HAWERA FIRE BOARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 7 September 1926, Page 9

HAWERA FIRE BOARD.

QUARTERLY MEETING

Tli© quarterly meeting of the H»vverai Fire Board was held this morning. Present: Messrs L. A. Bone (chairman), .T. M. Townsend, .35. KCameron, G. J. Bayley, G. Duncan, H. L. Spratt and H. J. Grayson. The chairman' welcomed- Mr. Bayley to the board table. Mr Bayley, who replaces Mr Osborne (resigned), said he was proud to be associated' with the board 1 in its activities. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT. The report of the Fir© BrigadeSuperintendent for July was submitted as follows: “The total number of calls was three, an increase of one compared with the corresponding quarter of last year. “The present strength of th© brigade is 19, including officers • and men. Firemen J. Blake and "W. Woolliams left the district, and: V. Powell has been admitted on probation,. The discipline and conduct of all ranks and the manner in which their several duties are carried out is all that can be desired.

“Fireman J. Champion, having completed 37 years’ service, has been presented with a two-years’ gold bar. “The Duplex street fire alarm system has been tested! fortnightly since its installation, and has proved to be in first-class working order. The direct alarm from the Public Hospital is tested daily. “Mr Evans, electrical engineer, has inspected the plant in the water tower. At- present both, tanks are full. “Periodically at- the Hatvfera. Public School fire drill is carried out in a smart and efficient manner. Recently fiQO children left the building in 43 3-ssec. “Six hundred feet of Y.C.R. unfilled canvas.hose arrived in good condition, and will be placed in commission, as sOon as the necessary couplings are available. To facilitate the manipulation of the appliances several alccessories have been fitted to the Dennis motor. Both motors are in good running order, and the equipment is in a thoroughly satisfactory condition. “On behalf of the brigade I make application for the sum of £3, the quarterly subsidy for watch-room duty. “I resraectfully request a personal interview with the board to determine the advisability or otherwise of establishing a fire police corps. “In conclusion, I desire to convey my best thanks to the chairman and members of the board for their continued support towards 1 increasing the efficiency of the service.”

The chairman said: the, prineioal matter calling for attention was that of fire police. When Air Hugo was in Hawera h,e raised the matter, but offered no definite scheme. The board decided to hear the .superintendent- on the matter.

The superintendent’s report was adopted. FIRE POLICE.

Mr Morrison said Inspector Hugo was keen upon forming fire police corps in the smaller towns of New Zealand. Personally, the speaker had h itd. no experience of fire police. He understood that formerly there had been a corps in' Hawera. Mr Hugo did not necessarily want ai corps sepaate from the brigade. His idea, for small towns was half a dozen responsible .citizens, who would operate under the brigade superintendent. Tho duties of this force would he: (1) Should' one of its strength he at the scene of a fire before the brigade arrived, to see that all .people were out of the building, and to see that the alarm was properly given; (2) locate the nearest fire ping; (3) assist injured people ; (4) keep the .crowd bade and look after salvage; (5) assist on a hose if necessary: (6) act as a messenger; <7) generally assist brigade on the ro.ute to, at the fire, and co-operate with the civil police.-The speaker said he had compiled the above schedule of duties from remarks made by ’Mr H,ugo. He jras not sure whether any such corps .had been formed in small towns like Hawera. Fire police forces had been formed at New Plymouth and Hamilton, and in Wanganui an advertisement had appeared calling for members. Mr Morrison considered •that it would be hard to secure the services of good business men to be sworn in as special constables. He had. written to Christchurch, and' had secured a. copy of the swearing-in form, which he read to the meeting. To ■Mr Grayson: Inspector Hugo considered that an a.rmlet on ordinary clothes would he sufficient uniform. Continuing, Mr Morrison said that in Wellington £3O ai year was allowed the coips. The strength of the body there was 13 *

Mr Spratt asked the strengths of the brigades in New Plymouth and Wanganui. Mr Morrison replied that Wanganui hact somewhere in. the vicinity of 30 men, none being absolutely volunteer men. He thought the New Plymouth brigade’s strength was 25. The chairman said that it would be a mistake to ask half a dozen men-in town to undertake such work if its utility here were doubtful. Mr Spratt said that no doubt the svftem applied in other centres, but different conditions applied to Hawera, which was verv flat and admirably served by its brigade. Upon the motion of Mr Townsend, seconded by Mr Grayson, it was derided that- the time had not arrived f ov the inauguration of a fire police corps; but that the hoard would keep the matter in view. BRIGADE PERSONNEL. Members of the board inquired of the superintendent how men were offering for the brigade staff. Mr Morrison said he could get good) men should he require them. Mr Grayson said) that at a recent, fire late on Saturday afternoon 16

members of the brigade. at once responded. to the call. Members expressed the opinion tha-t the attendances and turning out were creditable. HOSPITAL FIRE SERVICE. Mr Duncan brought up- the question of the use of the brigade at the new hospital should occasion arise. "What would the board do in the Ina.tt.3r? Would it authorise the brigade ’to go outside the local fire- area?

The chairman said the hoard would so authorise the brigade. Mr Duncan said it was possible .that insurance companies might rriise an objection to the use of the brigade in saving buildings from which no premiums had been derived. Mr Bone said that a box alarm had been installed, and the brigade would discharge its duties if called by it. . The secretary,. Mr H. S. Elliott, suggested an' arrangement between the Hawera County Council, the Hospital Board and the'Fire Board to pl’iade the matter on a definite footing; also providing for the covering of damage done by the brigade outside the fire areaThe chairman and the secretary wbre appointed,. with power to act, to wait upon the Hawera County Council and the Hospital Board. Arising out of the discussion, just terminated, Mr Cameron recalled the case of the Onehunga. Brigade going outside its area to quench a. £re, and returning to find that a house and. furniture valued a.t £ISOO had been destroyed wit him the area during its absence. It was possible, of course, that the brigade had been, in treaty to attend the first outbreak; however, it would be worth the board’s while to ascertain the particulars. The secretary was instructed to write to Oilehunga for official particulars off the case, a fire board having been recently constituted there. Mr‘Cameron, continuing, sard the position of the hoard members in such a. casn was that upon receiving a call for instructions by ’phone or otherwise, they had fio make up their minds whether to send the 'brigade out of the fire area to a call, and whatever they did the responsibility lay entirely with them. „ • . ~ INSURANCE TARIFFS.

Air Spratt asked if the board had heard anything official regarding the action of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce in its endeavour to secure a reduction of the present insurant!? tariffs by the Underwriters’ Association. Mr Bone, said that the matter was reedy not part of -the hoard’s Ibusiness. It had no information from .the chainbei\ . - Mr Spratt agreed'., saying that the function of the board' was servicb' fita case of fire. FINANCE. ' The statement of accounts showed £302 12s 10d in hand.