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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1950)
4 fWJRTEEN MEDFOHD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Legion Auxiliary Officers Visit Camp Camp White, Apr. 22 Mrs. W. W. Graham, department pres ident of the American Legion auxiliary, and Mrs. Charles Gunn, of the Legion's national rehabilitation commission, were taken on a tour of Camp White's facilities last week by Paul Hat ton, manager here. Mrs. Gunn is also chairman of state volunteer workers for vet unteer workers for veterans ad ministrations hospitals. Both visitors praised the work of the VA in developing Camp White. Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Gunn were accompanied by auxiliary unit members from Ashland, Central Point, Cave Junction, Grants Pass and Medford. They said that domiciliary home prob lems grow greater each year. Sunday, April M, 1830 Camp White YFW Elects 1950 Officers Camp White, Apr. 22 Camp White Post 6412, Veterans of Foreign Wars, elected officers from a membership of 31 at a meeting held here April 13 Named for the coming year were W. D. Smiley, commander; John A. Conwell, senior vice-com mander; E. Pine, junior vice-commander; H. L. Williams, quarter master: C. Uoherty, post advo cate: E. A. Erickson, chaplain; C. E. McKerchie, three-year trus tee; C. A. Kelly, one-year trus tee, and Benny Norgard, six- month trustee. The new VFW post will meet twice each month. On hand are 1,000 poppies which will be sold this month for the benefit of the county's newest veterans' group. Films & Photo Finishing Work in by 10 A.M. Out by 5 P.M. Swem !f 217 E. Main Medford "A Kodak Dealer" Announcement TO MOTORISTS OUR SHOP AND PARTS DEPARTMENT Now Open SATURDAY AFTERNOONS For All Types of Service Work EDGERTON MOTOR CO. Ofdsmobife Dealers 132 South Riverside Phone 2-6209 Fire Chief's Report Explains Background for $125,000 Bond Issue for Protection from Fire At the Mar 1 primary lec tion, the people of Medford will be asked to decide on the faiage of a $125,000 bond sue for capital investments for the fire department, and a four-mill levy for operation and maintenance of expanded service. In order that citiiens can be come familiar with the prob lems of the fire department, and the background on which recommendations fpr the im provements were made, ex cerpts from the report of Act ing Fire Chief Leo Weidner is reprinted below. editor's note. The city government and the people of Medford are to be con gratulated upon taking steps to improve their fire defense at this time. Usually it requires a dis astrous fire or loss of human life to motivate such a project. It is a well known fact that the his tory of municipal fire protection service has too often been a story of locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen" that a complacent attitude toward inadequate fire defenses has been transformed overnight to a public demand for "the most and the best" in manpower and equipment only after a fire or disaster of tragic proportions has swept away thousands of dollars of property, or far worse, taken a toll of human life. Not Kept Pace This report, together with its e v e r a 1 recommendations, is born of the realization that the city of Medford's fire defenses have not kept pace with commu nity growth in population and wealth, and that it becomes our responsibility to lay the facts and figures before our people. The answer rests with the tax payers of Medford. In the past few months a num ber of steps have and are being taken to meet the problem with in the restrictions of our budget laws. Streamlining of practices and procedures within the de partment, aimed at getting the utmost in efficiency have been initiated. Small tools and equip ment consistent with budget al lowances, either have or are be ing obtained. A system of rec ords and reports has been in stalled. We are working on a set of fire prevention ordinances and a set of rules and regula tions, both to be submitted to the city council in the near future. Training Program An intensive training program for the regular members of the department is in progress. Steps have been taken to recruit, or ganize and train a volunteer group to augment the regular force in the event of an emer gency. A program of familiari zation tours has been incorporat ed, designed to prevent fires by keeping the public fire con- AN OPEN LETTER Klamath Falls, Oregon April 21, 1950 Oregon and Northern California rly five Tothe Residents of Southern Dear Friends: letter to you marKs i M yy p. 