Fire laws criticised
(N.Z. Press Association)
WELLINGTON, Sept. 27. Arbitrary law which required an 80ft-high building to have an automatic heatdetector fire alarm system, but exempted a building 79ft high, was criticised by the Wellington chief fire officer, Mr W. J. Henderson. He urged that a more realistic system would be for someone such as the city engineer to decide what form of alarm system was appropriate to a building, taking into consideration factors such as type of building and the purpose for which it is used.
High-risk buildings should have special facilities for fire detection and fire fighting, Mr Henderson said. New Zealand law was well behind English law on fire safety in boarding houses — any boarding house with more than six beds was required to have an evacuation scheme under English law.
In New Zealand an evacuation scheme was legally necessary when there were more than 50 beds, Mr Henderson said.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33033, 28 September 1972, Page 9
Word Count
153Fire laws criticised Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33033, 28 September 1972, Page 9
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