CITY FIRE BRIGADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 192, 8 May 1908, Page 9

CITY FIRE BRIGADE.

WORK OF THE PAST YEAR. LARGE NUMBER OF FIRES. Superintendent Hugo has forwarded to the City Corporation liis report on the working of the City Fire Brigado during tlio voar ending March 31, 3908.. . Tlio report gtates that the number of calls to fires or supposed fires.totalled 257, an increase, of 27 as compared with last year. Of that number 37 proved to ho falso alarms (of which 2-8 were due to various causes, and 0 wore maliciously given), 28 were chimnoy fires, 53 grass, gorse, and rubbish fires, and 139 were actual fires. Included arc six which took place, on the wharves and shipping, 12 in the Melrnso district attended by the City Brigado only, and 18 attended also by tho volunteer brigades as reported, viz., ICilbirnio 7, Brooklyn 7,. Kolburno 2, Islnnd Bay 2. The. present strength of tho Brigade is as follows Superintendent, doputy-siiperinten-dont, foreman, engineer, .17 permanent and 19 auxiliary firemen. Tho discipline of tho Brigade has boon maintained, ..and tho attendance of auxiliary members at fires lias been satisfactory. ACCIDENTS.. A number of accidonts occurred to brigadesmen, Outside of the usual minor injuries the following aro reported :-^Rupture; incapacitated six weeks. Sovoro burns on body, face, ote.; incapacitated five weeks, , Severp cut on hand; incapacitated seven days. Severe' burn on hands; incapacitated about ton days; not yet rccoverer). injury to kneo; incapacitated about fourteen days ; not yet recovered. Cut on hand; incapacitated about seven days; Injury on body; incapacitated about ton days; not yet recovered.. ' : VOLUNTEERS AND FIRE' POLICE. Tho suburban volunteer brigades attended 18 calls to fires iu the suburbs, and did good work in their respective districts.. A number of tho mombors assisted at a couple of firo3 in this city, and when they have gained a. littlo more exporience thorp is-no doubt that they will bo. of tho greatest ser\vice 'in case df'a large fire.' Tbo:Fire Polico .find Volunteer Corps, under Captain Wright, i'ondorod great assistance ,• to the brigado, paid as a'salvage corps wore instruniontal in saving l a. largo amount of property through' out tho year. Complimentary reference is mado to tho services rendored by'.&ho lion, brigado surgeon (Dr. Pollen) and tho poljco during the year. ,' FIRES CAUSED BY CARELESSNESS. •''Again, as in my annual report for 1902," says, tho superintendent, "I wish to draw nfctontio'n to tho largo number of firos recorded in .Wellington during tlio past and previous years, ii number out of all proportion to tlio siaa of .tjio city, when compared' with other, places. ; Indeed, .this disparity'ap-plies-to, tho Dominion generally. As an illustration, the list qf fires published'last month in tho. 'Banking and Insuranoo Record,' for Australia,'shows that in tho States of West iuul South Australia, Victoria, New South .JValcs,'. and Quoenijjand, collectively, tho number ,of fire,s recorded for; February was 131; iiiid in New Zealand 127. Ido not say this is. an average record, but tho number of ■lires iti New- Zealand is far in excess of what jt should-, be,. .ppr .my opinion as to.'some of tho' causes',; - and _ what I: consider to a large, extent; prevontiblo ones, I beg tbjrefor you to tho report mentionod above, with this addition, that though no largo perceritaga of- thp: fires' recorded may bo actually duo, to direct jincoiidiarism having its'starting point in ovor-insnrauco on property, yet-this overinsurance certainly induces great 'carelessness, which is undoubtedly the cause of 'a jargo number of fires." , ' PLANT. The principal plant in possession'. of tho brigades' in the city is as follows:—Sjx jiorsos, ono double vertical firi? engine iof 650 ' gallon ca,pacity| two, chemical and hose motors of 20 t 24 and; 30-40 horse-power respectively, two 2-ho'rso hoso two 2;horso. hoso, and ladder''' carts, "threo-. hand hoso' and ; jaddor carts, , three., lmnd ; hose-reels, one 60ft. .'fire escaped rintl watflr.tflw.e'r, 900 ft..' BJin. . iinlined, hoso'' for engine, '5300 ft, 2Jm.. ~ unlined and 900 ft, 2}in. linedhoso, eight., firp alarm circuits having 56 call points. In .'the Melroso district: —Throo hand-drawn cherai- ■ cal engines,' twp hand hoso and ladder carts, • . pno hand hoso reel, 80ft. of coupling'ladders, ■ and 2850 ft. of 2Jm. unliriod hoso. .'. URBAN'PRdGRESS. ■ I Consequent, upon tlio water mains having been, extended throughout ' tho ; various suburbs,; a- new reel station; has been erected in Kilbirnie 1 and ' equipped . with hose oart, OOOftMiose, iwo stand' pipes,.' antj necessary smaller app.liaiices. Brooklyn ha? also been provided "with, hose and ladder cai't, 900 ft. of .lioso, tivo stand, pipes, and 1 necessary smaller.;gear.' Kelburrio has beon supplied ' With 300 ft.. of hose and a stand pipe; further j Provision is. boing made-against tho time that' 1 tho •■'water.' reticulation will :'be completed f there.' At.lsland Bay a volunteer'brigade 1 has been formed, a erected, and •' pquippod with hoso' reel, 7ooft.'of ,hosp, ; two I ptand pipes, two 10ft. coupling ladders, and J jiecossary smaller .gear;"' : : . ; Tho; second' chemib'al and hoso motor 1 ordered from Messrs. Merry weather and Co., London, J was delivered hero on July 5, has jjiiico run to over two hundred calls to fires, ! and with 'ono exception'only, causing a delay f pf about twenty seconds, has never failed to < do all that was'.required. ' This motor lias. < boon a'great success as a ' fire appliance. I Threo thousand feet, of ■ now 2-Jin. unlmed 1 Jioso was received in "December last. As i against this, however, tho volunteer brigades < have bewi provided from tlio. contra! station < with 2850 ft. of hose during tlio year. s I . ' STATISTICS. | | During tho year. 28 false alarms were ] given; thoro' we«K 9 ."malicious false j alarms/' 28 chimnoy fires, G3< rubbish and c gorso firos,. and 139 actual fires, a total of ( 257.'Causes' of firos 'aro set down ' as. follow:—Fat boiling, over, 3,; defective ohim- 1 noys, 11; kerosena lamps, 3;' overheating J tar,'.s; spontaneous combustion, 4; smok- t ing, 2; 'incendiarism, 2 ; electricity, 2; cop- 3 per firos, 4; overheating ovens, '2; over-, i heating .pipes, 2; airing linen, 1; hot * ashes, 2; sparks, 13; gas ring 2; gas ox- J plosion,- 3; heating beeswax, 3; lighted J candles, 7; ' matches, 17; unknown, . 51; J total actual fires, 139. 1 ... ' s Calls were received as follow during each 1 month April, U; May, 16; June, 9; July, s 17; August, 19; Septombor, • 14; October, E ;^4; November 33; December, 19; January, : 35;. February, 38; JJarch, 22; total actual calls, 257. , . " . ; The brigade, turned out 27 times on Sunday, 36 on Monday, 41 on Tuesday, 45 on Wednesday, 35 on Thursday, 39 on Friday, and 34 on Saturday. • : By far tlio' largest number of calls were received botv/een the hours of 7 and ■ 8 p.in. and 8 and 9 p.m., the figures being t 25 and 22 rpspectively. Only one call was j rcceivctl during the year between 6 aiul 7 t a.m.' . .. a c