FIREMEN’S LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

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FIREMEN’S LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

[Specially written for FIRE AND WATER.]

[Concluded.]

Fall River, Mass.—The firemen of Fall River (numbering 142, of whom sixty-six are paid full time, and seventy-six part time), are allowed two days off each month—a day meaning twenty-four hours.

New Haven, Conn.—The membership of the fire department of New Haven, Conn., is 100 men, full paid, each one of whom is allowed forty-eight consecutive hours’ leave of absence each month.

Louisville, Ky—The eighty-three paid full time firemen are allowed neither leave of absence nor vacation without loss of pay.

Buffalo, N. V.—The 406 firemen of Buffalo, N. Y., all paid full time, are allowed the following leaves of abserce: Each three days every month; vacation—chief and assistant chieft fifteen days; battalion chief, ten days; all others, seven days.

Pittsburgh, Pa.—Pittsburgh has 265 or more full paid men in its fire department. These ate allowed three twenty-four hour leaves each month,

Detroit, Mich.—The total membership of the fire department of Detroit Mich., is 413, of whom 381 are paid full time. Their leaves of absence are three days of twenty-four hours, and three twelve-hour leaves each month. Vacation ten days in each year.

Newark, N. J.—Newark’s fire department consists of 175 members, all paid full time. Their leaves of absence are as follows: Twenty-four hours every ten days. Their vacation is ten days in each year.

Milwaukee, Wis.—The total membership of the fire department of Milwaukee is 345, paid full time Each man is allowed one forenoon, one afternoon, and one all night every ten days, and a vacation of ten days every year.

Minneapolis. Minn.—The total membership of the fire department of Minneapolis is 316, each man paid full time. Each is allowed one-half day’s le ive every third day, except Monday, a. m., Thursday p. m., and Sunday night. One night off—married men remaining hon e all night; single men returning to quarttrs at 12 midnight. After having been in service for one year, each man has a vacation of seven days.

Cincinnati, Ohio.—The total membership of the fire department of Cincinnati is 319, paid full time. Each fireman has leave of absence for twenty-four hours in every eight days, going off at 7 o’clock a. m, cne day and reporting back at the same hour on the foi’owing day. for which twenty-four hours they receive their full pay. With reMiect to the payments made by foreign insurance companies doing business in the State, they are taxed and, after the State has received its proportion, the surplus is divided between the police and fire departments.

Chicago, III.—The membership of the fire department is 1,133, full paid. Chief Swenie has drawn up an elaborate schedule by which each man gets ninety hours of! per month. According to that schedule: If a twelve-man hook and ladder company is taken as an illustration, it takes twelve days necessary to complete the cycle of “offs.” Number 9, say, has two forenoons, from 7 o’clock a. m to 12 o’clock, noon; two afternoons, from 7 o’clock p. m.-to 7 o’clock a. m., and one half night from 7 o’clock p. m. to 11 o’clock p. m.—a total of thirty-six hours, or average of three hours per day. Each man gets three meal “ofTs” of one hour each, making an average total of six hours per day. Each member has also a seven da^ s’ furlough each year. The men are allowed to trade “ofIs;”but the officers can trade only with each other. If Number nine desired to leave at 1 o’clock on the ittli day of the schedule, tc be absent until the next morning, he could do so by making satisfactory arrangements with Number five or Number eleven, both of whom are entitled to an afternoon “ ofl ” on that day.

New York —The fire extinguishing force of New York city before consolidation amounted to 1,193 men. These are allowed each one day ofT in every ten. three hours daily for meals, and ten days’ vacation. The officers from battalion chief upwards areallowed the same number of hours off daily for meals, one day a week off, and twenty days’ vacation—the acting battalion chief is allowed fifteen days vacation.

