FIRE MENACE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 40, 17 February 1941, Page 4

FIRE MENACE

MORE EQUIPMENT

STATE PROPOSALS

The provision of additional fire-fight-ing equipment and more personnel to meet emergencies arising out of possible enemy attack was announced by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) when speaking at the annual reunion of the Lower Hutt Fire Brigade on Saturday night. He said that the Government proposed to spend £76,000 on extra equipment, and that local bodies would provide £45,000 under the E.P.S. scheme. "The Government has realised for some time that the peacetime provision of fire protection would be insufficient in the event of an enemy raid," said Mr. Nash. "Before the war arrangements were made for the local authorities to expand their fire protection service up to the standard required for an emergency, such as a major earthquake, but it is recognised that to deal with fires likely to arise from an enemy attack still further expansion would be necessary." The whole question had been carefully considered by a technical committee consisting of the principal fire brigade superintendents, he added, and, acting on their advice and on the advice of the officers of the defence services, the Government had arranged for the provision of a considerable amount of extra equipment. The total expenditure approved for that purpose up to the present was approximately £76,000, and, in addition, the local authorities were providing under the E.P.S. schemes a further £45,000. The equipment to be provided was principally trailer pumps similar to those used for A.R.P. purposes in Great Britain, and those were being entirely manufactured in New Zealand, with the exception, of course, of the motors. SUPPLY OF HOSE. "The other major expenditure is for fire hose, and it is not possible to manufacture this locally, but supplies are being obtained both from the United States and Great Britain," he went on. "In fire brigade personnel there will, of course, have to be a corresponding increase over the peacetime complement of the brigades. These additional workers, will consist of volunteer patrols, which will be • equipped for handling fires in incipient, stages, and an, auxiliary firefighting force, which will consist partly of volunteer additions to the existing brigades, and partly of a unit for service in the cities and the larger towns where a higher standard of training is necessary. This, will be organised on similar lines to the Territorial Forces, but on a civil basis."

Regulations for the organisation of those forces were in hand, and it was expected that, a definite announcement would be. made in the next few days.

Concerning the Hutt Valley area, which had become an important industrial district, arrangements were well in hand to provide the necessary emergency'fire protection.:;;