PARK STAND “No Retreat” By Fire Board

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 12

PARK STAND “No Retreat” By Fire Board

The Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board last evening decided unanimously, “in the face of a welter of confusing statements by the City Council, Victory Park Board and Canterbury Rugby Union,” that it would not retreat an inch in its policy over a number of years that Lancaster Park, as an enclosure and group of buildings, should be licensed as a public meeting place.

The chairman (Mr W. R. Campbell) and the Chief Fire Officer (Mr L. R. Osmond) emphasised that racecourses, racecourse stands, theatres and halls were all licensed public buildings under the Municipal Corporation Act. Mr Osmond said that public buildings were licensed annually and if the owners of such buildings did not meet requirements their licence would not be renewed. The licence was issu’ed on the authority of a "proper officer."

He said that he had every right to inspect Lancaster Park but he had no power to enforce his requirements, if any, unless the buildings were licensed.

Under the Municipal Corporation Act, the City Council was also empowered to make a by-law governing the ingress, egress and fire safety factors of particular buildings but no local authority in New Zealand had ever used this power.

Mr Campbell said that fire was only one of the factors taken into consideration in licensing a public building. Panic could be a greater hazard. although panic could be caused by fire. There were questions of health, loading factors, egress and ingress and so on, to be taken into consideration in issuing a licence.

A letter was received from the City Council acknowledging the board's resolution of a previous meeting expressing its grave concern that buildings at Lancaster Park should comply with fire safety and building regulations.

“This board cannot be satisfied with the council’s acknowledgement of its letter but there is nothing further we can do at present as far as I can see,” Mr Campbell said.

“In the welter of explanations and statements, our old, outstanding request that Lancaster Park should be lic-

ensed the same as other buildings has been pushed into the background. We are not so much interested in the matter of the City Council bylaws as in the licensing of the park as a public building,” Mr Campbell said. Mr Osmond said that, under the Municipal Corporation Act, it was possible that a chief fire officer in one district might require certain standards before a public building licence was issued that a chief fire officer in another district would not require.

“At present in draft form is a model by-law, drawn up by the Standards Institute to the standards required for licensed public buildings—health measures, loading factors, egress and ingress and fire safely precautions.

“This will be an extension of by-law 44, adopted recently by the City Council. This by-law does not apply to licensed public buildings, the proposed by-law will,” said Mr Osmond.

He said the only by-law a fire board could make was concerning fire alarms and discipline of staffs. Mr Campbell said that a great deal had been made of the fact that the new stand was of non-com'bustible materials, but there were other factors of public safety which had been mentioned, “I do not think we should retreat an inch. We have nailed our colours to the mast by requesting the park be licensed as a public building,” said Mr N. G. Pickering.

“The public look to us more than any other body to safeguard them from disasters. If there was a disaster, the fire brigade would be in the gun,’’ said Mr T. H. Perkin.

“There was enough hue and cry over the fire at the Addington trotting course and that was not even approaching a disaster. We should make it clear we are not satisfied with the set-up at the park, but that there is nothing further one can do in the meantime,” Mr Campbell said.