FIRE CALLS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 108, 6 April 1934, Page 6

FIRE CALLS

brigade statistics. SUNDAY A BUSY DAY. The busiest hour of the day for the Palmerston North Fire Brigade ing from statistics dealing with tne number of calls received in the fivevear period ended on March 31, 15 tween 8 and 9 p.m. The least troublesome hour is from 6 to 7 a.in. -*-* 1 busiest day of the week 13 Sunday ana the day upon which the least number of calls is received, Wednesday. More calls are received during the montn of January than during any other, and the least number in May. . For manv years Deputy-Superintend-ent P. A.'Milverton has kept extensive statistical records of the incidence of fire calls, and a five-year review o the figures shows that between 8 , al is 9 p.m. the brigade was called out oU times, that being the greatest number of calls in any hour of the day. Aext in order are the two hours from 6 to 8 p.m., and the period, from 9 to 1U p.m., each of these periods being credited with 40 calls during the five years. The next greatest number or calls was received in the hour ‘F on } midnight to 1 a.m., the total arrived at being 37. , The hour in which the least number of calls is received is from 6 to 7 a.m.: only two were received in that period during the five years. The two periods from 4 to 5 a.m., and from 5 to o a.m., are the next lowest, each having five calls recorded against them. Chimney fires account for the hign total in the early part of the evening. It is then that many fires are lighted, and, in the few hours following, flames and sparks find any defects which lead to woodwork or other inflammable material. The explanation for the low number of outbreaks, or even _calls, received at dawn or soon after is the obvious one —that the householder is not out and about, still enjoying the quietness of sleep. Taking the day in three-hour periods, the most serious in Palmerston North has been that between 6 and 9 p.m., 130 calls being received by the brigade during that time in the five years. Not all the calls received by the brigade are to actual fires; in many cases their services are only nominal, but the figures show when they were called upon. From 9 p.m. until midnight is the next most , serious threehour period, 91 calls being the total shown. Midnight until 3 a.m. is shown as a period being very nearly as dangerous; the number of calls received is 85. The least number received in any of the three-hour periods is 19, the time being from 3to 6 a.m. The next period from 6to 9 a.m. is closely related, only 20 calls being ex-neri-enced. Total calls received during the five vears number 557. The busiest year was that ending in March, 193-; 122 calls were received in the 12 montns. Next in order come 1929-30, > 1933-34, with 109; 1931-32, with lOo; and 1932-33, with 100. Little difference is shown in. the number of calls received on the individual davs of the week. The totals for the different days are as follow:Sundavs 98, Mondays 82, Tuesdays /l, 'Wednesdays 65, Thursdays 84, Fridays 80 and Saturdays 77. Taking the months of the year, more calls are received in the months of January and July than in any others. In January 68 calls were received during the five vears, and in July 60. September follows with a total of 52 and June with 51. Tho month of May holds pride of place for the least number of calls with but 30, and February and December share second place with 3/ calls each. . Last vear, more than ever, the brigade dealt with its work using the permanent staff only, according to the figures, which also show that fewer fires, or even alarms, were experienced in the inner area of the city. For the latter the general alarm is sounded and auxiliary firemen are called to duty. In that year 102 calls were dealt with solely "by the permanent staff, the general alarms numbering only seven. In 1932-33 the station alarms numbered 86 and the general alarms 14. In the previous year the figures were 90 and 15 respectively. In 1930-31 100 of the calls received were station alarms, being dealt with by the permanent fire-station staff, while 22 were general alarms. In 1929-30 100 of the calls were station alarms only, 22 being general alarms.