FIRE SERVICE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 175, 26 July 1944, Page 6

FIRE SERVICE

MUTUAL ASSISTANCE

STANDARDISATION OF PLANT

A scheme aiming at the consolidation of fire services and the dardisation of plant, equipment and drills, with a view to inaugurating a system of mutual assistance, came under consideration at a meeting or the Auckland Metropolitan I 1 ire Board this morning, when details of the plan were received from tne Minister of Internal Affairs thiough the New Zealand Fire Boards Association. _. T The superintendent, Mr. vv. Ij. Wilson, said that he considered the scheme an excellent one and lon« overdue. If plant, equipment and. drills were standardised, Henderson fire brigade, for example, could come into the city and work with the Metropolitan brigade, and vice versa, should the necessity arise. Hitherto, no Government or Underwriters' Association contributions had been made to brigades other than those under the jurisdiction of fire boards. It was no\v proposed that all effective brigades should benefit by the additional contributions from the sources mentioned. . , . . . The scheme envisaged control of fire brigades at the hands of fire committees consisting, in order to ensure local control, of a predominance of borough council or town board members, and representatives of the Underwriters' Association. This, however, did not apply to anyexisting constituted fire district, such as the Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. It was to be noted, said the superintendent, that some brigades provided all plant and equipment by their own efforts and were not, therefore, under the jurisdiction of any local authority. The establishment of a central nre council, without powers of control, but enabled to challenge any local authority on the efficiency of. anything appertaining to the fire biiga.de under its authority, was also su 0 - nested. Matters arising out of the proposed scheme which affected the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board were the provision by the Government on permanent loan of certain plant and equipment, and the arranging with various local authorities outside Auckland of a mutual assistance scheme for attending fires which become out of hand. Any brigade called out of its own area was entitled to be reimbursed for the work performed. . The chairman, Mr. B. Brigham, stated that no action was required by the board on the matter, and the communication was received.