Fire, its prevention and control

ITS

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CITIES THAT ARE COOPERATING UNDER THE GEORGIA SAFETY FIRE LAW








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Adel, Albany, Americus, Ashburn,

,anta, )tgusta, Bainbridge, Barnesville, Bibb City, Blackshear,

Brunswick, Butler, Cairo, Calhoun, Camilla, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chickamauga, Claxton, College Park,

Columbus, Cobb County, Commerce, Conyers, Cornelia, Crisp County, Covington, Dalton, Dawson, Decatur,

DeKalb County, Douglas, Douglasville, Dublin, East Point, Eatonton, Elberton, Fairburn, Forest Park, Fitzgerald,

Fulton County, Gainesville, Grantville, Greensboro, Hapeville, Hogansville, Homerville, LaGrange, Lakeland,

Lavonia, Lithonia, Lyons, Macon, Manchester, Marietta, McCaysville, McRae, Monroe, Moultrie, Muscogee

County, Nashville, Newnan, Newington, Ocilla, Palmetto, Pelham, Porterdale, Quitman, Riverdale, Rochelle,

Rockmart, Rome, Savannah, Shellman, St. Mary's, Sugar Hill, Sylvania, Tennille, Thomaston, Thomson, Toccoa,

Tifton, Trion, Valdosta, Villa Rica, Washington, Waycross, West Point.

Z K D. eRA EY
Commissioner's Foreword
one of u can afford a fire. And to paraphrase a famou aying:" II, e have to fear i fire it elf." Fire i most u eful to man when it i erving its intended purpose. Out of control, it can be the mo t fearful, the most de tructive of all force known to mankind. We do not need to fear fire. But we mu t respect it and recognize its dangers. If all of u will be more careful around our own premi e, recognize hazard and remove them, we will then help to prevent fire and ave live. We owe thi to ourselve . Often repayment in money will not r~place what fire has ruthlessly de troyed. With a little extra caution we',all may enjoy a fire-free life. Let us all remember that the only fire, hich doe not endanger human life and <i.e .~~?y property i the. fire which never. tart..
incerely yours,
:l:::',,~7

1,000 Atlantans made Homeless in fire

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3 lives were sacrificed in Fire, ov. 16, 1936 Cable Piano ,0.

that wiped out 73 City blocks May 21, 1917

35 Lives Lost in Terminal Hotel Fire May 16,1938

These scenes are not lovely to look at,
but they emphasize how fire can cause more destruction than the mightiest weapons of war.

121 Lives Were Lost in

Atlanta's Most Horrible Fire Tragedy Winecoff Hotel Fire Dec. 7, 1946
The e cenc \\ ere taken by Atlanta on titution photographer after fire had claimed 121 live in the \ ine off Hotel on Peachtree treet in the very heart of danta. It wa this holocaust that focu ed attention on the need of adequate fire afet)' law in the tate of Georgia.

State Fire Marshal and Staff

F. E. ROBINSO
Fire Marshal

F. P. REINERO
Deputy Fire ifarshal

Public Relation

Georgia Fire Safety Law
Shocked by the tragic Winecoff Hotel fire in the early morning of Dec. 7, 1946 in which 121 lives were sacrificed, and detennined that such needless loss of life never should occur again, the General Assembly hurriedly pushed through a law aimed at fire prevention throughout the state.
This law was so ambiguous as to be unenforceable. The Commissioner took it upon himself to declare a moratorium on the law pending the next session of the General As embly.
With the help of his staff which included F. E. Robinson and F. P. Reinero, who are now state fire marshal and chief deputy state fire marshal respectively, new regulations were drafted with the assistance of the Georgia Safety Fire Advisory Board.
These regulations were adopted and approved by the General Assembly 111 lieu of the old law on Feb. 25, 1949.
The main provisions of this law require that all large occupancy structures, other than private residences and buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes, shall comply with fire safety regulations based on the building exits code of the ational Fire Protection As ociation.
The law provides for occupancy certificates which indicate that structures have been inspected and found in condition to meet all reasonable afety requirements.
Commissioner Cravey, who is also insurance commissioner, is charged with administering this law which is designed to function so far as possible at a local level. Local fire marshals, deputized by the State Fire Marshal, are charged with enforcing the law in their respective communities.
Commissioner Cravey is gratified because the program has been adopted in 83 conmmnities and many others are desirous of co-operating. He explains how any city may adopt the Georgia Safety Fire Law as follows:
First the Mayor and City Council shall adopt the Safety Fire Law either by resolution or ordinance and nominate a capable city employee (usually the building inspector or the chief of the fire department).
pon receipt of a certified copy of such a resolution or ordinance, the State Fire Marshal will deputize the nominee and brief him in his duties and responsibilities. His office will also assist him in making inspections of various types of buildings and give other a sistance when requested.
Copies of the Georgia Safety Fire Law will be sent to any city on request.

