CITY FIRE BRIGADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 244, 12 October 1917, Page 4

CITY FIRE BRIGADE.

MOTOR FIREMEN EXEMPTED. INT THE PUBLIC INTEREST. The Superintendent of the Auckland Fire Brigade (Mr. Hosking) to-day appealed to the First Auckland Service Board for the retention of two members of his staff, Motormen James MeFarrell Gemmell and Frost, owing to their indispensability to the brigade. In his statement the Superintendent (Mr. Woolley) said that besides being motormen and firemen, they attended to the keeping of the machines in thorough working order, so that at any hour of the day or night they could proceed to a lire with utmost expedition. Frost had been employed at the city station for three years, and he was also capable and indispensable. Since the war began 35 men had responded to the call to the Colours, and he had had the utmost difliculty in replacing them. Even when men were obtained they lacked experience. The practical result is that the Auckland City lirigade is suffering from a material lack of efficiency as compared with its prewar state. Ho therefore strongly protested against any more skilled men being taken. It was quite impossible to get men wuo were both motormen and firemen. Another essential was that they should be fit. Gemmell and Frost also had a very complete knowledge of the City streets, which, being over one hundred and sixty miles, was no small thing. It was necessary for the men to have a ready knowledge of streets, so as to locate lire plugs without delay. This took years to learn. He had only seven motormen in the brigade, four being at the central station. Gemmell said there were 17 firemen in the brigade at present, four of that number being off duty daily. It took a man five years to train an efficient motor-ii reman. Major Conlan asked a number of questions. Asked for an instance where the shortage of men had handicapped the brigade, appellant referred to the fire on the wharf the other day, and said that there were only nine firemen available, four of them being taken to the Hospital, ine five men there could not be relieved. Frost said that before joining the brigade here he had been a volunteer firelighter in the South. Without further evidence or comment the Board considered it absolutely necessary that the brigade strength should be maintained for the safety of the city from lire. The duties of motor-firemen were not readily acquired without training, anil these men were evidently most indispensable. The appeals were both granted.