Dial Shows Decrease in Local Fires

From The Indianapolis Star, Thursday, December 8, 1921:The Indianapolis permanent fire prevention committee has placed a very large dial, with red and black hands, at Kentucky Av and Washington St, showing the number of fires each day this year as compared with the number a year before. Yesterday, the dial registered ten fires, while one year before there were thirteen fires, showing a decrease for the day of 23 per cent. So far this year the fire department has made 2,772 runs compared to 3,465 runs in 1920.According to Frank C. Jordan, committee chair, there were 5.8 fires per 1,000 persons in 1910, and by 1920 the number of fires per 1,000 persons had increased to 10.7.The growth was principally due to carelessness, and the decrease is to the credit of people exercising more caution, said Jordan.