UNDERWRITERS’ CASE IN FIRE INQUIRY
(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 17. In forming conclusions on Ballantyne’s fire it was imperative that the actions of everyone be kept in perspective and viewed in the light of the conditions at the time, said Mr. E. D. Blundell (for the fire underwriters), opening his final submissions today before the Royal Commission investigating the fire.
Mr. Blundell said that the standing orders of the Fire Brigade about an electric extension ladder should have been paramount. He described as indefensible any failure to stop and use a ladder. It was regrettable but inexcusable that two chief officers of the brigade should have been away on the occasion of the biggest fire in the history of the city. So far as the future was concerned, he advocated restrictions on the power of local bodies to modify the codes prepared by the Standards Institute. Fire .insurers distrusted evacuation drill as creating a false sense of security. There should be an onus on employers to ensure that all their staffs knew all the exits.
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22667, 18 June 1948, Page 6
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174UNDERWRITERS’ CASE IN FIRE INQUIRY Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22667, 18 June 1948, Page 6
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