From Sunday, October 5 to Sunday, October 11, it's Fire Prevention Week. Romeo has used this week to educate people on that topic for at least 70 years.
In the October 13, 1955 issue of The Romeo Observer Press, staff writer Bud Bailey penned an article about how anyone can prevent fires and how the biggest factor in most blazes is carelessness. Bailey stressed that while the Romeo Fire Department will always be there to put those out those flames, avoiding them is a "year around job for every local citizen."
To put into perspective, Bailey recounted the history of the Romeo Fire Department. The volunteer fire department began in 1924 after the village council authorized then Fire Chief Willard Pickering to recruit 20 men to fight fires. At that time, all they had "was a Model 'T' chemical hose truck combination and three hand-drawn hose carts."
In 1928, the department modernized and became a more efficient organization. Two hundred farmers bought shares in the local department and purchased a pumper, and each one received personal fire protection through a group effort. This also benefited the community at large because the village defrayed two-thirds of the expenses. Ten years later, it was voted "to provide fire protection to anyone in the Romeo area that called for help."
By 1955, the Romeo Fire Department had 24 firemen on the force, two tank trucks, and a rescue truck. One of the tank trucks can be see in the photo above. It was taken for the article, and it shows Fire Chief Walter Werth on the right checking a fire hose nozzle to see if it's in working order. Other firemen Roy Hillman and Joe Gould look on.
It seems that the nozzle is working because how else would Werth be in a jovial mood? If it didn't work, the fire department could call on other towns. According to Bailey, the "Washington, Bruce, two-thirds of Ray and part of Oakland townships are now under contract with Romeo for fire protection."
Fire prevention is a community effort because anybody can actively take caution. How? It's through better housekeeping. According to Bailey, ninety percent of fires could have been prevented if there was better housekeeping. How can this be done? Bailey asserted that one should keep "basements, attics, and other parts of a building or dwelling clean. Keep them free of rubbish or anything inflammable. Check home wiring....Watch extension cords lying under rugs; see that they don't fray and wear through from the many steps people implant upon them while walking from one end of the room to the other."
While the Romeo Fire Department has now been combined with the Bruce Township one to make the Bruce-Romeo Fire Department, this advice can easily be applied to today as fire prevention is still a big deal in any community. Take caution, or people will lose their valuables and/or their lives.
To learn more about the Romeo Fire Department, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer Press, October 13, 1955, p.II-1 and p.II-6