The ordinary leaves of absence accorded the firemen of Great Britain and Ir.land are as follows: London.—950 officers and firemen, twenty-four hours per fortnight. Glasgow. — 156 officers and men, sixteen hours each thirty-one days. Manchester.—106 officers and men, twenty-four hours every thiiteen days. Belfast.—Seventy-nine officers and men, one day per fortnight. Edinburgh.—Seventy-one officers and men thirteen and one-half hours per fortnight. Dublin.—Fiftyfour officers and men, six to nine hours each veek.

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FIREMEN’S LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

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FIREMEN’S LEAVES OF ABSENCE.

[Specially written for FIRE AND WATER]

[Continued.]

Atlanta, Ga—The members of this department, numbering 100 men, are off one day of twenty-four hours out of each eleven days. They go off at 8 o’clock one morning and are expected to report for duty at 8 o’clock the next morning. In all the houses where there are a steamer and a hose wagon, or a chemical engine and a hose wagon there are eleven men. For that reason one man is allowed off every day, so that there are ten men on duty at all times in these houses.

Indianapolis, Ind—There are 151 paid men in the fire department of Indianapolis. These are granted a leave of absence of twenty-four hours each week; leaving the fire station at 7 o’clock a. m. and not returning to report for duty until the following morning at the same hour.

Dayton, Ohio.—The firemen of Dayton, Ohio, are seventysix in number. They are allowed twenty-four hours, or one day, once in every ten days, or about thirty-seven days in the year. They also receive a vacation of seven days every year. This makes a total of forty-four days in which each fireman is off duty during every year—receiving full pay for these days off.

St. Louis, Mo—There are 457 men and twelve officeis in the fire department of St. Louis, Mo. One man in each company is allowed twenty-four hours off duty every tenth day— fron 9 o’clock a. m. the one day to the same hour the following day.

Columbus, Ohio—In the city of Columbus, Ohio, there are on the payroll 147 firemen full paid—there are no minute men in the pay of the fire department. They get off twelve hours once a week. They can take half night and half day or the whole twelve hours at once, just as they choose. They are besides allowed a holiday of two weeks every ye.r, with full pay all the time.

Baltimore, Md.—The total membership of the fire department at Baltimore, Md., exclusive of the members of the fire alarm department and retired members is 362. All the members below the degree of lieutenant are allowed three days holiday each month,with a vacation of ten days during the summer. The monthly holidays begin at 8 o’clock a. m., expiring at 8 o’clock a. m., the next morning.

Cleveland, Ohio.—The total membership of the fire department of Cleveland,Ohio, paid full time is 385. Each man in the department gets off twenty-four hours every fifth day. The officers, including the chiefs get one day—twent)-four hours— in every seven days. To both officers and men is granted besides a yearly vacation of fourteen days.

Hartford,Conn.— The forty-one permanent members of the fire department cf Hartford, Conn., are allowed one day of twenty-four hours off in every month.

Worcester, Mass.—In this city there are eighty-nine permanent men and ninety-nine call men. These are allowed forty-eight hours in every month to go anywhere they please; but they can take only twenty-four hours at a time.

Boston, Mass.—At Boston, Mass., the membership of the fire department is 800. of whom 657 are paid full time and ninety are call men, besides twenty-eight in the fire alarm telegraph department and twenty-five in the repair shop. These are allowed one day (twenty-four hours) in every eight days—from 10 o’clock a. m. one day to 10 o’clock a. m. the next. The half day and half night system does not obtain in the Boston department.

Kansas City. Mo.—In the fire department of Kansas City, Mo., there are 157 men and seventeen watch boys. The men get twenty-four hours off in turn from 9 o’clock a. m. the one day to the same hour the following day. If a company has eight men, the holiday comes to each every eighth day. In the smaller companies of five men each man is allowed a day off once a week. In case of necessity a member is granted special leave of absence; but in this case a substitute is put in the man s place and his time is stopped until he reports for duty again. The substitute is then paid from the member’s time. The members of the insurance patrol are.of course not included in the fire department.

(To be continued.)

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