01 1 801 646 4 Hollinger Corjj. pH8.3 iNAL FIRE ■CTION ASSOCIATION fK STREET N, MASSACHUSETTS E 286 CopV ' SANITY versus GUNPOWDER %s« i'.'^' >>/, ^ ■^ Courtesy of Philadelphia Record By De Max WILL YOU HELP, TOO? The effect of the Association's campaigns in 1910 and 1911 toward bringing about a rational celebration of Independence day is registered in the marked diminution in the number of deaths and casualties reported. This bulletin is again sent to the entire membership. All members are urged to bring it before the editors of their local papers and induce them to publish and comment upon the matter furnished, and personally to co-operate as far as possible in all efforts of their home towns and cities to organize civic celebrations of a rational character. oZmiJ^ (fh LV-Uclto&tC^ Secretary. Copies of this Bulletin may be had of the National Fire Protection Association in any quantity at Vo.OO PER THOUSAND Copyright, Life Publishing Cowpany^ iqt2. COMING Independence Day Disasters ffl' WHO CARES? INDEPENDENCE Day is coming; day of powder-poisoning and lockjaw ; day of hospi- tals and ambulances ; day of mutilation and fire and death. If there is anything that is sane in the American jieople it is the growing revolt against our insane manner of celebrating the Fourth of July. It might be called "Incendiaries' Day" ; for on that day the lire-fiend runs riot. No man having any public responsibility fails to dread it. No fire department gets through the day, and the nights on both sides of it, without exhaustion. It is doubtful if on some fifth of .July an entire city may not complacently burn itself up in the faces of firemen and Qre horses too exhausted by silly firecracker fires the day before to cope with it. The fire-fighting ajiparatus of our cities and towns is so overtaxed by the numberless ' calls which begin on the evening of July .3d that response to possible summons for help by neighboring towns or cities is impossible. What fire chief would dare allow even a hose wagon to go beyond immediate recall while alarms in his own city are coming in at ten-minute intervals? Even the large number of false alarms, due to the reckless use of the day, have their dire significance, for they tire out the horses and the men, and reduce the ability of the department to cope with actual fires. When the gong begins to ring at head- quarters, its call is as imperative for a rubbish heap ablaze as it is for the home of a citizen. The wear and tear of the apparatus, and even the injury to the horses during thirty-six hours of almost constant runs, may be as great for false alarms as for real ones. It seems a sort of folly almost too unspeakable to relate, but there are instances where American firemen have been killed in runs to fires on July 4th by being thrown from trucks by friglitened horses swerving from their course at explosives thrown under them as they galloped past. Never an "Independence " Day but scores of human beings are made de-pendent for life. Life and limb are jeop- ardized by explosives thrown from windows above the level of the street, setting fire to clothing and menacing the eye- sight of those passing, while upon the child, who in his innocent love of noise and objective demonstration responds to our present absurd kind of celebration, falls the heavy hand of disaster. When our civilization was not so complex, it was possible for those who had the courage to leave tlieir homes to the mercy of possible conflagrations, to shut them up and escape to the quiet of the country. Not so to-day. The trolley car and the automobile follow the seeker after peace to his country retreats, throwing explosives at his head as they roar past in their reckless irresponsibility. And for what ! Nobody stops to inquire. Nobody any longer cares. We liave gotten wholly away from the educational significance of " Independence " Day, and lost ourselves in an orgy of fire and noise. It is, perhaps, too much to expect any sudden return to sanity ; but some effort at least may be made by cities and towns toward leading their people into more inoderate and more intelligent forms of celebration. If expk)sives must be used the authorities can limit their use to the public parks during certain hours of the day, where the fuUy-hunters may kill and maim themselves and each other to heart's content, witliout injuring other people, or destroying property by fire. The firing off of explosives among tlie closely built