1929-01-07-STM-MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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234 c: In the opinion of our experts this location in the most desirable one . Chief WalSh in his report strongly recommends for fire department organization development , the consolidation of our two houses into one believing thereby we would get from a fire fighting standpoint , greater efficiency at less cost . After years of experience in the crowded streets of Boston with motorized apparatus he feels that even with the in- creasing traffic on our highways an effective force would handle satisfactorily any fire that we might have . On the other hand , the insurance/ rates are based in part upon having two fire houses and in a sense duplicate apparatus . While it is true that we have mutual aid from Arlington and Waltham , yet we are not given as high a credit in the insurance rating as if either one or both were in the boundaries of our Town, nor could any better rate be obtained by a fire house owned jointly with either Arlington or Waltham . Sufficient land in the mercantile center of the town , adequate for a consolidation would be expensive , and we believe further that with the growth in outlying sections we would soon find ourselves facing the necessity of a second fire house . We feel that the continued growth of Lexington is assured and that to postpone the building of two houses in but postponing the evil day , and we further feel that the expense will be but little greater to build two now than one . While the Committee agrees with Chief Walsh in his opinion , yet after considering all the conditions it feels that the Town would be best served by building a bungalow type of fire house on the present site in vast Lexington and establishing at once a new headquarters within a 3/4 of a mile radius of the old Town Hall . METROPOLITAN FIRE DISTRICT - - GRASS FIRES AND FIRE PREVENTION Cities and Towns in This District Cities Towns Boston Melrose Arlington Saugus Cambridge Newton Belmont Stoneham Chelsea ctuincy Brookline Watertown Everett Revere Lexington Winchester Lynn Somerville Milton Winthrop Maiden Waltham Reading k iilliamstown Medford Woburn Rockland V-iilming ton On larch 1 , 1915 Lexington voted to enter the Metropolitan ! ire District . By so doing , it placed itself in a position to enjoy the benefits of the powers of the Fire Marshal to prevent fires , to investigate premises and buildings and to prosecute those individuals who persist in creating and maintaining nuisances which may become fire hazards . On December 9 , 1961 the State Fire marshal , Mr . George C . ileal , issued an order to the Chief of our fire department delegating to him broad powers in this connection . Schedule C of this report contains a copy of this order . by this order the chief of the fire department has under Chapter 148 of the General Laws , Section 28 to 51 inclusive , unusual powers to compel the removal of rubbish or refuse which may become dangerous as a fire menace in buildings or premises ; refusal or neglect to comply therewith is punishable by a fine of $ 50 or in the case of a continuing offense , not more than 4p10 per day for each day which the neglect or refusal continues . { A