County Grant For Fire Brigades

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31317, 13 March 1967, Page 19

County Grant For Fire Brigades

The Darfield, Kirwee, Sheffield and Hororata volunteer fire brigades will receive additional finance from the Malvern County Council. The council already gives the brigades about £5OO a year. This year it will contribute £1172. The fire committee's case was put to the council by the chairman of the Darfield fire committee (MrT. E. Pearson). The Darfield brigade had been established nine years, and the others two years. In the last month there had been 20 fire calls in the area, any one of which could have been a serious fire had it not been for the brigades. It was significant there had been no widespread fire in the area in recent years.

The brigades were also available for emergencies other than fires. At present there were about 60 men on the rolls.

The running expenses for the fire brigades were £865 for the 1966-67 year. But capital equipment needs of the Kirwee, Hororata and Sheffield brigades, for items such as new hose, tyres, engine repairs and hose fittings, were an additional £707. This was a total of £1572, £1172 less the Fire Service Council subsidy of £4OO. Application had been made for a greater subsidy but no answer had been received. “We have a marvellous setup and we have to pay to keep it going,” said the county chairman (Mr C. D. Redfern). Mr Pearson said that after 1967-68 the estimated cost to the council for fire protection should be about £750 a year. Tawera Representatives.— Crs. W. H. Faulkner and R. M. D. Johnson had been appointed Tawera representatives on the Malvern County Council, said a letter from the Tawera County Council. New Offices.—Plans and specifications of the council’s new offices would be ready for submission to the Ministry of Works within two weeks, the council was told.