Page:Fires and Fire-fighters (1913).djvu/22

2 charge. In the following chapters an attempt has been made to deal with this subject in such a manner that while the professional fire-fighter shall find much information which will be of value to him, the lay reader shall likewise discover material for thought, as well as food for the imagination.

It has been estimated that no less than 64 per cent. of all fires occur in the homes of the people, and though these may not be attended by the tremendous financial losses consequent upon outbreak in warehouses, office buildings and the like, they strike fear into the heart in a greater degree, for it is the human hazard which is at stake.

Few realize, also, the unremitting labor, the devotion to service, the daily acts of heroism, the mental and physical strain, and the inadequate acknowledgment in many instances by the public of the achievements of the genus fireman. Not that he wishes to be advertised, but since the soldier, the sailor and even the policeman loom large in general estimation, it seems only just that something should be written illustrative of the responsibilities entrusted to his charge. To how many people does it ever occur that negligence on the part of a policeman may result in the loss by robbery of a few thousand dollars or the sacrifice of at most two or three human lives by murder; while the same fault on the part of a fireman may entail some hideous disaster involving scores of lives or the loss of millions of dollars. Further, is it realized, that whereas the soldier or sailor risks his life for his country at rare intervals, the fireman takes the same chances regularly in the course of his daily avocation.

Thus it will be seen that no occupation or career should make greater appeal to the sympathy and interest of the public than that of the firemen who constitute a force which stands for much and without which the insecurity of life would be increased tenfold.

In addition, the advance of science and the evolution of the simple building into the highly complex structure necessitated by modern requirements have in their turn