FIRE DRILLS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28774, 20 December 1958, Page 19

FIRE DRILLS

Board Willing To Help

It was not the responsibility of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board 4o organise or even appeal for evacuation exercises in case of fire in shops, offices, and factories; but, just the same, the board would commend all who held such drills and also offer the fullest advice and co-opera-tion, said the chairman (Mr W. R. Campbell) yesterday. He was commenting on Invercargill Firfe Board officers’ statements of concern about public apathy to evacuation exercises. Some factories and business houses in Christchurch were entirely disinterested, Mr Campbell said. The same applied to many of the public who happened to be in buildings where such drills were held. These people just did not appreciate the value of safety exercises to familiarise staff with means and methods of egress in case of fire.

“There is no statutory backing for the holding of evacuation tests, although that might be desirable,” said Mr Campbell. ‘‘However, such regulations would be difficult to police. The public resents compulsion and should accept with better gface appeals for voluntary fire drills. As things now stand, the board and the Christchurch Fire Brigade are willing to give the fullest advice on how fire drills should be organised, which means of egress should be used by different departments, and any other information required.” Union's Views

‘‘The question of fire drills, that is evacuation drills from business premises, while in the first place the responsibility of the firms concerned, is also a matter for city and borough councils,” the secretary of the Firemen’s Union in Christchurch (Mr A. B. Grant) said yesterday. Mr Grant is also secretary of the Christchurch Rubberworkers’ Union, and a member of the Fire Board. ‘‘The Municipal Corporations Act of 1954, section 266 reads: ‘The council may from time to time make by-laws for the purpose of requiring owners and occupiers of buildings to undertake schemes for the evacuation from the buildings and fire and panic prevention drills of staff,’ ” said Mr Grant. ‘‘That means,” he said, “that the local council, by passing the appropriate bylaw, can enforce business managements to undertake this necessary preventive practice. ‘‘Recently the Rubber Workers’ Union endeavoured to have written into the award fire protective drills.

“This request was refused bj* the employers, although at least five fires had occurred in two factories, both of which use highly inflammable materials. “The only factory I know in Christchurch which has fire evacuation drills regularly is a biscuit and confectionery factory. If a factory in continuous production can organise such drills, surely business men in other factories, shops, and offices can do likewise,” Mr, Grant said.