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This same program Is in valuable to the firemen because it affords them intimate knowl edge of the buildings in which they must fight fires and keeps them thinking of fire fighting. In addition many other minor improvements and additions have been made. In the meantime an overall study of fire defenses has been carried on in anticipation of the next survey by the Oregon In surance Rating bureau. It is this survey that will determine Med ford's "Rate Classification," or how cheap fire insurance will be for Medford's property owners for the next 10 or 15 years. Values Up The last rating survey was made in 1933, and at that time the assessed valuation of the property in the city was $7,609, 800.17. In 1949 the assessed val uation was $16,263,093.39, and is in the vicinity of $20 million at the present time. The popula tion is in the vicinity of 20,000. At that time of the last sur vey the rating bureau found the fire department greatly deficient and made numerous recommend ations for improvement. Practi cally none of these recommenda tions, such as an aerial ladder truck and alarm system, has been complied with since that time, and the population has about doubled, the property val uation has almost tripled, and a considerable area has been add ed to the city's boundaries. The fire defenses in the meantime have remained about the same in regard to man-hours on the job. There has been some improve ment in the pumping capacities and civil service rules, but that's about all. The improvement items neces sary to raise the city's fire de fenses to minimum standards are herewith presented. EIGHTY-FIVE FOOT LADDER TRUCK As a first step in a moderniza tion program for the Medford Fire Department it is proposed to purchase an 85 foot hydraulic ladder truck, making it possible for one man to raise a steel ladder to any height up to seven floors, within 30 seconds after arrival at the scene of a fire. The aerial ladder can be shifted al most instantly, by the touch of a lever, from window to win dow, or floor to floor of a burn ing building to effect the rescue of trapped persons; or it can be used as a water tower to apply streams of water to the upper stories, or to the roof of a struc ture. This will be a short cou nled truck with a three or four section aerial ladder, requiring no tillerman. By comparison, the longest ladder that the fire department has now is an antique 50 foot ex tension ladder that cannot be carried on any of the apparatus because of its length and weight. Even if it were possible to get this ladder to a fire, it is so old and dried out that it would be hazardous to handle and danger ous to climb. It would require the services of six trained men for about two minutes, to raise it under ideal conditions, with reference to working space, foot ing.etc. This operation will either halt or seriously delay hose laying at the outset of the fire, or must await the arrival of the off-shift or volunteer rein forcements. The longest ladder we have in addition to this one is a 30 foot extension ladder that is not quite long enough to reach the third floor of most buildings. A modern aerial ladder truck is a potent weapon in fire de fense, because it is particularly designed to combat flames and save lives when fire strikes in hotels, apartments, hospitals, of- . . TO SERVE YOU BEST Reece Catering Co. Distributors . . . Packaged Sandwiches . . . Rich N'Flaky Pastries . . , Cafe & Groe. Supplies . . Bar Snacks WE CATER TO SPECIAL EVENTS Call Rogue River Ph. 282 fice buildings and schools. In Medford this is a "must" item that should not be longer Ig nored. FIRE ALARM SYSTEM It is strongly recommended by the Oregon Insurance Rating bureau that an alarm box sys tem be installed in Medford, with sufficient boxes to cover the high value district. Today it is a "key" item in any fire pro tection program, aimed at re ducing a city's fire insurance rating classification. As opposed to the telephoned alarm, th street box is immedi ately available upon discovery of the fire, at any hour of the day or night, and removes the possibility of human error in transmitting the alarm. Not in frequently an excited caller will give a wrong address or location. Precious time is then consumed in a "trace-back," or awaiting a recall. The use of the dial tele phone system practically elim inates the possibility of tracing calls back. It is for this reason the Underwriters attach great significance to the fire alarm box system, and credit 350 rat ing points for its installation and maintenance. The initial installation for Medford should cover the high value business -district down town, with special overhead lines to the mills and other crit ical fire areas. FIRE DEPARTMENT SUB-STATIONS The need for two sub-stations is very evident. The approxi mate location of these stations has received some study and re search, but further consideration is necessary before final deci sions are made as to location. These stations should be located with an eye to future expansion, as well as immediate require ments. Justification for the new sta tions is to be found in the fol lowing factors: 1. The splitting of the high value district of the city by the railroad tracks. This is a seri ous factor that should be rem edied immediately. 2. Extremely long runs for fire apparatus to the east side residential area. The fact that there is only one through street leading to the east city boundary that could be blocked, necessi tating delaying detours, accen tuates the hazard. 3. Rapid expansion of the city's industrial, business and residential areas. Hundreds of new buildings within the cor Dorate limits and in the proposed fire protection districts. 