FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

Grey River Argus, 22 March 1935, Page 2

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

BRIGADE’S DEMONSTRATION. In connection with Fire Prevention Week, quite a crowd last evening witnessed a demonstration by the Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade in Boundary Street. The Denis engine was_pumping from the standpipe in Richmond Quay, and as many as three leads of hose were utilised, whilst three leads were run off at that end of Boundary Street. Tt was estimated that* approximately 1)00 gallons of water per minute was being played from the six leads. 500 gallons from the three leads from the main, and the remainder from the Denis engine. The jets from the main reached seventy-two feet in height, hut the jets from the Denis engine were not quite so strong. The Denis engine, however, was operating under a handicap in that it had to pull the water up a distance of 23 feet from the river, the tide being at the lowest ebb during the display. The Denis engine, which is of approximately 19 horse power, worked efficiently. The water pressure at the time registered from the main was 110 pounds to the square inch, this being obtained without any boosting. This is now fhe normal main pressure, showing that the new main has made an appreciable improvement in the fire-fighting facilities of the Brigade. The Chairman of the Fire Board (Mr W. TI. Parfitt), expressed'himself a« well satisfied with the demonstration. and he considered the flow of water was showing the requisite cap a city, and would assure improved and adequate facilities for fire-fighting for some time. If the water was played from a second storey it would prove adequate for any existing structure here. Good pressure was indicated by the fact that the branchmen had their strength tested in the direction of the nozzles. It was pointed out that the Denis engine tended to improve its efficiency with continued operation, as through lying idle it was not at its best when first worked. The pumping of 900 gallons of water per minute is quite a large quantity. The demonstration was carried out under the direction of Superintendent P. Deere.