Committee and Compromise

摘要

Following is an account of how the village of East Rochester, New York, purchased a custom-designed apparatus for its volunteer fire department by committee and compromise. The jurisdiction encompasses an area 1(1/4) miles square and located five miles from downtown Rochester. The primary response district includes heavy and light industry, a congested commercial district, and an equally congested residential area. The average house lot is 40 feet by 120 feet; has a multiple-story, wood-frame structure on it; and is located on a narrow street with trees, telephone poles, and overhead wires. Approximately 60 members operate three engines, a quint, a heavy rescue, and a personnel squad out of a single station. The department answers 400 alarms per year. A separate independent volunteer ambulance corps provides EMS.