PROTECTION IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 157, 29 March 1941, Page 13

PROTECTION IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Fire As A Modern Weapon HOW TO GUARD AGAINST ENEMY ATTACK In England hundreds of thousands of incendiary bombs have been dropped by enemy raiders, and in hundreds of thousands of cases small incipient fires have been caused. Yet a largo proportion of these fires have been successfully dealt with by householders. No matter how efficient a fire brigade may be, it is impossible to deal with so many outbreaks at once. All householders must make themselves their own fire-fighters. The creating of fires in an opponent’s territory is now a main objective of military commanders. Thus it is essential that this country be adequately protected against fire, and the general public trained to defend themselves. The fire service must be made efficient throughout the laud if it is to function successfully in time of emergency. The populace must be taught how to prevent outbreaks of fire; and also what to do in a cool and collected manner, when outbreaks do occur. These are basic essentials of adequate and economical fire defence. The Public’s Duty, With the general public trained to prevent fires, and also to identify and to cope with the lighter type of incendiary bombs a good deal of the menace is removed. The inmates of a house, working in threes, can to a very great measure, extinguish a fire started by an incendiary bomb. In the event of trained householders being unable to successfully cope with an enemy fire, they have recourse to the motor patrols, fire tenders of the E.P.S., the auxiliaries of the E.F.S., and in turn, the fire brigade. Protection of Buildings.

• The reduction of inflammability of all buildings is of the utmost importance. The clearing of all attics and lofts of highly inflammable material must be carried out. Roofs must be free from wooden boxes, stores, and any material that would be fuel to an incendiary bomb. Therefore reduce this fire hazard’ to a minimum now, by the destruction of this unnecessary and dangerous litter. Highly volatile substances, paints, etc., should not be stored on the top floors. Where possible bulk quantities should be stored in buildings outside the main target area.

How many owners and employers have asked themselves the questions: Is the fire protection in my building adequate enough to meet any emergency? Is the staff adequately protected against air raids and enemy fire? Those who have not, should im .mediately address themselves to these problems, otherwise they are leaving the bulk of their responsibility to an already overtaxed organization—the fire service.

Owners and occupiers of buildings such as banks, office blocks, insurance buildings, private and public hotels, boarding houses, hospitals, etc., would see that their premises are fitted out with the proper equipment for dealing promptly with fires started by bombs or any other enemy agent. Employers sjtould make it their personal responsibility to see that every member of their staff is proficient in the use and handling of all fire appliances installed in the building—that the staff are trained in fire drill, that all exit ways are properly indicated for speedy evacuation of the building if necessary—and that where possible the suitability of a basement as an air raid shelter is known to everybody. The Kight Equipment.

A supply of sand in the recognized container, with shovel and rake should be placed on every floor, in a convenient position. Some of the larger floor areas should be equipped with two or more sets of this apparatus. This point of sand equipment being installed on every floor, is emphasized by the fire brigade, as bombs falling do not strike the ground at right angles. According to the height at which they are released anti the speed of the plane carrying them, the angle of inclination to the vertical plane is such that a bomb could enter the basement of a building without going through the roof or any particular floor. Thus it would be false economy to have sand buckets, etc., on the two top floors and leave the three or four lower floors unprotected.

Bucket pumps or stirrup pumps should be installed on each floor to reinforce the sand apparatus. These pumps should be equipped with com bination jet (spray and jet) or straight nozzle with special rubber attachment. A 60-foot length of rubber hose with combination nozzle and an all-purpose adaptor fitted to the other end could be installed on each alternate floor to supplement the bucket pumps. Owners of high risk buildings would have added protection were they to instal the hydraulic hose reel, supplemented by either stirrup or bucket pumps, shovel, scoop and sand The provision of both sand and water is emphasized as incendiary bombs are likely to fall in places wnerc the use of sand would not be possible. A spray from a bucket pump would be essential under these conditions to accelerate the burning of the bomb and at the same time keep the surroundiug combustible materials cool. Hints For Householders.

In the home, see that no accumulations of rubbish are stored in ceiling areas or spare rooms. Do not keep accumulations of newspapers, fabric and inflammable rubbish stored in cup boards and under staircases, etc. Do not keep petrol or kerosene stored in the house. Have the fire brigade telephone number pasted up in a conspicuous posi tion. Know where the nearest fire alarm box to your own home is situated. Acquaint yourselves with the positions of the E.P.S. depots within your own zones. Have a plentiful supply of sand on the premises, together with a wooden container and shovel. Ordinary buckets when not in use should always be kept full of water. Remember that incipient fires can be extinguished easily if tackled promptly. Convert your ordinary garden hose into a first-aid appliance by attaching an all purpose tap adaptor and combination nozzle. The fire brigade is prepared to demonstrate not only the equipment, but also the correct method of how and when to use same. Owners and occupiers of buildings desirous of witnessing these demonstrations, can do so by communicating with brigade beadquarters. These demonstrations will be carried out in private premises so that all members of the staff can participate