FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 April 1934, Page 2

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

SAFEGUARDING BUILDINGS. Fire brigades throughout New Zealand will hold displays in connection with Fire Prevention Week, which commences on Monday next. The object is to endeavour to educate the public in the suppression of fires, and to bring safety to then- homes. _ The Greymouth Fire Brigade will give a parade of their appliances on Mawhera Quay on Monday evening, while the Central Fire Station will be open during the week for visitors, each evening, and firemen will be in attendance to explain working of the plant, and activities in connection with Fire Prevention 'Week. Although only one-third numerically “unknown cause” fires account for three-fifths of the total monetary loss, the great majority occur during the night hours, when there is no one on the premises or the residents are asleep. It is a general characteristic that such fires spread with great rapidity after they are first observed —no external cause of fire may be apparent only a few minutes before the whole building is ablaze. From their experience in dealing with a large number of these fires in all stages, firemen are of opinion that most of them originate from one or other of the main causes of fire, such as a gas-ring, electric iron or radiator left on, a heating-fire left unprotected, a lighted match or cigarette thrown into rubbish or combustile material, oily rags or wase, defective chimneys, and defective electrical installations. The fire starts in a small way, and, as the building is closed up for the night, there is insufficient movement oi air to cause rapid growth, and the fire smoulders away until there is sufficient heat to break the windows. When this occurs the whole of the heated interior bursts into flame and the firemen have a condition which is difficult or impossible to deal with.