FALSE CALLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 57, 8 March 1932, Page 5

FALSE CALLS.

FIRE BRIGADE TROUBLE

'PHONE MESSAGES IN MOUNT fcDEN. Annoyance lias recently been caused the Mount Eden fire brigade by malicious false alarms, and last evening the officer in charge of the station brought the matter under the notice of the local Borough Council. At the request of the Mayor, Mr. T. McNab, the deputy-superintendent of the brigade explained liow frequently attempts had been made to hoax the brigade. Calls had come over the telephone, but the brigade, on turning out, had found that there was no lire. ■Recently he had resolved to check up calls which he suspected were not genuine, and several times he had found that there was no fire. He had instructed people giving alarms by telephone to make the Call through the alarm boxes, provided one Of those was handy." It appeared that the person responsible for the false calls was well acquainted with residents of the district. The officer asked the council's opinion as to his action in endeavouring to check up 011 calk that sounded false.

A member of the council questioned the wisdom of leaving the whole matter in the officer's hands. There might come an occasion, he said, when the officer would make a mistake, and not go to a genuine fire. In reply, the fire officer said that checking the calls occupied only a few seconds. When an alarm was received from an alarm box the brigade turned out immediately. In stressing the seriousness of the matter, another ctninciilttr said that a genuine call might be received while the brigade was answering a bogus one. .It was decided to refer thte niattfer to the fire brigade committee and also to complain to the police.