FIRE CONTROL QUESTIONS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 September 1928, Page 6

FIRE CONTROL QUESTIONS.

' MEETING OF LEVIN BOARD. INFORMATION AS TO ELECTRIC ALARMS AWAITED. The quarterly.meeting of the Levin Fire Board was held at the Fire Station on Friday afternoon, there being present: Messrs F. C. Clerke, F, E. Parker, W. Jenson, J. C, Milnes and F. P. Walkley (secretary). A telegram was received from the Chairman, Mr F. G. Cray,, apologising for his absence, he having been called to Blenheim. Mr Parker was voted to the chair, and leave" of absence was granted to' Mr Cray. Advice was received from the sinking fund commissioners (the Wellington Harbour Board) that a sum of £146 15s had been placed on fixed deposit in the Bank of Australasia for two years at 4| per cent., bringing the total on fixed deposit to £344 18s. The secretary reported that the hoserepairing outfit, recommended by the Chairman had eo«ie to hand. SUPERINTENDENTiS REPORT. The Superintendent, Mr F. Booth, reported that the quarter had been a very quiet one, there having been no lire calls. A siren had been fitted to the fire-motor, complying with the motor regulations, but it was not very satisfactory from the firemen’s point of'view, for the reason that the driver was required to have'both hands on the wheel, and in the case of one man taking out the engine there was a risk of accident. The Brigade was now at full strength, comprising four offic ers, twelve men and one messenger. The attendance at all musters hit! been very good, and the usual routine drill was carried out. The Superintendent asked to be furnished with the new plan of the borough, with the positions of the plugs marked thereon. All the plant and gear had been- attended to and minor repairs carried out. The Fire Brigade had bought, a jumping sheet, which cost £7 7s 6d, and they would be glad if the Board could see its way to make a donation to this cost. -At the, fire at Mr Jarvis’s on April 20th, it had been necessary to leave, two firemen on watch, and for this duty £2 was owing to them. He understood that the Underwriters’ Association would not pay for watch duty except in the case of watching salvage. He asked for the Board’s direction in the matter. It was found that three more uniforms were needed to properly equip the Brigade. They had six old coats which would not be of further use to them, and would like the permission of the Board to hand them over to the - newly-formed brigade in' Shannon. With regard to the jumping-sheet, Mr Jenson said he understood that it was ordered by the late Superintendent and had come to hand in the meantime. On the motion of Mr Milnes, it was decided that the Board pay half-.the cost of the jumping-sheet. PAYMENT FOR WATCH DUTY. Inquiries were made of the Superintendent as to the necessity for stationing men on watch at the fire on the night of April 20th, He stated that the fire was not completely out when the- Brigade left, and two men aycio stationed on watch from about 11. p.m. till 7 a.m. There was a shed which was within the danger zone, and in the shed a large quantity of glass and joinery was stored. The Acting-ChaiilMil Stated that, where there was no salvage concerned, the Board could not collect money for watch duty, and they did not want this duty kept up unless there was a very urgent need for it. Mr Milnes remarked that, hi. the case of a fire in the middle of the town, it would be necessary to place men on watch. The, Chairman; That is an important, ease. Mr Milnes said that the case under consideration was one of watch duty for salvage. The Chairman stated that the Superintendent had a duty to do where safety was concerned, even if the Board had to pay. It was resolved that the charge for watch duty on April 20th be sent on to the insurance companies concerned. Authority Was given., for -the purchase of .one--of the new Borough plans, and for the positions of the plugs to bo marked on it. Tiie Superintendent stated that the work of erecting fire escapes at Wistaria Lodge had been put in hand by the proprietor. Consent was given to the handing of the six coats to the Shannon brigade. FIRE STATION A DRY AREA. Permission was sought by the .Brigade to use the station for the holding of a smoke concert. The Chairman stated that the request would be granted on the usual condition —namely, that no intoxicating liquors were brought on to the premises.' Supt. Booth said he had been requested, at a meeting of the Brigade, to ask for an exception to be made. His view was the same as that expressed by rhe i Chairman, but lie had undertaken to put the Brigade’s request before the Board and to report as to the result. The Chairman said that the Board could not alter the rule. The station had been opened without liquor, and it had been the policy of the Board for 10 years that no intoxicants be allowed on the premises. THE ENGINE SIREN. With reference to the clause of the Superintendent’s report dealing with the siren on-the motor, Mr Milnes stated that under the latest motor regulations a driver was within the law .if ;he had one hand on the driving-wheel of the vehicle. T Supt. Booth stated that in the case of the fire engine, the driver needed to have one hand.on the driving wheel and the; : other on the controls. With the hand-driven siren an additional man was necessary. The siren was satisfactory as to sound, but it gave the best results when not turned very fast. BALANCE SHEETS. • The balance sheets for 1926-27 -.ami 1927-28 were received from the Audit Department. A ‘‘.tag” was appended id the former: . balan'ce-sbeot., .. seating-! that Ministerial approval had 'hot fe'eeu vPbiaiued. for, the bank overdraft (£2B lis lid) iii accordance... with. Section

31 (3) of the Fire Brigades Act, 1926. The secretary stated that there was 2s 8d interest to be paid on this amount. AUTOMATIC ALARM PROJECT. The Chairman asked if, any further particulars wore to hand as to the proposed installation of an electric system capable of giving an alarm at the station in the absence, of the . attendants. The Secretary stated that a reply was being awaited from Mr Cray*, who had certain investigations in hand. The Chairman made the comment that the matter was not 'progressing very fast, seeing that an amount had been placed on the estimates for this purpose. Fortunately there had been no fire calls during the quarter. He felt sure that an effective automatic siren system would provide a great safeguard. The success of it would depend in part on the findings of the ■electrical engineers who Avere making inquiries on behalf of the Board, and in part on the make of the siren. The sooner the Board obtained some definite information from the experts the better. What was wanted here was a system similar to that in use at Taumarunui, actuated by the operators at the telephone exchange. It was left to Mr Clerke to interview: Mr Cray and ascertain the latest developments in the matter. FIRE POLICE. The chairman asked for information as to the progress of the Levin Fire Police Corps. The secretary .stated that a meeting was held every month and the members were very enthusiastic. “I should like them to know that we arc interested in their welfare,” said Mr Parker. It was resolved to invite the Captain (Mr H. Walkley) to attend the next meeting of the Board and present a report. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. On the motion of Mr Milnes, it was decided that the secretary obtain, prices of two tarpaulins, each 12ft by 12 ft, and that the local committee- have power to act in regard to their purchase. The action taken by local members in appointing Mrs Hughes as caretaker was approved. The appointment of Mr William J. Rumnel as a member of the brigade bringing it up to full strength, was confirmed. Messrs' Milnes and Jenson were empowered to go into the question of having the engine of the fire motor overhauled. The next meeting was fixed for Friday, December 14th, iu the evening.