FIGHTING FIRES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 156, 30 December 1925, Page 5

FIGHTING FIRES

WORK OF THE YEAR

THE CITY'S GUARDIANS

"NO SERIOUS OUTBREAKS."

... When a ''Post" reporter this morning visited the Central Fire, Brigade Station to inquire the result of the year's working, smart and alert men weie going through their daily inspection." ■ Equipment and druss alike were carefully examined, and then the men broke off to commence tha. regular furbishing of engines and station.

- "That happens every morning," explained, the '. Acting-Superintendent, Air. R. Robertson. "Tluj men are allocated to the various machines at 7 o'clock, so that, in the event of an outbreak, each one knows his position and there is no confusion. You know, a lot of people think the firemen have ..an, easy, time wlieii. they see them on "thtfreofner.by.the station. They don't realise that the men have to work 24 hours of the 24, and that during that time they must always be within hearing' of the bell. Leave is granted evei'V" sixth day, but otherwise the nicii.have.plenty to do .with physical drill, fire drill, cleaning of equipment, ctc/>r:.: ....... r.v.^. t . -.';;;;" ; STRIKING FIGURES. •j.he, .7 Acting-Superintendent had f s&me-interesting figures to give regarding'the year's working. ~A total of 315 calls had been received by the Brigade, made up as follow:— . January: 17 fires; 5 gorse, grass, or rubbish, fires, l.chjmney fire, 5 false alarms; total 28. ■•■- ■ - ■■ i i94fir.es, 9' gorse, grass, or •frtijybisli 'fires;: I.chimney fire; 2 false ;a!arm^:ifetai{3i;:.\/;::':.:;■; ;'. ; /■■■ March: 16 fires, 8 gorse or grass fires, 1 chimney fire, 5 false alarms; ,tojtajl,-30. ; ••-.;• V. . ; April:. 6 fires, 3 chimney fires, 1 false-ftlaim: total (the lowest for the yew^ll.as^,^; .-■;..,;....•::... May: &,fire.Si,3iehiinney fires, 7 false alarms; total, .19:".. ■ : : June :r7 fires, 3 chimney fires, 7 false alarms; total, 17. . July: 10 fires, 1 gorse fire, 7 chimney fires, 2 false alarms; total, 20. ,-A.Bgust; 18 fires, 3 gorse fires,". 3 chimney fires, 3 false alarms; total, 26. September: 9 fires, 4 grass fires, 9 chimney fires, 6 false alarms; total, 27.. „ " .."..■ ' . '■"'■■■■■ October: 12'fifes, 5 gorse fires, 3. ■■njmneyrtres, 9-false alarms; total, 29. }■ 'November: 17 fires, 9 gorse fires, 1 chimney fire,.7 false alarms; total, 34. December;: 20 fires,"9 gorse fires, .r ebimney fire.,l2 falsel alarms; total, 42 (the. greatest number, of calls for BJany-ysars).: • ' ' Grand" totals: ' Fires, 160; ' gotse,' grass", 'or, rubbish fires,, 53; chimney !Hrps,,37; false alarms,; 65. ;

THKJJE-QVAJtf BBS OT A MILLION :,^V-'"... :.;,';■ SAVBIJ. ;■ :

r'^th'Si'" ibtal estimated loss resulting from firea'iri" the city of Wellington during the year was £66,674, and of tiiis- property to the value of £820 was not covered by insurance. The sstimated value of properties in which tires, occurred, was ..£930,443, so that ai-tiiiiliy tlic^Firo. Brigade was able to prevent arloss to business nieii of approximately £863,000.

THE FALSE ALARM NUISANCE.