JUNIOR STATE FIRE

Replica of Junior tate Fire /far hal's identification
card.
Thomas C. Watkins, Jr.
Two student -a boy and a girl-are selected in each participating school to serve as Junior State Fire Mar hal. Two other are selected to erve as Junior State Fire In pector. The e students, chosen on the basis of leadership, scholarhip and deportment, are furnished with identification cards and badges patterned after those worn by State Fire Marshal F. E. Robinson and hi staff.
At the e inauguration ceremonie, the young Fire Mar hals and Inspector receive pamphlet on fire prevention and inspection blanks for both school and home 0 that all pupils may fill them out and Ii t any possible fire hazards. These reports, when completed, are handed in to the respective home-room teachers. Thu, teachers and parents are able to advise the best methods of ridding home or school of any po ible fire hazard and the entire community become fire safety con cious.

STATE OF GEORGIA

ZACK D. CRAVEY
GEORGIA SAFETY FIRE COMMISSIONER

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT

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J arne s

_._..J.Lr~L!..!.J>.A.. _

~ WHOSE NAME APPEARS HEREON IS APPOINTED JUNIOR STATE

'" FIRE MARSHAL. TO ASSIST THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL
iii DURING THE 1951-1952 SCHOOL TERM IN THE PREVENTION

OF FIRE IN THE HOMES. SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY IN WHICH

THEY LIVE.

It is a debatable question whether Georgia's First Lady, Mr . Betty Talmadge is prouder of her husband, the Governor, or of her 8-year-old on, Eugene Talmadge, a tudent at Atlanta's
pring Street chool who was worn in with nine fellow Cub cout in the fall of 1951 as one of Georgia' Junior Fire Marshal.

nder the supervi ion of Fireman Bill cad, Junior Fire Mar hal David Bonar usc the Moultrie fire department' portable to demontrate to hi fellow pupil in the cia room of Mrs. L. T. Outlar, Moultrie Elementary ehool, the proper way to turn in an alarm.

MARSHAL CORPS

LI DER' I GO, junior firc mar hal at Druid Hill chool, DcKalb ounty, point out common firc hazard in modcl rc idcncc.

The Junior Fire Marshal and Junior Fil'e Inpector program i recognized a an important factor in educating the public chool pupil in keeping their chools and their home afe from pos ible fire. At present 1,250 elementary and high chool in Georgia have in tailed this program in compliance \ ith the provi ion of the Georgia Fire Safety Law. It is the aim of the Geoq~ia afety Fire Commi sion to in tall this popular program in all of the chool in eorgia' 159 countie \ ith the continued co-operation of the tate Education Department.
County chool uperintendent and principals were told of the program three year a o--and tho e who expre ed immediate intere t \ ere elected to pioneer the undertaking. tate Fire Inpector , who are assigned to each of the congre ional di trict then went into the field to explain the plan in detail.

In addition to di tributing thi written in tru tionaI material, each tate Fire In pector at the time of hi visit to a school, give a brief talk on fire prevention and instruct teachers and tudent in fire drill procedt:re and conducts an actual drill before leaving the chool. Later the chool al'e revisited to make certain that the program is followed through effectively.
Once in tituted, the e periodic fire drills are upervi ed by the Junior tate Fire Mar hal Corp. Some school are evacuated in Ie than one minute,
"Fire afety Jl1 Georgia chool,' a handbook dealing with all phase of fire pre ention and including practical and entertaining play which ma be dramatized by chool pupil, i ill tributed to all the chool to erve as a guide to teacher and uperintendent.
Thi program is directed by Thoma . Watkin, Jr.

hown with 'Ir. ravcy and F. E. Robin on, tatc Firc Mar hal arc: front row, left to right: Bucky Mundorff, Jamc Downing, ictor j lontoya, Cappy Pctcr , Young Gcnc and Bcn dair' ccond row,
Icvc ndrcw,' ilford Horton, Billy Hcdgcpath and Frank Pate.

