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performed by rescue units. These trained crews save thousands of lives each year by applying resuscitators to heart attack victims and others stricken by sudden respiratory ailments. Last year the Chicago rescue squad answered more than 70,000 such calls. 
 Heavy rains or fast melting snows trapped on flat roofs sometimes pose serious threats to buildings not structured to bear such weight. Fire fighters with hoses and pumping equipment use special techniques to remove the water and save the buildings. 
 In accidents of many kinds, firemen are often first on the scene. With acetylene torches, pneumatic drills, and other gear, they quickly and efficiently rescue victims trapped in the wreckage. Their fast work often spells the difference between eventual recovery and a DOA (dead on arrival) at the hospital. 

 HE VERSATILE fire fighters of New York, a city of unusual variety, have performed numerous unique jobs. After a record deluge of rain last summer, many subway trains stalled in tunnels. Lights went out, and scores of passengers panicked.
 Fire fighters rushed to the rescue. Although there was little actual danger other than what terrorized passengers might do to themselves, the reassurance of the firemen and prompt removal of the riders averted what could have been a serious disaster. 
 New York fire fighters faced another potentially perilous situation when the dramatic blackout hit the East Coast in 1965. Since all electric power suddenly stopped, any mode of transportation or service powered by electricity also halted abruptly. In addition to answering hundreds of rescue calls during the emergency, the city's famed Super Pumper, a remarkable machine that can spill out 8,000 gallons a minute and propel a 500-foot stream, supplied water to several suburban areas where pumps could not function because of lack of electricity. 
 The problems faced by New York fire fighters were repeated, of course, in many other Eastern cities. They had no major fires to combat, but their secondary services helped speed the return to normality. 
 Many departments offer scuba-diving training, and their crews have effected rescues. Generally they cannot arrive in time to save lives, but they are able to recover bodies. This is an important special duty in cities adjacent to rivers, lakes, or oceans. 
 However, in Milwaukee several years ago, scuba divers removed the body of a drowning victim after a 
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DECEMBER, 1969

Top Image:
WHEN OLD BUILDINGS COLLAPSE there is an immediate call to skilled fire fighters. They remove scattered debris and get to any victims who may be buried in rubble. 

Middle Image: 
SCUBA DIVERS from many fire departments are continuing to play an increasingly important role in cases of drownings or in other mishaps that occur on or near the water.

Bottom Image: 
VICTIMS TRAPPED in the wreckage of automobile, railway or airplane crashes are grateful for the assistance of fire fighters who speedily extricate them from the wreckage.