They should be kept in a metal box out of their reach.
2
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ANNUAL REPORT
17-Don't allow rubbish to collect in your cellar. A spark from a fur- nace or match may ignite it. The danger of fire from spontaneous combustion is always present where this condition exists. Rubbish heads the list of causes of fire.
18-Don't hang clothes to dry near a stove. They may catch fire.
19-Don't let a furnace or stove become overheated. A little care and attention will prevent a bad fire.
20-If you should discover a fire in your home, shut the door to the room or rooms if it is possible to do so, thus stopping the spread of the fire. Ring in a Fire Alarm as soon as you possibly can. Do not delay.
21-Co-operate with your fire department. You can do so, especially in the winter time, by keeping the hydrant in front of, or near your premises, clear of snow. The fire department may need to use it. WARNING! When in a place of public assembly, such as a theatre, dance hall, boxing club, etc., note the nearest exit and passageway from your seat. In case of FIRE you should walk, not run, and prevail upon people near you to keep cool and follow you in a quiet manner to the nearest exit or passageway.
In event you are trapped in your own home or building by smoke, remember that smoke always rises, and that there is usually a layer of fresh air just above the floor which you can use by keeping your nose just above the floor. In many instances people have saved their lives by this knowledge, and anyone can take advantage of this if he does not get excited and lose his head at a fire.
LEARN THE LOCATION OF YOUR NEAREST FIRE ALARM BOX
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend that two permanent men be added to the depart- ment, to be placed in the Union Street Station.
We again recommend that three more Captains be appointed, mak- ing six Captains and two Lieutenants. This recommendation does not increase the number of officers as the Captains would be taken from the present list of Lieutenants.
We again recommend that a drill tower be erected in the yard of the Union Street property, so that the men can be trained properly in handling equipment. One of our officers is a graduate of the Boston Fire Department Drill School but has no facilities for training the men properly.
We again recommend a car for the Chief of the Department as con- ditions are now, with the Chief being building inspector, he is out a good part of each day which leaves the Assistant Chief without a car to an- swer alarms while the Chief is away from the Station inspecting build- ings.
We recommend the purchase of fifteen hundred feet of hose.
We recommend that the Captains and Lieutenants pay be increased twenty-five cents per day.
We have a great number of oil burning heating installations in the City and many more are being added each year.
We recommend that a Foam Generator for oil and gasoline fires be purchased.
We recommend for your consideration the purchase of a Hose Wagon with booster pump equipment, to replace the Kelly Truck now in service in Union Street Station.
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ANNUAL REPORT
This piece of Apparatus was built for commercial purposes and not for Fire Apparatus and has never been satisfactory for Fire Department work.
ESTIMATED EXPENSES
Salary of Chief
(1)
$2,500.00
Salary of Assistant Chief.
(1)
2,400.00
Salary of (3) Captains
(1)
6,022.50
Salary of (5) Lieutenants.
(1)
9,581.25
Salary of (34) Permanent Men.
(1)
60,887.37
Salary of (19) Call Men.
(1)
3,440.00
$84,831.12
MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT
Autos
(2)
$3,000.00
Hose
(2)
1,650.00
Wearing Apparel
(2)
300.00
Extinguishers
(2)
Stations
(2)
3,000.00
All other Maintenance
(2)
50.00
Hydrants
(3)
Light and Power.
(4)
425.00
Phone
(4)
475.00
Water
(4)
150.00
Fuel
(4)
1,700.00
Insurance on Buildings (4)
200.00
Necessary expenses within Massachusetts for
securing information to improve department's service
(4)
50.00
Incidentals
(4)
50 00
3,050.00
RECOMMENDATIONS
Foam Generator.
$450.00
Three Captains
273.75
Chief's Car.
1,500.00
Drill Tower
700.00
2 Permanent Men.
3,376.50
Increase, Captains and Lieutenants.
730.00
Hose Apparatus.
9,500.00
We wish at this time to extend our thanks to His Honor, the Mayor, to the Municipal Council, to the Committee on Fire Department, to the Police Department for their assistance and to the Officers and Men for the able manner in which they have performed their duties.
Respectfully submitted
Board of Fire Engineers:
WILLIAM E. SWEENEY. Chairman. CHIEF FRED A. CLARK, Clerk. ASST. CHIEF LEONARD GOULD, CRAIG C. POPE.
8,000.00
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ANNUAL REPORT
Superintendent of Fire Alarm
To the Board of Engineers:
Gentlemen:
I herewith submit my annual report as Superintendent of Fire Alarm for the year ending December 31st, 1928.
-
The Gamewell Fire Alarm System is in use and is in as good work- ing order as can be expected and it consists of the following: One steam whistle located at Pumping Station South Attleboro, one Diaphone Horn with compressed air equipment, one Excelsior Punch Register and Peer- less Take up Reel at the Central Station, South Main Street, three tower bells and Strikers, one at Union Street Station, one at Station No. 4, South Attleboro, and one tower bell striker at the Methodist Church, Hebronville. One tower bell striker in storage at the Union Street Station and bell at Station No. 4, South Attleboro. There are three in- dicators as follows: One in the Central Station, one in Hebronville Sta- tion and one in the Union Street Station. There is also one indicator in storage in the Fire Alarm Office.