Teaching Fire Prev
in the Public Sc~
\Ve were uppo ed to have learned in our chool days that George Wa hington was the "Father of His Country" and served a president from-what were those date, anyway? Date and statistics are alway djfficult to remember. Therefore, when our State Fire Inspector make their regular spring and fall visit to Georgia's public chools, they do not re ort to dry, oon-to-be-forgotten statistics to put the fear of fire into the hearts of their young Ii tener .
They tell the youngster how to look for fire hazards in the school, in the home and on the farm. They show the youngsters how to avoid causing disa terous fires. They provide the teachers with a 64-page booklet, "Fire Prevention and Safety Handbook for Georgia Public chool."
This handbook is illu trated and contain the necessary information to prevent fire, but the facts are not presented in a dull manner. There are suggested games and playlets and easy-to-remember jingles dealing with fire prevention. For example, Wa hington is brought back to educate hi young countrymen in fire safety in the following jingle:
Though George felled Pop's prized Cherry Tree, Hi prudence we admire;
He did not try-like brats we seeTo set the Woods on Fire! -Parker Lowell
Below are ample of afety sketche and jingle di tributed throughout the tate.

ention and Safety
lools of Georgia
Section 26 of the Georgia Fire Safety Law declare; "It shaH be the duty of the State Fire 'Marshal to carryon a tatewide program of fire prevention education in the schools of the state and establish therein fire drill. All school authoritie are required to co-operate."
It ha been easier for the teacher to co-operate in carrying out this program desiuned to protect the live of school children from fire and related hazards because of the helpful material in this handbook. The pupils are more interested in a program in which they can participate actively and it is a distingui. hed honor when a boy or a girl is selected to wear the badge of Junior Fire Marhal or to carry the card of a Junior Fire Inspector.
These selected pupils help the chool authori ties m orgal1lzmg fire drills. They show other pupils all exits from the chool building. Fire prevention methods learned in school are carried to the homes and told to the parents. The pupils are taught how to check chool and home fire hazard and fill out inspection blank properly.
They learn how to report fiTes by telephone or to turn in fire alarms correctly and calmly. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are encouraged to give demonstrations of how to prepare campfires and how to extinguish them before breaking camp.
Pupil learn the pUl'pO e and use of fiTe extinguishers, they become acquainted with their city fire chief and firemen. They make model homes and barns to show fire hazards. They write safety stories, slogan, jingles and plays. They feel that they are important members of the fire afety team in their re pective communi tie -and they are.

Eliminating Fire Hazards In

\ hen new ho pita) ar erected in variou citie: of the tate, they are required to conform with th architectural provi ion of the Fire Safety Law.
Final in pections by the tate Fire Mar hal' staff at the e ho pital have revealed that door op ning from patient' room to the corridor and to the out ide of the buildings were 44 inche in width, the corridors were. ix feet or more in \ idth exit door wunO' in the direction of exit travel and illuminated exit ign have been properly in tailed.

150,000 GREE /VILLE IT-One of the major fa tor Greenville being named the Champion Georgia Home Town in it c1as for 1951 in the Georgia Power Company tate-wide contest was .he erection of thi impo ing Health Clinic
They will then recei e a ertificate of 0 cupancy from the Office of the Georgia afety Fire ComIlli ioner.
eorgia' eight newe t ho pital have met the e requirement and old ho pital buildings are being brought up to modern safety tandards as rapidly a po ible.

YO MAY MOVE IN, IR!-In p ction satisfactory in every way here. Ir. Reinero pre ent ConUlli sioner mith with his Certificate of Occupancy.

o J PECTJO r TO R-State Deputy Fire Mar hal F. P.
Reinero explains to Edgar mith, vice-chairman of the Meriwether County Commj ioner and admini trator for the Greenville Heahh
Clinic, the fool-proofne of an automatic circuit breaker.

First aid fire extingui hing equipment must have been provided and park-proof electrical witche in tailed in operating rooms. tairway and vertical opening mu t be enclosed among oth I' . afety mea ure .
ommi ion I' ravey mo t anxious to e more ho pital take tep to train pre-clinical nul' e in preventing fire and in taking the proper tep in case a fire hould tart.

