Waging the war on Public Enemy No. 1 … Fire?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2014 (3956 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hitler’s armies may have been steamrolling across Europe, but the Brandon Board of Trade knew who the real enemy was in the fall of 1939.

And they pulled out all the stops to whip up public sentiment to win the battle against fire.

Yes, fire.

While Fire Prevention Week may be a relatively sedate affair these days, with reminders to change your smoke detector batteries and to not leave candles burning unattended, the same campaign 75 years ago was waged with no holds barred.

In the pages of the Brandon Daily Sun, ad after terrifying ad portrayed fire itself as a Lucifer-like figure, ready at any moment to consume your home and also probably your loved ones.

The crusade may have peaked during early October, during Fire Prevention Week itself, but the public notices were stretched out much longer.

Along with the graphic advertising, columns of text were devoted to the horrors of fire.

“Twenty-five lives were lost by fire” in Manitoba the year before, according to bureau of labour statistics — and the blazes cost more than $1 million in damages. That’s the equivalent of $22 million today.

“This year … special emphasis is being placed on the inspection of dwellings,” editorialized the paper, “and you may expect a visit from local firemen.”

Several groups in particular were singled out for notice as fire hazards —including those who were attempting some home dry-cleaning.

“Gasoline should never be used in the house for dry cleaning purposes,” the paper warned. “Even the very act of cleaning clothes in gasoline develops static electricity which is liable to set off the fumes without warning. This has often happened too when floors are cleaned with gasoline.

Also cited for censure were people who didn’t clear rubbish out of their closets, and the “sublime indifference” of smokers.

Smoking was a particular worry since women were starting to take up the habit.

“The question arises, are women more careless than men in the matter of smoking?” the paper asked. ”Unfortunately, there are no statistics to enlighten us on that score.”

There were some statistics that showed careless smoking was responsible for more fires than anything else in Canada — a more than fourfold increase over the past decade.

Perhaps the scary drawings were needed.

» ghamilton@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @Gramiq