FIRE-WATCHING IN ENGLAND

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23805, 26 November 1942, Page 3

FIRE-WATCHING IN ENGLAND

COMMENT IN RECENT PUBLICATION “ABUSED AND UNSATISFACTORY ” An excerpt from an article on fire prevention in England, was received yesterday by the Mayor (Mr E. H. - drews) in the mail. It consisted of a page tornfrom an English “The Fireman,” and there was no indication of who had sent it. The following passage was marked:— “. . . the question of fire-watching, a system which is much abused and completely unsatisfactory. At first glance one would expect fire losses to be minimised by the existence on the premises of men, whether voluntary or paid, for the purpose of detecting and dealing with fires. “This is so, particularly when one recalls that the larger proportion of fires occurs during the nigpt, and the result is now much more serious on account of the delay in discovering a fire from the outside, on account of biack-out arrangements. . . "In practice, we have to admit that the fire loss has not been reduced but has increased. “Although cases are recorded of outbreaks being detected and extinguished by fire-watchers, the general impression appears to be that, in a very* large number of cases, grave suspicions attend the watchers themselves as having caused the fires by smoking or igniting their bedclothes by the close proximity of stoves and So forth. “The general provision of fire-watch-ers has risen solely from the blitz, and, as a general statement I take off my hat to the conduct of the fire-watcher during a ‘blitz.’ I fully admit the excellent work which he has performed. “However, except during an alert, the average watcher does not really regard himself as being on duty. He ■ probably hangs about till midnight, reading or playing cards, and then retires for the night. His quarters are probably in an air-raid shelter in the basement, where he is likely to remain completely oblivious to anything happening above. That is the reason why so many fires have not been discovered by the watchers.” . , The article was printed in August.