shingle-roofed frame liouses, which compose tlie greater part of our cities, is wholly in accord with the reckless spirit of Americans regarding fire. If before every Fourth of July all cities and towns were given a thorough cleaning of rubbish, and all use of explo- sives then restricted as to time and place, tlie police and public wardens might have at least a fighting cliance to minimize the disastrous results of our public folly during the years it may require to inspire in our people a desire for a rational kind of celebration. And such a desire must be inspired. It is the duty of every city to arrange for its people suitable amusements or exercises definitely calculated to educate them in a rational observance of this historic holiday. Habits of folly can be most easily eliminated by a substitution of something better. The things a city can do to interest its citizens in a sane and wholesome celebration are unlimited, and the municipalities, which, in the past two years have taken steps in this direction, are already receiving national praibC. for their wisdOiin and their high sense of civic responsibility. ,," \ V Independence Day of 1912 is coming. To what city, what town, what mother of^ather is it this year to Ijring suffering or sorrow the day after ? / MORNING AFTER Courtesy of Life. THE GLORIOUS FOURTH" The Publishers of Life h;ive consented to furnish Ihis electrotype in coarse screen (suitable for newspaper work), at cost, to those desiring to use it. Price, $1.25. Address LIFE, 17 W. 31st St., N. V. STATISTICS OF INDEPENDENCE DAY IN AMERICA (Compiled by Journal of the American Medical Association.) YEAR DEAD WOUNDED TOTAL 1903 466 3,983 4,449 1904 183 3,986 4,169 1905 182 4,994 5,176 1906 158 5,308 5,466 1907 164 4,249 4,413 1908 163 5.460 5,623 1909 215 5,092 5,307 1910 131 2,792 2,923 1911 57 1,546 1,603 1,719 37,410 39,129 In the nine years a total of 39,129 people — the eqitivalent of over thirty=nine regiments — were killed or injured in the celebrations of the 'F'oiirth of July. ( This Year, 1912, How many are to be slaughtered? NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION American Institute of Architects, American Institute of Consulting Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Electric Railway Association, American Warehousemen's Association, American Water Works Association, Ass'd. Factory Mut. Fire Ins. Co.'s Insp. Bureau, Association of Fire Underwriters of Baltininre City, Board of Fire Underwriters of Allegheny County, Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pacilic, Board of Fire Underwriters of Territory of Hawaii, Boston Board of Fire Unl' U. S. National Assn. Master Gravel and Slag Roofers of America, National Assn. of Sheei Metal Contractors of U. S.. National Board of Fire Underwriters, National Electrical Contractors' Association, National Electrical Inspectors' Association, National Electric Light Association, National Hardware Association of U. S., The National Paint, Oil & Vaniish Association, Nebraska Inspection Bureau, Nebraska State Fire Prevention Association, Newark Inspection Bureau, New Brunswick Board of Fire Underwriters, New England Bureau of United Inspection, New England Insurance Exchange, New Hampshire Board of Fire Underwriters, New York Board of Fire Underwriters, New York Fire Insurance Exchange, North Carolina Fire Prevention Associatioi' North Dakotn State Fire Prevention Assoc! Nova Scotia Board of Fire Underwriters, / Ohio Inspection Bureau, Ohio State Fire Prevention Associati' Oklahoma Inspection Bureau. -^- ' Oklahoma State Fire Prevention Asl Philadelphia Fire Underwriters' Ass^ Philadelphia Suburban Underwriters' Asaa., Rocky Mountain Fire Underwriters' Association, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, The South Carolina State Fire Prevention Association, South Dakota State Fire Prevention Association, South Eastern Underwriters' Association, St. Louis Fire Prevention Bureau, Suburban Fire Insurance Exchange, Tennessee Inspection Bureau, Texas Fire Prevention Association, The Union, Underwriters' Assn. of the Middle Department, Underwriters' Association of New York State, Underwriters' Bureau Middle and Southern States. Underwriters' Bureau of New England, Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.. Virginia Fire Prevention Association, Western Actuarial Bureau (Pire), Western Canada Fire Underwriters' Association, Western Factory Insurance Association, Western Sprink'lered