4. Downtown traffic conges tion impeding the movement of fire apparatus from the central station to the south, southeast, east and southeast sectors of the city. 5. Earth shock, gas plant ex plosion, or any other damage to the central fire station might eas ily put every piece of firefight ing equipment in the city out of commission without warning. It is, therefore, recommended that the city construct two sub stations as soon as possible. The sub-stations would con sist of housing for two pieces of apparatus! hose room, sleeping quarters. t)kitchen and alarm room, and would be designed to conform with residences within the area. INCREASED MANPOWER Operation of the proposed sub stations and manning of present headquarters equipment in ac cordance with minimum stand ards as set by the Fire Under writers, calls for the addition of 16 firemen, which would bring the total paid strength to 31 men, including the chief. The proposed addition to the department's roster would still all short by about 12 men the number requested by the Under writers to be on duty at all times. However, some of this can be made up by figuring in our call men. The increased manpower, while representing the largest item of cost in the entire pro gram, would also account for the largest decrease In deficiency noints in insurance gradings for the citv. I PURCHASE OF FIRE HOSE I At the present time the fire de partment is using some hose that I is over 20 years old, and al though this hose was recently (SEMEBHTT GENERAL CONTRACTORS CEMENT AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Let Us Worry About Your Excavating Foundations Pouring Finishing PATIOS All Colors and Types Curbs Sidewalks Driveways SEPTIC TANKS AND DRAINFIELDS GUNITE ESTIMATES HARPER & WAGNER For Free Estimates Phone Central Point 373 Convention Plans For Real Estate Men Discussed Ameeting of officials and committeemen of the Medford Realty board, in conjunction with the convention committee of the chamber of commerce, was held Friday evening in the Medford hotel. Ray Schumacher, president of the Oregon Association of Real ty Boards, outlined plans for the entertainment of delegates and guests who will attend the real estate convention to be held in Medford in September. Clinic Changed The real estate clinic previous ly planned to be held in Grants Pass will be held in the Jackson hotel, Medford, on May 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The day will be divided into several ses sions, in which such subjects as listings, advertising, financing, and sales will be discussed. At 7 p.m. there will be a ban quet celebrating the 21st birth day of the Medford . Realty board, which all members and their ladies are invited. The speaker will be Al. Crose, real estate commissioner of Oregon, and a former Medford resident. LISTED AS SUICIDE Salem, Ore., Apr. 22 (U.R) Sophus L. Jesperson, 60, former owner of the Rainbow inn here, was found dead Friday In a gas filled room in a Salem auto court. Marion County Coroner Leston D. Howell listed the death as suicide. Ex-Escapee Given 4-Year Prison Term A rhsmo nf rprpivine stolen property netted Paul Norman Smallwood a four-year prison term Friday. He was sentenced by Judge H. K. Hanna in circuit court after pleading guilty on a district attorney's information. The charge against Smallwood was nearly two years old. He had been arrested for possessing a stolen car in 1948, but escaped frnm a morn in the Community hospital after cutting his way out of a plaster cast around his waist. He walked out of the hos oital with a broken pelvis and was not heard of until last Feb ruary when he was arrested on the old warrant in Roseburg. Dead line Sunday Classified 11 al Noon Saturdays tested to 200 pounds per square inch, it can no longer be con sidered reliable. We have prac tically no reserve hose and con sequently cannot change hose in j the apparatus as often as we should. FORMATION OF RURAL FIRE ' PROTECTION DISTRICTS The program just outlined, if put into effect in its entirety, would give the city of Medford an adequate tire defense and would enable the city to have sufficient fire coverage to af ford the formation and protec tion of rural fire districts on the fringe of the city. It is very difficult to estimate the amount of revenue that would be forthcoming from these districts. It would depend on how many would want to take advan tage of this service if it were made available to them, and their total assessed valuation, to gether with the amount they were charged for this service. The amount charged, it seems to me, should not be less than what fire protection costs the people residing within the city. If this were charged, it should aid con siderably in the support of the city's fire defense system. SUMMARY This plan if put into effect would cost tlie taxpayers of Med ford about $125,000. We must remember that within recent years there have been two very serious fires in Medford the de struction caused by either one of them would have more than paid for this entire program, and these losses probably could have been greatly minimized by ade quate fire protection. It is also quite possible that if this program is adopted, the city not only would hold its present insurance rating, but might re ceive a rate reduction. That, of course, can only be determined by a complete survey by the rat ing agency. t00k!ctt., SIZE 40-inch ttPI FOR ONLY Wed with Modem Quality Feof,, Ml ' Foster than Fast Surface Cooking! "Speedomaster" surface units give greater pan contact. 5-Heof Switches Oven Thermostat All needed surface heats plus enact oven temperatures. Huge Banquet Oven Holds 40 lb. Turkey 5530 cu. in. Cooks food without drying it out. Fast heating. 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