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1934
c. 1930's - Fire Prevention display. | In 1934, the firemen acquired a problem they had never faced before, that of a clash with strikers. In May, about 500 unemployed marched on City Hall and the Fire Department was called to assist the Police in blocking off this march. They were met with a hail of rocks. When water from hose lines were used to disperse the mob, more rocks were thrown, and 400 feet of line was slashed by knives. Two confrontations, one at First and Broadway, and a second at Douglas and the River Bridge resulted in six injuries, two firemen, two policemen and two unemployed.
The Fifth Annual Fire Prevention Week was one of the most successful in terms of citizen involvement. Wichita won first place in the United States and the fire loss for that week was held to ten fires and $1,495 loss.
The annual loss was the lowest since 1915, 65 cents per capita. The national rate was $2.08 per capita that year. This was attributed, naturally, to leadership of the Fire Prevention Committee and the efficiency of the Wichita Fire Department.
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Related to 09 - H.H. McCall (The Old Man) |
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