EMERGENCY FIRE SERVICE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24022, 10 August 1943, Page 6

EMERGENCY FIRE SERVICE

IN THE CASUALTY LISTS.—LEFT; Wireless Air Gunner Sergeant Ernest W. J. Collingwood. husband of Mrs Jean Collingwood, Winnipeg, Canada, who gained bis wings in Canada and. has now been posted missing on air operations over Europe. Sergeant Collingwood Is a former pupil of the Shirley Intermediate School, and was employed at Hutchinson Motors, Ltd., Christchurch, before he left New Zealand for overseas service. RIGHT: Corporal A. Beaton, nephew of Mrs M. N. Almond, 18 Frankleigh street, Spreydon, and brother of A.C.2 B. L. Beaton, who died at sea on July 30. He was a well-known boxer and a prominent athlete in the Rahaia district and in Christchurch.

♦ REDUCTION IN PERSONNEL MODIFIED TRAINING (P.A.J WELLINGTON, August 9. A considerable modification of the training and a reduction in the number of. personnel in the Emergency Fire Service have been decided on after a review of the position by the National Fire Council, fire brigade superintendents, and technical officers. •‘The general reasoning which applies to Emergency Precautions Services applies with some force to the fire-fighting side of civil defence,'' said the Minister of Civil Defence (the Hon. D. Wilson) in a statement issded to-day. "There are, however, other very important considerations which make it necessary to retain the E.F.S. organisation to a greater extent than other sections," he said. "In the first place, fire brigades, like every other service and industry, have suffered considerably by the withdrawal of experienced men for military service, and, notwithstanding constant endeavour, it has not been possible up to the present to maintain the numerical strengths of tiie regular permanent and volunteer brigades, but special steps are now being taken to overcome this difficulty, "In the second place, -the fire risk has materially increased in the main centres, particularly due to the establishment of war industries and the storage of dangerous goods, and those risks are still considerable, notwithstanding reduced dangers i from enemy attack.. i “It has to be remembered also that material , and supplie? are of infinitely greater . importance during war time due to the impossibility of replacing them, and consequently increased protective measures must be provided. Reduction of 50 Per Cent. . "To . meet existing conditions the War Cabinet has decided to retain the general, organisations but to cut down the active strength by about 50 per cent., leaving some 1200 men spread over vulnerable areas. The remainder will be placed on the reserve. Further relief will be afforded personnel by materially reducing the time required for compulsory training which has been fixed at two hours a month for places outside the four main centres. “It is essential, however, to retain a more active organisation in the four metropolitan areas expressly to provide against the additional risks already referred to and consequently arrangements are being made whereby an adequate force will be kept in billets. "Here again steps will be taken to reduce the demands on personnel to the minimum by distributing duty among as many men as may be retained on the active strength to ensure that each man may not be required to stay in billets more than one week in seven or eight. "Apart from this duty, men will be required to attend only one parade a month "The services rendered by members of the E.F.S. are fully appreciated by the Government, and, as Minister in Charge of Civil Defence, I have been very much impressed by the very high standard of efficiency attained "To a large extent service in the E.F.S up to the present time has been rendered voluntarily and 1 sincerely hope that spirit will continue. “I wish to emphasise," said Mr Wilson, “that the principle on which the E.F.S. was established is being fully adhered to, namely to provide an auxiliary service to assist the regular fire brigades to deal with fires arising from war or any other emergency.’’ YOU HAVE A VOTEUSE IT The right to vote is one of the most valuable principles of democracy—so long as the right is appreciated and put into action. Every New Zealander who has reached tie age of 21 years should make certain of voting at the forthcoming General Election on September 25. Electors cannot vote, however, unless their names are on the’Electoral Roll It is the duty of every citizen to study the printed Rolls as soon as they are available for inspection at all Post Offices! If your name is not on the Main Roll, there is still time to gel your name on the Supplementary Roll, which will be issued before the election date. Enrolment is compulsory by law, so every elector is urged to look into the matter promptly. Do not ‘‘disfranchise’’ yourself because of forgetfulness or neglect. You can act without waiting for the appearance of the Main Rolls by securing un application form at any Post Office, filling it in, and posting :i to the Registrar of Electors Your aplication will be checked in the Registrar’s offlee. and if your name is not on the roll it will, at once be added As five years have passed since the last Genera l Election, many thousands of young men and women have reached voting age since 1938. The views of all these young New Zealanders are needed to give a true indication of national opinion at the present time, and this group of. the population is specially urged to “get on the Roll and §o to the Poll.’’ —2