Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1934. FIRE PREVENTION.

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 April 1934, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1934. FIRE PREVENTION.

£JNDER present-day conditions, the ancient joke concerning the Jew and his fires, has lost much of its point, and it is generally recognised that where fire outbreaks are concerned, prevention is better than cure. Throughout the Dominion, this week, brigades are giving displays in connection with fire prevention, with the object of educating the public in the suppression of fires, and cn- . suring a policy of “safety first.” That such education is necessary, is proved by the official figures, which show that the fire loss in New Zealand, annually, at a conservative estimate, is at least £1,350,000. or an average of approximately 18/- per head of population. The fire loss actually paid out by the insurance companies for the past five years averaged approximately £1,200,000 per year, and to this large sum must be added a considerable amount for the loss of uninsured property. So far as can be ascertained, this is the highest average fire loss of any country in the world, and is certainly not a credit to New Zealand. This figure, moveover, does not cover any of the contingent losses, such as loss of business due to fires; the loss of wages

to employees thrown out of work by fire, and the consequent loss of business to other traders; nor does it include the cost of the temporary accommodation of people whose homes or business premises are either destroyed or rendered unfit for occupation. The present high fire loss, and particularly the increase during recent years, is due, mainly, to the fact that too many fires are allowed to occur. That this is the case is clearly shown by the figures for Fire Board districts. In 1919, there were thirty-five such districts, and during that year 480 fires occurred, with a total loss of £138,000. In .1929, ten years later, 1002 fires occurred in the same districts, and the loss was £278,000. The average loss per fire was the same, but the number of fires has more than doubled. This fact speaks for itself, and shows the necessity for some definite action. At least 75 per cent, of the fires are traceable to careless habits in the household or place of business, and probably less than 10 per cent, of the outbreaks are due to structural causes, such as some of the defects in chimneys, or in electrical installations, which cannot be determined by the oei cupier of the premises, and are therefore beyond his control; but , even these are in a large measure j

j due to carelessness or bad workmanship on the part of tradesmen. There remains a further percentage due to pure accident, or to incendiarism. If European methods were to be adopted in New Zealand, and, instead of the person who has a fire being looked upon as deserving of sympathy, he were to be regarded as a public offender, the reproach of the present heavy fire loss in the Dominion would probably be largely removed. There is no reason why carelessness resulting in an outbreak of fire, should not be punished, just as | much as carelessness leading to, say, a motor accident. Personal inefficiency or defective equipment of Dominion firefighters cannot be held accountable for the heavy losses; as a matter of fact, the New Zealand firefighting services compare favourably with those of any other country having a similar density of population, and it is extremely rare for excessive fire loss to occur through inadequate equipment. In this respect, the Greymouth Fire Brigade does not lag behind the rest of Dominion brigades. Its chief handicap, hitherto, has been the inadequacy of the water-pressure, and the work at present in progress, designed to improve that pressure, is long overdue. The members of the-Greymouth Fire Brigade deserve every credit for the manner in which they have, carried out their duties under difficulties, and it must not be overlooked that their services are voluntarily rendered, often at the risk of personal injury. If there is anything the community generally can do to help the brigade, it should be done. Meanwhile, the lesson of “fire prevention week” should not be

ignored.