FIRE! FIRE!!

Gisborne Times, Issue 10191, 31 December 1925, Page 3

FIRE! FIRE!!

THE PASSING OF ’PHONE MESSAGES,

“DUPLEX” ALARM SYSTEM TN

VOGUE

PROGRESS IN FIRE FIGHTING

That the Gisborne Borough lias been rated on too high a scale for many years in relation to fire insurance risks has at last been realised by the New Zealand Fire Unclenvri tens’ Association, Avhich has, accordingly, decided to reduce the scale as from January 1, 1926. That reduction Avas made because of ilie enterprise of the Fire Board in augmenting the brigade’s fire fighting appliances and. so bringing this toAvn into line Avith other big centres in the Dominion. But the "new duplex automatic fire alarm system, installed in Gisborne and officially handed over to the Fire Board yesterday morning, should surely be an incentive to the Under 1 - Aviriters’ Association to grant further reductions to this toAvn, in that the system Avill be invaluable im minimising the risk of loss by fire. Up to the present, the town has had no, efficient fire alarm system and has had to rely on the very uncertain and often unsatisfactory method of communication by telephone, about which there Avas always a big element of doubt and delay. - But this “order of the past” has'been changed arid •Gisborne is uoav provided with, an up-to-date system which is simplicity itself to the person giving the alarm raid records at the lire station with unerring accuracy the locality of the outbreak. The town will he divided into four districts—(a) Whataupoko and Kaiti; (b) business area; (c) Childers Road area; and (d) Gladstone. Road area. In all 57 alarm-boxes Avill be distributed over those areas, and ■when an outbreak of fire occurs all the alarmist has to do is simply to smash a small o-lass dial and press hard the button beneat h. This sets the interior clockwork in motion and rings a “continuous” boll at the lire station, together with a bell which hammers out the number of the box. A dial plate ind tea tor also- falls, revealing the locality as A, B, C, or D, while, as a further check, two tape machines are set in motion, which punch out the number of the box at Avhich the. alal in ~-iven cn tapes which unwind Ironi The svstem is, therefore, really a triplex and not a duplex one, and is regarded as the speediest and besi, alarm system in existence. The average loss of time in giving an alarm by the telephone system is put down at tivo minutes, Avhile mi frequent C£ie es as much as four or five minutes have been lost, and even longer than this on occasions. There is always the danger of confusion of speech and or misinterpretUion through excitement when the ’phone is used, but this clement is entirely eliminated by. the D<un lex, whose increased efficiency over the old svstem is set down at 186 per cent. For the convenience ot the hrin-ade in each call-box is a separate ordinary telephone to enable members to keep' in touch with the station during the progress of a lire. So efficient has the system been proved that insurance companies _ a low an .uuli tional 5 nor cent on other systems to policy-holders who connect with the bup’ex! It it tvhev, »» alarm is given, lor the person -a m,, it to stand by the box until the arrival of the brigade. The Duplex has p.oo n in use at Dunedin for 11 yen is. ,ot New Plymouth for nine years- an a lias also been installed at St. Kdda, levin Wnnsinui, Onchungn. Aucklaiid City, Christchurch, Sydenham, St A Ilia ns and IVoolston. ; The “Duplex” system provides ioi line interruption, and at once reports the break; but it goes further, ard stands ready to still record a “call” from any alarm box on the broken circuit. AVhtit.ncocl to cW.o,ate this feature —it m it til .nal To system S ood. Will, ttat m only Olio point. Proceeding imthci, the “Duplex” also immediately announces a “lino contact,” but decs not fail to still record a .“cal .” Even though a. “line break and nn c.utb ■ contact” should occur simultaneously they are both immediately announce*!, oml bv a . impb manipulation ol the fault switch the svstem is sti.l ready to do its duty. This is ore; of th<\ worst faults that a fire alarm system has io contend Avith. hut the P 1 1" •plex’ ' carefully provides against Tlusc con num though troublesome I ll 1f Q 'The inventor, Mv. G. Porter, is an "old- fireman and it was while a -nen.bor ol the Dunedin Brigade that lie thought out the invention. He has now completed the installation and has handed it over to the hire Boa id He leaves overland, this morning for Napier, Avhere lie will instal a Duple, system there.