FIRE PREVENTION deals with the avoidance of fires. In its usual application the term has reference especially to the safe guarding of buildings and their contents from destruction by fire: it applies as pertinently to preventing fires in mines, forests, etc., and is discussed in those connections under articles on such subjects.
The field in which fire prevention finds its usefulness, not to say necessity, is best outlined by the mere statement of the amount of the annual loss by fires in the United States: in the year 1914 this was calculated at $462,429, 350— which included the actual loss by fires, amounting to about $240,000,000, to which was added the cost of upkeep of fire departments and the provision of the water they used, and the excess paid for insurance above the sums returned by the insurance companies for fire losses. In European countries the fire loss is about one-tenth as much per capita as it is in the United States. With the same precaution the annual cost of fires in this country could be reduced by $300,000,000.
Obviously the study of fire prevention be gins with identification of the sources of fires; for even a highly inflammable building will not burn unless it is in some way set on fire.
The fire marshal of the State of Iowa in 1914 made an exhaustive investigation into the causes of the 4,296 fires occurring in that year in his State. In the cases of 969 of these fires the cause could not be discovered. Of the re maining 3,327 the causes were as follows: Sparks escaping from chimneys, 527; set by fires on adjoining property, 451; defective chimney flues, 375; lightning, 271; children play ing with matches, 139; spontaneous combus tion, 131; incendiarism, 120; carelessness with matches, 78; carelessness of smokers, 69; gaso line and oil stove explosions, 68; sparks from locomotives, 66; over-heated stoves, 64; defec tive electric light wires, 60; automobile back fires, 42; unprotected wood near stoves, 40; etc. It appears from this•summary that aside from the two items lightning and incendiarism fully 95 per cent of the fires in which the causes could be traced were preventable, and should not have occurred. In cities the ratios of ascer tained causes differs to a considerable extent. In New York City in 1916 there were 13,677 fires, of which 2,093 could not be traced to their cause. Of the remainder, 1,606 were due to smokers' carelessness ; 1,573 to bonfires, brush fires and burning rubbish; 1,475 to care lessness with matches; 975 to hot coals falling from stoves and ranges and over-heated stove pipes; 824 to defective chimney flues; 772 to gaslights and redhot stoves; 757 to children playing with matches; 545 to explosion of vapors of naphtha and gasoline; 540 to defect ive insulation of electric wires; 515 to careless use of candles; 331 to spontaneous combustion; 286 to malicious mischief ; 179 to fats igniting on the stove; 162 to lamps falling or exploding.
Primarily, of course, the foundation of effi cient fire prevention is in fire-proof building, but this is a condition to be realized only step by step, and in the more or less distant future. The two most potent agencies which are avail able in prevailing circumstances are (1) educa tion of the public; and (2) rigid inspection under enlightened fire laws. Marked success has been achieved in the educational line, the number of fires being largely and immediately reduced. The approved procedure is the inaug uration of the campaign by lectures to children in the schools, preferably by the fire chief of the locality. This step alone served to cut down the fire loss in the State of Washington by 20 per cent. This is to be followed up by the celebration of Fire Prevention Day as an annual event. An excellent concrete illustra tion is presented by the city of Yonkers. In 1915 this city established a municipal fire-pre vention commission, which began operations by the formation of a Fire Prevention League among the school children of the city. A bat talion, made up of several patrols, was organ ized in each school; the parents of each boy member being required to give written consent, and with it a pledge to assist the boy in carry ing out his particular duty. By this provision the interest of the whole family was aroused in the prevention idea. The first duty laid upon the boy member was the inspection of his own home, in the safeguarding of matches; the protection of all wood in close proximity to stoves and stovepipes; the elimination of ac cumulations of rubbish; the providing of safe receptacles for hot ashes, etc. The second duty was a public one: the °patrols)) were on the constant watch for street-bonfires, dangerous rubbish piles and fire-trap conditions generally, which were reported to the nearest fire station. The movement was crystallized by a Fire Pre vention Day, in which the 2,000 boys who joined the League paraded with the city fire department. Frequent meetings were held with speakers from the city fire department, and a very effective body of public opinion was de veloped. The practical results were immediate. The fatalities resulting from street bonfires and children playing with matches ceased en tirely, and hundreds of fires were prevented and many extinguished by the watchful members of the League. With this aid alone the number of fires reported in the city annually was re duced by 50 per cent.