The West Virginia Digest

A very definite and dangerous need for fire extinguishers at the Colored Day Nursery and Child Shelter, 418 Shrewsbury street, was emphasized last week when that institution had two small fires in three days.

Although these fires were not large and there was no immediate danger to the 28 children housed there, it did serve to point out that there was no type of extinguisher, save buckets of water hurriedly drawn by the attendants and larger children, hanging in a convenient spot ready for use on a moment's notice.

The building is a frame building and should a small blaze get a sufficient start, the entire edifice might be endangered. With a fire extinguisher on hand, many valuable minutes can be used in putting water on the fire even before the fire department arrives.

Need Five Extinguishers

This building needs at least five extinguishers and could use six. There is a front bed room with five double beds in which 10 girls sleep. This room needs an extinguisher.

There is another front bed room with five double beds in which 10 boys sleep, which also needs an extinguisher.

Another extinguisher is needed for the back bedroom in which there are 10 cribs but in which only five youngsters now sleep.

A fourth extinguisher is needed for the kitchen in which there is a gas range, a gas water heater and a fifth one is needed for the hallway outside of the dining room.

One Saturday afternoon, a curtain in the front girls' room caught fire but that blaze was quickly extinguished by Agnes Spratley, RN, who was on duty at the time. Miss Spratley was called on the second time just two days later when a fire started in the boys bed room in the fireplace behind the gas heater.

She had the fire well under control with a bucket of water however, when a passerby, attracted by the smoke pouring out the chimney, rushed in with a hand extinguisher.

The four women attendants, interviewed by a Digest reporter this week, said that they would welcome extinguishers and thought the hand type would be best because they would be easier to handle. After the inspection of the shelter, however, the reporter recommended that at least two soda-water type extinguishers be included. Although they are heavier than the hand type, they can easily be taken down off the wall with the aid of some of the older children or another attendant.

Because of the greater water capacity one of these soda-water type extinguishers should be located in the hall outside of the dining room and another should be located in the kitchen. Hand extinguishers could be hung in the three bed rooms.

Anyone wishing further information on how they may aid in securing fire extinguishers for the Nursery, may do so at the Digest, office.