There are 30 Tappers and gongs in the following locations: One in the Police Station, one in office of the Superintendent of Public Works, one in the Water Works Barn and the balance in the residences of the members of the Department and in the factories and shops where the call men are employed.
We have 110 fire alarm boxes connected to the system, 105 of these being street boxes and 5 privately owned by the following concerns: Interstate Street Railway Company, Bay State Optical Company, A. B. Cummings Company and the Re-enforced Paper Company.
The Fire Alarm Headquarters is located in the Union Street Station and contains the following: One twelve circuit storage battery . switch board, one twelve circuit protector board, one ten circuit Repeater, 436 cells of storage battery and a one K. W. Motor Generator set for charg- ing batteries, one Excelsior Punch Register and Peerless Take-up reel, one Excelsior Time and Date Stamp, and one 6 circuit storage battery switch board and 6 circuit protector board in storage.
At the present time there is about 100 miles of line wire in the sys. tem. During the past year the following improvements have been made: The old bell tower on Peck Street has been taken down and the bell and striker placed in storage. The installation of the Diaphone Horn making the use of the bell unnecessary. Two Excelsior Punch Registers were installed, one in the Union Street Station and one in Station No. 4. This being done in order to receive special signals that could not be received on indicators. The last of the obsolete type boxes was replaced with a Peerless-Non-Interfering-Successive Type Box and two new boxes were added to the system, both being private boxes, one on the plant
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ANNUAL REPORT
of the Re-enforced Paper Company on Starkey Avenue and one at the City Home on County Street.
I would recommend the following for the coming year of 1929 for your consideration, four additional Fire Alarm Boxes and lead cable for underground use in the center of the city. We have started a plan of purchasing a small amount of cable every year so that all of the Fire Alarm Wires in the City center may be placed underground, thereby eliminating the danger of the system being crippled during sleet and wind storms.
Salary of Superintendent of Fire Alarm ... $2,190.00
Salary of Assistant Electrician. 1,916.25
Maintenance of Fire Alarm 1,850.00
New Boxes. 600.00
Other Expenses
100.00
Lead Cable.
550.00
I wish to thank the Board of Fire Engineers and members of the Department for their valuable assistance to this branch of the Service during the past year of 1928.
Yours for efficient service,
JOSEPH H. NEWCOMB, Supt. Fire Alarm
-
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ANNUAL REPORT
Report of the City Forester
ATTLEBORO, Mass., Feb. 14, 1929.
To His Honor, the Mayor and Municipal Council:
I herewith submit my report for the year ending Dec. 31, 1928. Dur- ing the winter months the usual scouting for gypsy moth egg clusters was carried on destroying the eggs by painting with creosote.
Later in the season the heavy infested territories were sprayed with arsenate of lead with very successful results. About eleven miles of roadsides were sprayed.
Brush was cut on all the country roadsides, special attention being given to curves and corners. Large amounts of dead limbs were re- moved from shade trees in various parts of the city.
I recommend that a larger appropriation be made that the work may be carried on more efficiently.
WILLIAM E. SMITH, City Forester
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ANNUAL REPORT
Health Department
ORGANIZATION OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, 1928
Health Officer WILLIAM O. HEWITT, M. D.
Inspector of Milk and Authorized Agent ERNEST W. DOYLE
Inspector of Plumbing ARTHUR B. READ JOSEPH M. SEAGRAVES
Inspector of Slaughtering HUGH GAW, D. V. S.
Inspector of Animals FREDERICK L. BRIGGS, D. V. M.
Health Department Nurse MARY E. McMAHON, R. N.
Registrar of Deaths STEPHEN H. FOLEY
Clerk DOROTHY McNERNEY
Associate Physician at Diphtheria Prevention Clinic JAMES H. BREWSTER, M. D.
Associate Physician at Tuberculosis Dispensary F. V. MURPHY, M. D.
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ANNUAL REPORT
FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
To His Honor, the Mayor and Municipal Council: Attleboro, Massachusetts
Gentlemen:
The Health Department presents for your examination and approval its fourteenth annual report for the year ending December 31, 1928. The usual tables of statistical data are appended as are also the reports of appointees showing in detail the work of the department. Included are recommendations submitted by the health officer and a financial report.
ORGANIZATION
Only one important change in the department personnel has occurred during the year. Mrs. Mildred Hewins Shaw, part-time clerk, tendered her resignation in March. Mrs. Shaw during her five years in the de- partment rendered very efficient service. Miss Dorothy McNerney suc- ceeded Mrs. Shaw as clerk.
The organization as a whole has functioned satisfactorily and each member has apparently had a distinct realization of the importance of his or her duties in helping to safeguard the community health.
The laboratory work, and the food, dairy and milk inspection, still being done on a part-time basis has long since outgrown in its demands the attention that can be given it under present conditions. This im- portant branch of local health work should be immediately afforded suf- ficient appropriation of funds to enable the health officer to employ a full time worker with previous experience in such duties. There is no real economy in restricting to the limit the inspection of foodstuffs, and the inspection of the milk consumed in our community.
The department clinics in diphtheria prevention, and tuberculosis work have had a good attendance throughout the year. The efficient volunteer services of Dr. James H. Brewster, and of Miss Helen Bullock in the diphtheria prevention clinic have been of much value in this grow- ing activity.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
The city has enjoyed a satisfactory public health record throughout the year. The death rate according to our mortality statistics has com- pared favorably with other years. Certain of the common contagious diseases have had a rather high incidence which as usual has been con- trolled with some difficulty, but there has been fortunately a low mor- tality among these communicable cases. The occurrence of these re- portable cases has in no instance been traced to our food supplies.
An attempt has been made to properly administer the business of disease prevention for the community under a somewhat decreased bud- get, and to furnish the citizens with adequate protection against prevent- able diseases at a per capita cost of approximately sixty cents.
Any properly organized health department equipped with definite plans of procedure finds its work increasing each year because of the enactment of new laws, and also by reason of increased demands from other sources that are made upon it. It is desirable to adopt newer methods of disease control from time to time. The laws of hygiene and
67
ANNUAL REPORT
public health must be taught, and their practical application must be demonstrated. Ideal health conditions cannot exist in any city falling short of such a policy.
When the appropriations of a health department are limited rather closely then plans must be curtailed, and some actually needed public health activities must either be taken over temporarily by private health agencies or left out of the program altogether. The public after all gets about what it pays for in health, as in the purchase of any other com- modity.
Health education is practicable. It constitutes a major portion of all health department work today. It would seem that the people need to be taught more what ought to be done in public health instead of being forced to carry out certain necessary measures the reasons for which are beyond their comprehension. Health educational work has been carried on during the past year by the department in various ways. The health camp for boys is in a sense a school where health habits are taught during the whole camp period. A large amount of literature on diphtheria prevention has been distributed, and articles on this and other health subjects edited by the health officer have appeared in the news- papers. An instructive film of work at the health camp has been pre- pared and this has been used in talks by the department on malnutrition in children. A larger part of the health education work is accomplished by the department nurse in her many visits to the homes-here personal contact with the householder affords an opportunity for instruction in the proper maintenance of quarantine, and demonstration of disease pre- ventive methods.
TUBERCULOSIS
It is gratifying to be able to report a noticeable decrease in the inci- dence, and mortality of tuberculosis in Attleboro residents during the last two years. There were 74 cases reported during 1928 with 24 deaths. If we exclude non-resident cases reported from the Bristol County Hos- pital the city had eight cases with six deaths. In 1927 there were ten cases reported with 16 deaths. During the four years prior to 1927 we had an annual average of nearly 16 deaths from tuberculosis in Attleboro residents. With few exceptions all our cases are hospitalized as soon as reported, and a careful investigation is made of every case, and its con- tacts. This work is accomplished largely through our tuberculosis dis- pensary where contact and discharged cases are examined in the weekly clinic.
In addition to the clinic work in tuberculosis there is also the usual home visitation, and follow up work of the nurse.
The decrease in the local death rate from this disease may be due in part at least to the continued policy of prompt investigation, and hos- pitalization of all cases when discovered, and to the undoubted value of measures taken toward the prevention of the disease in children through the efforts of our two health camps, and the open air schoolroom.
The fight against tuberculosis must continue here as elsewhere with a very definite program. Soon more and more attention will be directed toward the prevention of the disease in the susceptible child population. In this connection the establishment of a preventorium under municipal supervision should be thought of as a possibility in the near future.
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ANNUAL REPORT
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
The incidence of communicable diseases reported during 1928 to- taled 464 against 327 in 1927 and 784 in 1926. The occurrence of 150 cases of mumps during the first half of the year was largely responsible for the increased total over 1927. There were 35 cases of mumps re- ported in 1927 and five in 1926. Scarlet fever was reported in all but the hottest months of the year, reaching its peak in November and De- cember. The total for the year was 117 against 85 cases reported in 1927. There was one death from this disease. Fortunately most of the cases were of a mild type with few complications. This disease is always more prevalent in the colder months, and its control among school children is most difficult.
All cases of scarlet fever were visited by the department nurse, and the householders were given instructions by her to aid them in main- taining a proper quarantine. The names of all contacts as far as possible were secured, and reported to the school department with the recom- mendation that these children be excluded from school. Exclusion was also suggested of children living in the same house where quarantine had been established.
Some dissatisfaction was expressed by families whose children had thus been prevented from attending school, but in most instances a co- operative spirit was manifested among householders who appreciated at once the necessity of adopting such measures for the protection of others in the community.
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