Risk Association, West Virginiii Inspection Bureau, West Virginia Stale Fire Prevention Association, Wisconsin Inspection Bureau, Wisconsin State Fire Prevention Association. FIREWORKS ORDINANCE. Suggested by National Fire Protection Association. Prohibiting the discharge or firing of fireworks and other pyrotechnic display and to limit their storage. Be it ordained by of the City of as follows : — Section No. 1. The discharge, firing or use of all firecrackers, rockets, torpedoes, Koman candles, or other fireworks or substances designed and intended for pyrotechnic display, and of all ijistols, canes, cannons, or other appliances, using blank cartridges or caps containing clilorate of potash mixture, is hereby prohibited. Provided that the may order the public display of fireworks by properly qualified individuals under the direct supervision of experts in the handling of fireworks. Provided also that such display or displays shall be of such a character and so located, dis- charged or fired as, in the opinion of the Chief of the Fire Department, shall not be liazardous to surroundine property or endanger any person or persons. Section No. 2. The sale of firevrorks at retail is prohibited. Section No. 3. The storage or sale of fireworks at wholesale is prohibited, except by permit from the issued for a period of one year. Application for permit must be filed vrith the Chief of the Fire Department at least 30 days previous to the issuing of the permit and must give detailed description of the proposed care and storage of said materials and of the structural conditions and occuiiancies of the building. Section No. 4. Permits may be issued only after an inspection of the premises by the Chief of the Fire Depart- ment or his authorized agent, who shall file with the Mayor and Fire Department a certificate of approval or his disap- proval and reasons therefor. Section No. 5. Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance as regards the storage and sale of fireworks shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and be fined not less than Ten (.flO.OO) Dollars nor more than Twenty-five ($25.00)' Dollars for each day's neglect of compliance. Provided also that violation of other sections of this ordinance shall be considered a misdemeanor jjunishable by a fine not exceeding Ten ($10.00) Dollars. The Chief of the Fire Department may, at his discretion, remove or have removed, at the owner's expense, all stocks of fireworks or other combustible exposed for sale, or held in stock in violation of this ordinance. Section No. 6. The Chief of the Fire Department shall direct such fire appliances as in his judgment may be nec- essary for the premises, and he shall see that two or more persons are instructed in their use, and as to the best means of getting fire alarms to the Fire Department. Section No. 7. All ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. Section No. 8. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and legal publication. Here is the Result of one year's operation of such a law in Washington, D. C. A STRIKING CONTRAST Number of persons treated at Washington, D. C, local hospitals for injuries from explosives : JULY 4, igo8 JULY 4, igcg HOSPITAL (When fireworks were allowed) (When fireworks were prohibited) Emergency 25 00 Casualty 6 00 Frebdmen's 5 00 Georgetown 10 00 Garfield 4 00 Homeopathic 52 00 Children's 2 00 Totals 104 00 Members are urged to have the above ordinance introduced at once into their local Cjty Councils. It can easily be pasfied after the 4th of July upon the wave of public opinion which follows the annual tate of death and fire. Thus a great gain can be made this year, toward next year. \ J NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION B'T MILK STREET /on, MASSACHUSETTS SANITY versus GUNPOWDER '^■^ >t>/. ^ ^ /^N —V «/^f:t^ Courtesy of Philadelphia Record By De Max WILL YOU HELP, TOO? The effect of the Association's campaigns in 1910 and 1911 toward bringing about a rational celebration of Independence day is registered in the marked diminution in the number of deaths and casualties reported. This bulletin is again sent to the entire membership. All members are urged to bring it before the editors of their local papers and induce them to publish and comment upon the matter furnished, and personally to co-operate as far as possible in all efforts of their home towns and cities to organize civic celebrations of a rational character.