Construction of a new fire station for Marion can come none too soon, according to Marion Fire Chief Lonnie Dungey. The present station is capable of serving a town of about one-fifth the size and population of Marion, Dungey said. Oct. 8-14 is National Fire Prevention Week and Dungey, along with Mayor Robert L. Butler and Rex Presson, public health and safety commissioner, will use next week to continue to formulate plans for the construction of the new fire station.
Earlier this summer the present Council bought land on North Court Street for $22,000 for the construction of the station and Dungey said he hoped to be in the new station in time for National Fire Prevention Week in 1968. Marion has three pieces of fire fighting equipment. The equipment is adequate for present but the trucks must be parked behind each other in the single entrance station and this is a hazard if the front truck failed to start.
The present station, hidden behind the Bank of Marion and the Campbell’s Rexall Drug Store was built in 1912 when the city had a team of horses and a wagon for fire prevention. The horses were housed in the present kitchen in the stable. The wagon was placed in the entrance and the harness was stored overhead and was lowered to fall in place on the horses. The entrance in 1912 was wide enough for the wagon and the team of horses, but with the modern 1,000 gallon pumper sitting in the number one slot, the driver must take extra time and precaution in coming from the station. When the driver is able to twist his way from the station, his problems have only started. Dungey said traffic on North Market has halted the engine numerous times.
The 1,000 gallon pumper is capable of pumping 1,000 gallons of water per minute but there are only seven hydrants in Marion capable of supplying water to the truck. Four of the hydrants are located in the vicinity of the Square. The huge pumper cost about $30,000 (?). About 1,300 feet of hose is stored on the pumper. According to Dungey 1,000 feet of the hose is two and one-half inch and the remaining 300 feet is one and one-half inch. The truck contains a 600 gallon booster tank that is used to extinguish small fires and is also used for rural calls. The second truck in line is a 750 gallon pumper which is capable of pumping 750 gallons of water per minute. It also contains a 500 gallon booster tank. Marion Fire Department has a ladder truck that is capable of reaching 50 feet into the air.
There are two men on duty at all times in the station and each man works an average of 72 hours per week. There are six firemen in addition to Dungey. The firemen are Barney Russell, assistant chief, Bill Whiting, Bob Cash, Bob Yost, Paul Barnwell and John Lewis. Dungey said his crew had attended fire-fighting schools and were “as good as the Chicago firemen, but we do not have the equipment to work with.” The ceilings in the station are beginning to crack and the walls give the appearance of being ready to fall in the sleeping quarters of the on-duty firemen.
The men’s boots and fire-fighting rubber coats are placed neatly at the foot of the bed and a call over the red phone is answered from bedside. Marion is ranked in the Number 8 bracket for fire insurance which is one of the highest in Southern Illinois. The high ranking is due to the location of the fire station and the amount of equipment. Carbondale and Mt. Vernon have recently been lowered to Rate 6 after acquiring new equipment and building a new station.
“A new station and a few more added facilities will lower the fire insurance costs to the citizens of Marion,” Dungey said. “We are planning the new station very carefully,” Dungey said. “We must not only plan the station for now but the same station will have to be modern in 1980 and will have to be built with possible expansion in the future.” The new station will have three separate front and rear exits for all three pieces of equipment. The trucks will be backed into the stalls and will face North Court Street. “We want to build a fire station which the people of Marion will be proud of,” Dungey explained. “If the people are proud of the fire station and its personnel, fighting fires will be easier.”
National Fire Prevention Week is held during the same week each year on the anniversary of the Chicago Fire, Oct. 8, 1871. Each year in the United States a total of $2 billion in damages is caused by fire, 12,000 lives are lost of which one-third are children. Each day in the United States a total of 33 lives are lost due to fire; 1,500 homes are lost; 12 schools, nine churches, 12 hospitals, 114 stores and 111 plants are destroyed by fire. These figures were obtained from the National Fire Protection Agency.
Dungey submits a full report each year to the agency. Dungey said 95 percent of the fires in Marion are caused by carelessness. Cigarettes and matches are the leading cause.
(Extracted from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )