WHEN SECONDS COUNT

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 35, 4 November 1933, Page 13

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

Alarm in Case of Fire . NEED FOR QUICK ACTION r ( Speaking yesterday about the fire ; which occurred at the Bristol Hotel building, Cuba Street, in the early hours of Monday morning, the superintendent of the Fire Brigade, Mr. C. A. Woolley, stated that only a minute or two later the fire Would have established itself in the Bristol Hotel and they would have had to fight a really serious fire, similar to that which occurred in Christchurch on the following night. Investigations made by the brigade inspecting officers indicated that the call to the Cuba Street fire had been given about seven minutes after the fire was first discovered, everyone apparently assuming that somebody else had given the alarm. Similar cases of delayed calls had been experienced on several occasions recently. “Instances such as this,” added Mr. Woolley, “show how important minutes and even seconds are at a fire. The Fire Board is doing everything possible to speed up the response to fire calls, both by the internal arrangements at the fire stations and by the installation of syreus at street corners designed to prevent traffic blockages, but its work is largely nullified if the alarm is not sent in promptly. It should be impressed on the public that the first thing any person who discovers a fire should do, is to send in the fire alarm. The brigade does not object to receiving a number of calls to the same fire, or even to turning out to what is known as a justifiable false alarm, when the person giving the alarm has reason to believe there is a fire existing, but it is very discouraging to find on arrival that the fire has fl good hold and a number of people have been watching it for some time, none of whom have thought to call the brigade. “In Wellington'tbe fire alarm boxes are well marked,’ and at night are indicated by a red lamp, so that there is no difficulty in getting the brigade if required. “It is not that we mind the heavy work involved at big fires," said Mr. Woolley, “but every fireman dearly loves a ‘good save’—-and you cannot make a good save when the building is . half burned down before you get the call.”