NEAFC 32nd Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS
In the first place, I do not know the whole story about that Church,
although I understand that it was a most unusual incident.
CI-IIEF KEEFE: Roi, the answer to the problem, is "No"; it has not been
paid. I believe I talked to the maker of that question yesterday, and I explained
it to him.
It is an unusual, case. The fire occurred during a lightning storm in
1947. The Church, at that time, was found to be okay, the fire was in the
tower. Now, nothing happened until February of this; year, when ~ 200-pound
stone straddled the Church yard, while the bell was being rung, and fell.
It is going to cost approximately $125,000 to take down this tower, and rebuild
it. And, then the stone fell to the ground, the people in question put a stage
up and found that the tower had been gutted out by fire.
"We responded to this alarm in 1947; but, the damage was not discovered
until 1954, and the people in question at the Church made application to the
insurance company; they said that due to the large implications, the loss would
not be paid.
That, Roi, is. briefly the story on the Churgh.
MODERATOR WOOLLEY: And it is an interesting one.
I think that _that. is probably the all-time classic of a delayed fire insurance
claim. Certainly, it is a lesson that some of us might take to heart in
this sense, that when we have a fire of anything of that nature, a fire where
there might be hidden damages, with which we are not familiar or wise. to,
that we first make as close an inspection aS. possible, even to the extent of getting
outside help, and secondly, that every effort be made to make a blanket claim.
In one case, in a midwest community, and it was. a ~ somewhat similar
case, fortunately the claim was made, ,and I don’t quite understand the .details,
but it was made on a blanket basis; the record of the claim was there,
although it was a year and a half l~ter, when the evidence of the fire showed up
more seriously than anticipated, and they were able to collect.
But, as the Chief pointed out to you, here is a situation which will cost
the Church a great deal of money, and on which they cannot collect. It is a
most unusual one. I have pleaded with him to:get some pictures and the data
on it, so that I could run it in FIRE ENGINEERING. I’ve got to get that
plug in there somewhere.
Does anybody want to ask a question on this before we go. on to the
next question? I hope that we have covered this, Chief Keefe; if not, then
you gentlemen can see the Chief afterwards.
The next ques.tion is: What effect, if any, "does the shorter-work week have
on the operating efficiency of a Fire Department? Bingo.! That’s a good
question, all right. I can see some of the municipal Chiefs girding up their loins
right now for this one. If we thought we have a good question on the matter
of the fire alarm boxes versus telephgnes, I think that this will take us for a ride
far into the night!
Let us start at my right, with Chief Dagon.
, CHIEF DAGO~: I think that as .far as the shorter hours during the week
];or firemen are concerned, if we could go ahead and get manpower to take their
places, all right; but, we have a time trying to get the manpower to fill them in.
MODERATOR WOOLLEY: That is it, all right. Otto, how about you?
213