DISASTROUS DELAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1933, Page 8

DISASTROUS DELAY

IF ALARM POSTPONED

FIRE BRIGADE REQUEST

"Delay in giving the alarm if a fireis noticed can easily be disastrous," said the superintendent of the Fire Brigade, Mr. C. A. Woolley, to a ','Post" reporter today. "Probably the delay1 in the receipt of a call by the brigade arises from the fact that each person assumes that someone else has already called the brigade, but we have no objection to receiving several calls to the same fire." ilr. Woolley instanced the fire which occurred at the Bristol Hotel building, Cuba Street, in the early hours of Monday morning, and said that in only a minute or two later the fire would have established* itself in the hotel and the brigade 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, said Mr. Woolley. SECONDS ARE IMPORTANT. "Instances such as this," he added, "show how important minutes and even Beconds 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 sirens 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 receive 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 iff a fire existing, but it is very discouraging to find on arrival that the fire has a 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 the 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." '