FIRE-WATCHING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 88, 24 January 1942, Page 8

FIRE-WATCHING

REQUIRED OF ALL E.P.S. WELLINGTON DECISION. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, January 23. Fire-watching l service, because of the shortage of personnel, will now be required of all Wellington members oi the Emergency Precautions Services except those specially exempted. This was announced last night by the Mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop). “It had been intended,” said the Mayor, “that various groups in the E.P.S. organisation would he exempted from fire-watcliing service owing to their duties in the E.P.S. However, .this will bo revised now, and all members of the E.PS. will have to take part in fire-watching, except certain executives. It is anticipated that his duty will not exceed 12 hours a week, which works out. at one night in every seven or eight. “In order not to interfere with the efforts of other units of the E.P.S., all those in key positions which require them to be on duty immediately in an emergency are to be excepted, such as controllers find unit leaders, also all members of the E.P.S. organisation who are actually carrying out a job of work, such as wardens in the lightwatching patrol. All E.P.S.. members coming within the excepted category will he given tickets of exemption by their controllers. When the firewatching organiser or his deputies go round visiting places they will exempt those in possession of ‘excepted* tickets.

“The general effect will bo that on any one night no part of the E.P.S. will be depleted of men for fire-watch-ing to the extent of more than 10 per cent.”