Eemiiide'd 'that the number of false alarms vy;as this'year exactly the same as last year, Mr. Robertson remarked that this nuisance was always r- thorn in tho side of the Brigade. "The cul-, prlta are. vel-y hard.,to get hold of now," he said, "ever since the automatic telephones were installed; Formerly we used to be able to get some assistance from' tho exchange operators.as to the'origin of, the call, but now it's very hard to trace the qSend-pi-3. That it is a senseless practice is not realised ~i>y those who foolishly hiring out the Brigade on a wild, goose chase. It might easily result in. loss of life,,if the machines ran anyone flown, or if a serious, fire broke out while the engines-were away. There have been accidents while, the Brigade has been answering false alarms,: and it, is' high time that foolish practice was" put a stop to. Of course, some of-the ■ false^ alarms are not malicious,- but when we receive a call and find"there is nothing in it, we don't Uke.it.. I.' ..... ■:.■■.■•■- . „ PEIVATE ALARM SYSTEMS. Many business firms do. not appar- - jijtljr realise the boon which a private alarm system-Would afford*in protect-' insj stocks and valuable property. On 2nd November and on,. 19th December, the brigade' was called to fires in big. buildings; which, had they-beeu gutted, would have resulted in a loss running into many thousands of pounds. Because they were fitted with private alarm systems, the calls were through to the brigade long before the manual alarms were operated, and consequently only slight damage was done' before the' outbreaks were, suppressed. Mr. Robertson ex-[)lained:-that there inrere two kinds of automatic "■alarms."'" One was 'a. sprinkler system, in which the alarm was given at tho same time that the sprays were set in. action. The other simply gave the alarm. All Government buildings have one syst'cni Sr the''other, but it is-plain; that comparatively few business firms hav« < taken advantage of the protection to ■be gained by their installation, bet neatly on- the wall of the instrument room of the Central -Station are indicators,- connected directly with the ■various offices', so. far equipped^ and on the reception, of .a:.call,, the brigade is enabled to get to tho scene of the outbreak before any terious damage is done. Sometimes it so happens that a fire has a strong hold before tho alarm is given, and then strenuous efforts must be made to confine it to the oue building. That is where the experience of long years; of fire-, fighting counts. Recently a fire broke out in the top floor of a warehouse in Blair street, where a quantity of crockerv and straw was lying around. A partition prevented the brigadesmen from playing on to the. seat of the flanies immediately; but by dint of careful working, deliveries were taken round and over the partition nnd finally, after a solid hour's Ughtmg he outbreak was got under'control. "Had the flames pushed us down the stain, the whole of the top floor would have been lostV A lot of water got below, but it was inevitable i*Ve were to save the-ralnrtje *„««-!< stored nearby," said Mr. Bobertson, "Beally, we've h»d no serious fires during th» yeir e««ptiiHf

that on the Turakina on 15th October, and that does not come under our losses. About 5000 bags of copra, a quantity of pelts and tallow, and 250 bales of wool were damaged in that fire, and we had to cut holes in the ship's side to get at the blaze. The cutting of holes, like that is quite a recent idea, but it ' certainly helps the brigade to get a fire under. And what is most important,' we have had only one casualty, On 10th January, when a young Maori lost his life during a fire'in Biddiford street!" NEW ALARMS. | It was ascertained that eleven new alarms had been installed during the j year as follow: Two at Brooklyn (one j more to be installed), two at Lyall I Bay (one more to be installed), four I at Kclburn and Nortliland, and three at Island Bay. Provision has been made for more alarms as the city extends, and it is intended to change the circuit from earth to metallic in the near future. | Before leaving the station, the reporter was taken round the machines by Mr. Robertson, and had every detail of their working explained to him. One striking machine was the 85-foot petrol electric ladder, a towering length of steel anil wood, which can be run up to its limit against a high burning building iii a few seconds. Twice tins yearit has been used with good results, and its value in saving human lives or in allowing a delivery to be taken to the top. of a building is inestimable. At the Central Station ttiere are in addition two hose tenders with extension ladders, one hose tender with a 55-foot escape, two "steamers," one.of 1000 gallons capacity, owned by the Harbour Board, ajul the other of 650 gallons, the property of the City Council. Tbereis also a motor-cycle foj testing and investigating. Here there are twentytwo men, ready for any. emergency, and at the Constable street and Thorndon stations.there are seventeen and seven men respectively^ making a grand total of 46. Day in and day out, these men!'guard*the" city from : the fire-fiend; Wellingtonians should be proud of their fire-fighters;, they have cause io be!