Fire Engines Play Part in Safety First

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 148, 25 June 1938, Page 4

Fire Engines Play Part in Safety First

CONGESTED AREAS AVOIDED WHENEVER POSSIBLE As evidence of a long standing policy of safety first combined with speed, a “Times” reporter was shown an inter resting book by Air P. A. Alilverton, Superintendent of tho Palmerston North Firo Brigade yesterday, years now tho brigade has done all in its power to provide safety on the streets when it is proceeding to a lire add for every street in the city a route has been worked out which will allow tho engines to reach an outbreak with the utmost dispatch and at the same timo side track busy thoroughfares. The book shown to tho reportor contained tho name of every street in the city and bel'ow were directions to tho brigade’s drivers with alternative routes where a street might run for a long distance such as Ferguson aud Ruahine streets Particular care has been taken to avoid George street an<i Coleman Place; also tho section ot Rangitikci street between Cuba street and the Bank of New Zealand corner. Of course if a lire was in that locality the brigado would have no option as i» always uses the most direct route giving due weight to tho notion of not using congested areas. “You can see,” added Mr Alilverton, ‘ ‘ that the safety campaign whieh has bfeen carried on for some months now is no new thing as far as we aro concerned.” “Generally speaking,” ho continued, “tho engines used two main routes when leaving the Cuba street station, via Campbell and Andrew Young streets. Tho Act which goverted fire brigades laid it dowu that the machines had to proceed with all possible speed to a fire aud for that reason sirens and red lights are used to warn traffic of their presence.”