EMERGENCY FIRE FIGHTING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 40, 17 February 1941, Page 6

EMERGENCY FIRE FIGHTING

Experience in the bombed towns of England has shown that fire damage from raids can be greatly lessened if there is ample provision for dealing with incendiary bombs and incipient fires. Watchers and volunteer patrols with bucket pumps and sand boxes can deal with incendiary bombs and the fires they start if these fires are taken at the start. If they are left the job quickly becomes one for a fully-equipped brigade. An important part of the Emergency Precautions Scheme for New Zealand, therefore, is the enrolment, training, and equipment of emergency fire units. A plan has been prepared for this purpose. In the larger cities there will be additions to the brigades and in other areas volunteer auxiliary forces. Supplementing this will be an organisation of motor patrols; In explaining this scheme on Saturday the Minister of Finance said that the Government and the local bodies would together spend £121,000 in additional equipment. This will consist mainly of'trailer pumps. No mention was made of the hand equipment as used by watchers in England. Probably this is not regarded as so urgent at present as to warrant wholesale manufacture and distribution; but it would be advisable to have a certain quantity of sample equipment both for training and so that manufacture on a bigger scale "could be quickly undertaken. Reasonable expenditure in this direction will not be wasted, for it will reduce the ever) rday fire risk and lessen fire losses, i