Fire inquiry members

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 1

Fire inquiry members

t Parliamentary KeporterJ WELLINGTON. April 14. A commission of three to inquire into the fire at the Hanmer State Forest on March 22 and 23 has been appointed by the Minister of Forests (Mr V. S. Young). The members of the commission are Messrs A. L. Poole (chairman), F. A. Hardy, and J. Ure. Mr Poole is a past DirectorGeneral of Forests and is the chairman of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council. He was an advocate assisting the Commission of Inquiry into the Balmoral forest fire in 1955, and in 1972 chaired a committee which conducted a case study of the Mount White fire.

Mr Hardy is a fire commissioner of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and was Chief Fire Officer of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Brigade. Mr Ure is the Conservator of Forests at Rote .a,

The terms of reference for the commission are to inquire into the cause of the fire, the methods of fighting it, th effectiveness of fireprevention measures and to make recommendations about future safeguards. It is expected that the commission will open its inquiry, in Christchurch, at the beginning of June. “While it is important to investigate various aspect the fire, the main purpose of the inquiry is to leam from experience and. wfiere necessary, to improve procedures fcr the future,” Mr Young said.