The Hospitals Of Georgia
Chief Turner e"1J1ain op ration of fire extin~ui her
The Columbus City Ho pital \Va the first to include a fire-fighting and re cue cour e a" a required branch of nur e training. Thi innovation i the realization of an idea advanced e eral years ago by T. C. Turner, chief of the Columbu. Fire Department.
In reo-ulady chedul d c1as e the tudent nur e r ceive in truction in every phase of fire-fighting and afety technique from Chief Turner and hi. firemen. They have learned how to u e fire extingui her how and when to clo e windows and door to prevent the pread of moke, ga and fire, and they learn how to evacuate patients from an area threatened by fire.

GEORGIA COMMUNITIES

The first Awal"d of Merit wa presented to the snappy Conyer olunteer Fire Department from the little town of Conyer., population 2000. In a ceremony in the State Capitol, the Commissioner praised the meritoriou work of the department and handed the handsome certificate to
Cbief eorge Owens, Jr., ' ho W~ accompanied
by his assi tant Bill McCollum.
Mil tead, Callaway mill community of 1,300, received the first awal"d among industTial departments. The Rome Fire Department was th first

paid depal"tment to be cited.
II tate fire department measuring up to a high standard will receive wards of Merit. To make the presentation worthwhjJe, all departments must earn their award thl"ough diligence, achievement and, in all case hard work.
Enough reaction has been noted . ince the awarding of the first 10 citation to make it certain that fire department are going all out for recognition in the awal'ds program with improved fire afet. records a logic,,) reo ult.

EARN AWARDS OF MERIT

HIEF OWE of onyer Volunteer Fire Department receive fir t Award of 1erit from Commj sioner Cravey.

As a reward for performance, incentive for increa ed safety measures and to promote added vigilance among departments, both volunteer and paid, the Commi ioner has inaugurated citation. for the State's fire depaTtments. Fire fighting org-anizations are carefully screened by the office of State Fire Mal'Shal and the citation aTe a\ arded for excellence, fidelity and ingenuity.
So far as can be determined, this is the fir t program of it kind in the nited States. Soon after it wa tarted, inquiTie were received from Minnesota for detail of the program, and Minnesota Commissioner elson extended his congratulations to Commissioner Cravey. Minnesota plan to adopt the program.

AT MARlETT FIRE TATIO DEDlCATION-Colluni ioner ravey pre ent Fire hief Howard
W. chaffer the tate Award of Ierit. Left to right: 1ayor am J. Welche Chief chaffer. Mr. ravey,
Mayor Pro Tem Earl Williams, and tate enator Harold Willingham.

ANNUAL FIRE PREVENTION DISPLAY AT .SOUTH EASTERN FAIR
GEORGIA SAFETY FIRE COMMISSION

di play of carefully elected exhibi t pre ellted for the fir t time by the eorgia afety Fire ommi ion at the annual outhea tern Fair at Lakewood Park in

tJanta proved uch a popular and practical feature that it will become an annual in titution. Thi ha. help d to make eorgian afe - on ciou .

Attendants of Fire Safety Exhibit Answer Questions Relative to Preventing or Combatting Fires in Georgia Homes

Not only wa th display eye-catching, but Fire Inpector from the Office of the tate Fire Mar hal were on hand to catch the ear of Mr. and Mr . John Q. Public with an \ er to any question that might be a ked about hO\ to prevent fire and how to put them out quickly hould they get tart d.
The exhjbit included cutaway model of a home and a barn to ho\ vi itor \ hat to do and what not to do when fire threatens.
working model board demonstrated the danger

that often come from the all-too-common practice of ub tituting a penny for a burned-out fuse or u ing an over- ize fu e. ttendant at the exhibit patientJ explained that each fu e i marked to carry only the pecific load for which it is intended in order to avoid the overloading of the wiring and a po ible destructive fire.
Thousand of piece of literatw'e were di tributed from the exhibit. The picture above ho\ Cornmiioner Cravey pointing out ome of the intere ting features to Atlanta' veteran fire chief C. C. Styron.

