The
Relief Fund.
The
Firemen’s Pension and Relief Fund is maintained for the benefit of disabled
members of the department and, upon their death, for their widows and
orphans. The Board of Police and Fire
Commissioners constitute the trustees of the fund and all disbursements of the
same are under their direct supervision.
The law governing the fund
provides that whenever any fireman shall become physically disabled through
injuries received while in the performance of his duty, he shall be paid a sum
equal to one-half of the amount of his salary.
Should he lose his life while performance of his duty, leaving a widow or
child, or children under the age of sixteen years, a yearly pension, equal to
one-third of the amount of his salary, is payable to the widow during her
unmarried life, or if no widow, then to his child or children until they reach
the age of sixteen years. The law
further provides that whenever a member shall, after ten years of service, die
from natural causes, his widow or children, or, if there be no widow or
children, then his mother or unmarried sisters, shall be entitled to the sum of
one thousand dollars from the fund. Any
fireman who has served for twenty years, or more, in the aggregate, as a
member, in any capacity or rank whatever, may be upon reaching the age of sixty
years, retire from further service on a yearly pension, equal to one-half the
amount of salary attached to the rank he may have held when retired.
Time and progress modify
improvements in firefighting facilities, yet hand in hand with them arise more
proficient architectural and scientific advancements that rendered the
firemen's work still difficult. Dangers
have multiplied that now often result in injuries which, while not necessarily
fatal, are serious enough to impair the comfort and pecuniary circumstances of
the average member, and it is chiefly for the purpose of augmenting the amount
in the fund's treasury that this book is issued.
The members take this
opportunity to extend greetings to all who have in the past manifested their
appreciation of the department's efforts to satisfactorily perform its duties,
and to especially thank those members of the business community who have extended
to this volume and the cause in the interests of which it is issued, their
advertising patronage and cheering words.
To the Commissioners, the Chief
and others in authority is it particularly gratifying to observe, as they scan
the foregoing pages, that there project has met with the endorsement of so many
of the city's advertisers---a great number, we ventured to assert, they have
ever before been represented in the pages of a publication issued in
Stockton. This liberal patronage is, we
feel, eloquent and sufficient evidence that fireman are to be pardoned for a
temporary "usurpation" of what a few provincial promulgators of
theater programs and other advertising mediums of free distribution (every city
has its quota) have been pleased to assume was their exclusive domain.
To the gentleman comprising the
advertising and reportorial staffs of the local newspapers, we would extend
thanks for the bestowal of favors that have materially assisted us along the
thorny path that besets the novitiate publisher. As to those referred to above who have seen
fit to endeavor to impede our progress, we cheerfully forgive them and hope
that the future will find them in the publishing field with a medium that will
allow them to secure advertising patronage without it being necessary to
belittle another publication of either quality or superiority.
The work of compiling has been
no easy task, owing to the difficulty of securing correct data, many of the
records having been unaccountably lost, while those to which we have had access
have not been kept in a manner that would render possible the task of writing a
complete and authentic history of the department. However, we trust our efforts to bring forth
a book that will please our advertising patrons and serve to advance their
interests have not been in vain, and again we extend to them our sincere
thanks.
STOCKTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Transcriber Sally
Kaleta.
Proofreader Betty
Vickroy.
© 2002-2007 Nancy Pratt Melton.
STOCKTON FIRE DEPARTMENT INDEX
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