Fire Danger

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27874, 24 January 1956, Page 12

Fire Danger

Reports of Sunday’s outbreaks of fire all over the Christchurch district must leave several strong impressions on the public’s mind. Dominant will surely be that of the splendid service rendered by the Christchurch Fire Brigade, whose men and equipment coped most efficiently with a record number of separate calls to fires. No fewer than 19 calls kept men and engines working and moving through a very long day; and this speaks well not only of the brigade’s men and equipment, but of its organisation. Others also served. It is gratifying to notice the tribute paid by the deputy chief fire officer (Mr H. C. Robinson) to members of the public who rallied to the brigade’s aid where grass fires occurred, and to Royal New Zealand Air Force men from Wigram and a group of railway workers. Unmentioned members of the public who also served, though in a negative way, were those who refrained from rushing in cars to the scene of fires and thereby blocking roads and hampering access to essential transport and workers. Sunday’s incidents surely taught lessons that will be impressed

deeply upon the public’s mind. When grass and scrub are tinder dry, as at present, a special obligation rests upon everybody to be scrupulously careful not to create fire risks. To quench thoroughly picnic and camp fires is always a duty; it is no less a duty in dry conditions to be most careful about the disposal of matches, cigarette ends, and embers from pipes. Vacant , sections overgrown yvith grass and scrub are dangerous fire hazards; in many parts of Christchurch and its neighbourhood there are overgrown sections which menace property and life. Owners should not need to be compelled to obey the law and keep idle land clear of inflammable rubbish. A fire brigade, it must be remembered, is best helped by a public which, by the exercise of prudence and common sense, protects the brigade from unnecessary calls and hazards.