Georgia
Fir e

BILL MUNDAY Editor

Cracker

BEATRICE COCHRAN Circulation Director

The Georgia Firecracker, published monthly by the Georgia Safety Fire Commission, tarted popping off about fire prevention on Dec. 15, 1950 when Commissioner Cravey decided that a monthly publication could spread the gospel of safety more effectively than by word of mouth.
The Georgia mailing list includes: members of the General Assembly, Secretarie of Chambers of Commerce, Mayors, County Commissioners, LP Gas dealers, Judge of the Superior Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, newspapers and radio stations, all insurance companies operating in Georgia, local state fire marshals, fire chiefs and all school principals, both white and colored. All Insurance Commissioners in America also are serviced.
Early issue dealt with subjects of a general nature dealing with fire prevention and afety. When the present editor, Bill Munday, took over the chair vacated in September, 1951, by Jack Troy, the circulation had reached 2,200. Today it has more than doubled. Copies of the Georgia Firecracker have been requested by officials in all 48 states, in three Canadian provinces and by the Angus Area Fire Brigade of Dundee, Scotland, which requested (yes, you've guessed it) a free copy.
While continuing its original policy of preaching and teaching how to prevent fires, the periodical devotes much space to illustrated stories about what local officials and fire departments are doing to cut down fire losses in Georgia. As editor, Bill makes surc that all parts of the state are well represented. He accompanies the State Fire Marshals on their periodical inspection tour and finds out fir t hand what is being done to make Georgia fire safety conscious.
To further spice up his preventive preachments, Editor Bill enlisted the services of an old Atlanta newspapel' colleague, Parker Lo~ ell, poet and artist of sorts, to inject a jingle or timely sketch to emphasize the importance of observing safety regulations. Lowell ha been a volunteer American Red 'ross first aid and water safety in tructor for 25 years.
Each month you can expect the Georgia Firecracker to keep exploding IJ1 the intere t of afety from fires.

OFFICERS

Liquid Petroleum Gas

The Liquefied Petroleum afety ct adopted in 1950, a part of the Georgia afe ty Fire Law, i under the juri diction of Commi sioner Cravey, through the tate Fire Mar hal' office It embrace rule and regulations governing the ale, di tribution and in tallation of LP gas.
hief In pector i . C. B. DeBerry, Jr. who has had wide experience in the Butane,
Propane and LP ga indu try. He i charg::d with eeing that all ga companie com ply \ ith the Act in their in tallation of dome tic and indu trial equipment a well a maintaining afe operation on their 0\ n prerni e .
Thi in pection ervice ha already proved mo t beneficia! a atte ted by the de crea ing accident rate cau ed by improper LP gas in taJlation and the ubsequent reduction of in urance rate on equipment.
So well has the State Fire Mar hal office cooperated with all ga companie that practically all problem that might endanger LP ga u ers are di cu ed in advance to in ure the public the maximum of afety.
Thi open-minded policy has gained the admiration of all and, in the national picture, the LP ga indu try in Georgia i fast becoming recognized a one of the mo t progre ive.

:~-C. B. Dc BERRY, JR.

Building Inspection

11 new building are in pected to determine that they comply with the afety

Fire Law. Old building al 0 mu t lJe in pected follo\ ing any change of occupancy or

when a fire ha cau ed damage to it exits. Thi important work i under the direction

of Chief Building Inspector T.

randall.

Arson Investigation

Chief I' on Inve tigator Luciu aughn is called upon to i it any ection of Georgia where a fire ha occurred that lead the local fire department to u pect it may ha e been of incendiary origin. If th re ults of the investigation indicate arson, it i the duty of the I' on Investigator to present evidence to the proper court of law in .-hat community.

Fireworks, Explosives, Traveling Shows, Etc.
O. E. Downin i in charge of in pecring and licensing dealer in fire\ orks and explo ives throughout the tate as well as to in pect all circu e, carnival and traveling how to make certain that fire afety regulation are carefully ob erved.

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Building Regulations
2,000 Years Before Christ
Builders who are inclined to complain because they consider fire safety regulations unreasonable or too tough, might be interested in translations from clay tablets made in the populous city of Babylon at least 2,000 years before Christ.
At that time the ruler, King Hammurabi dealt with such matters with all the harshness of an Oriental despot. He was not fooling when he had the following rules carved in cuneiform characters on a clay tablet:
"If a builder has built a house for a man and his work is not strong, and if the house he has built falls in and kills the householder, THAT BUILDER SHALL BE SLAIN.
"If the child of the householder be killed, the CHILD OF THAT BUILDER SHALL BE SLAIN.
"If the slave of the householder be killed, the builder shall give slave for slave of the householder.
"If goods have been destroyed, he shall replace all that has been destroyed; and because the house that he built was not made strong, and it has fallen in, he shall restore the fallen house out of his own material".
Continued

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