1
y
IfOKT MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNK
Sunday. May 7, 19S0
Proper Understanding of
Fire Department Problems
Said Bond Issue Vote Need
"If the fire department financ
ing bonds are defeated at the pri
mary election, I feel certain it
will be because t h a voters of
Medford have not been Kivcn
proper understanding of the
problems of fire prevention
here."
This was the gist of Acting
Fire Chief Leo Weidner's re
marks Friday when he discussed
the Drooosed bond issue lor
ornnn of nronertv owners meet
big at the Girls' Community
olub.
Claaa I Danartmant
"The longer we let It go, the
more it will cost eventually,"
Weidner said referring to the
imDrovement of the department
"The fire department has been
Pretty much 'forgotten' since the
a s t fire insurance rating in
1933," he added. "We now have
a department which was Class 5
for a population of about 11,000
people. At the time this rating
was given, Medford had a prop
erty valuation of $7,609,000. To
day the population is near 20,000,
with a valuation of more than
S20.000.000. But the fire depart
ment is the same," Weidner
said.
The chief, who Is on loan to
Antiquated Method
Of Plowing Found
Better for Egypt
Cairo 0J.R) A Canadian, Dr.
James B. Harrington, who is ad
viser to the Egyptian govern
ment on agricultural matters,
believes that the antiquated
method of plowing in Egypt may
be superior to modern methods.
In an interview, Dr. Harring
ton said:
"The plow used by the Egyp
tians is far less destructive to tne
soil than the modern mould
board plow. This view, expressed
in one of the best sellers of mod
ern years, "Ploughman's Folly,"
is clearly borne out here.
"The Egyptians have been us
ing these plows for a great num
ber of centuries, and they still
get from the soil some of the
highest yields in the world."
Unchanged by Time
Describing the plow. Dr. Har
rington said:
"The plows used In Egypt are
almost universally the type used
thousands of years aso. A flat-
tish, rounded piece of iron is fas
tened to . the forward part of a
wooden share. This in turn is
fastened at an angle to a long
beam or wood.
"The forward part of this goes
between the two oxen, while the
rear part curves upward to be
held as a control by the plow
man. "The angle of the plow can be
adjusted for different plowing
depths by means of wooden pegs
and holes where the plow is fas
tened to the beam. The job done
resembles that done by one
shovel of a duckfoot cultivator.
On Loan to Egypt
Dr. Harrington is on loan for
18 months to the Egyptian gov
ernment from Saskatchewan
University.
For the past 25 years the
Egyptian government has been
conducting scientific investiga
tlon into the breeding of grain.
the city from Portland where he
is a senior lire captain, explain
ed the insurance ratine bureau'i
system of demerits for fire de
partments. An arbitrary 3,000
noints are given each city, and
then each deficiency in fire pre
paredness is given "demerit
points'' to indicate the rating, he
said. In 1933, Medford had 2,133
demerit points taken from a pos-
siDie a.uuu, placing it in Ulass s
Would rlaise nates
"I don't know what the rating
bureau win do, weidner said,
"but on the basis or the situation
here at present, it couldn't do
anything but raise insurance
rates.
In 1933, Medford was given
310 demerits for its water sup
ply, he said, and at that time
there were two sources of sup
ply, tne present system, and
stand-by auxiliary line from Fish
lake, ine department proper was
given 81S demerits from 1,500
points; the fire alarm system was
given 398 demerits from 550
points; police cooperation got 35
demerits from so points, and oth
er phases were comparable on
the basis of demerits, he explained.
Weidner went on to explain
the plans for improvement and
modernization contemplated un
der the proposed bond issue.
These include the purchase of a
new aerial ladder truck, an
alarm system, two new substa
tions, added manpower, and new
nose.
One of Few Cities
Medford is the only citv over
iu.uuu population in Oregon
which does not have such equip
ment, he said, and one of the few
cities in the nation of nearly 20,
000 population without one. The
truck s chief purpose is to save
lives, he said, but in addition it
would be a potent weapon in
fighting fires in tall buildings.
packing houses and lumber mills
and yards.
Weidner covered other Dhases
of the proposal, and supported
his arguments with facts and fig
ures. He said that the alarm sys
tem, in the high-value portion of
town and at schools, would be a
Kreat safety factor, and a protec
tion from the "excited caller."
The new sub-stations, he said,
would give much more efficient
protection to the east and west
sections of town, and would sup
plement the protection now
available from the central sta
tion. The congested traffic in the
downtown area, and the railroad
tracks west of the mailt station,
provide a serious problem in
furnishing protection, he pointed
nut.
Man Power Needed
He also cited the need for ad-
litlunal manpower, and the nen-
ulties, in the form of higher in
surance premiums, which the rat-
ng Bureau provides for the lack
of sufficient men.
He pointed out that the hose
on hand at the department now
s only enough to equip present
vehicles. If hose repairs, or dry
ing, are needed, it means takine
equipment out of service, he said.
Ihe next insurance rating is
ue sometime this vear. he said.
One has not been made since
1933, but they are ordinarily
marie each 10 years.
r ire protection will cost
money," lie said, "but whether
we pay for it in terms of insur-
nce premiums to New York
companies, or keep the money at
home in the form of an improved
department, is up to the voters."
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