EMERGENCY FIRE PRECAUTIONS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23299, 8 April 1941, Page 4

EMERGENCY FIRE PRECAUTIONS

SCHEME FOR CITY

Organisation for emergency fire protection is being completed m me Christchurch metropolitan area, an Mr R. Girling Butcher, Dominion Fire Controller, and Inspector of g Brigades, described the preparauonb being made in an interview with The Pr ®Ther y e eS a^ d three lines of defence.” he said ‘‘First, the householder, and "(fecuoier of business premises, who S' SSffiwe tor dealing with such Aiithrealcs as would be caused by an toSi& bomb“in the styes b.tor' the brigade is necessary, equipment, such as sand or a bucket pump, will deal with the ordinary therS bomb, and a circular describing the equipment and its use will be sent to aU such occupiers. But occupier of business premises have a further liability—to see that equipment and staff are on the premises outside of working hours if an air raid occurs, to stop a deep-seated fire getting a hold, and it is proposed to organise these units under the Emergency Precautions Scheme, which will entitle the mem- 1 bers to the Government insurance. “Then there is the patrol system. A car or truck with two men and fire fighting equipment will patrol an area and look out for fires. Since the normal alarm system would be useless under air-raid conditions, these units will act as liaisons with the ordinary brigade, and they will summon the brigade where it is needed. “Third, there is the actual firefighting staff, consisting of the brigade, plus the Emergency Fire Service, recruited from ineligible men up to 50 years of age. They will do intensive training, four nights a week, for three months, being paid by the Government on the same basis as the territorials. The cost of equipping this force will be divided almost equally between the Government and the local bodies concerned, about £B6OO from the local bodies being necessary. In Christchurch, 275 men will have to be equipped with uniform, tin hat, axe and so on, at £lO a man* War-time Security Measure

‘‘This is important, that the organisation will also be a valuable adjunct to the Fire Brigades to deal with ordinary fires, and there will be what you might call ‘works fire brigades established in large industrial and business premises. Because of the great difficulty of replacing anything that is destroyed in war time, all this is justified purely as a war-time security measure. “Details are going to be fixed up at a meeting, of all men willing to join, at the Fire Station on Wednesday night at 7.30, and enrolment will start straight after Easter.” , Mr Butcher said that Mr A. Morrison, Superintendent of the Christchurch Brigade, had been appointed District Fire Controller for Canterbury and the . West Coast, and he would have to see , that precautions were organised throughout the district and in the event of an emergency would decide whether men and equipment would leave one point to deal with fires at another point where there might be a greater need.