A DOMINION BOARD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 30 November 1933, Page 10

A DOMINION BOARD

FOR FIRE BRIGADE CONTROL reorganisation of present SYSTEM SUGGESTED MR GIRLING-BUTCHER’S report (From “The Mail’s” Parliamentary Reporter). WELLINGTON, 29th November. A proposal for a far-reaching reorganisation in (he present system of lire brigade control, by the establishment of a Dominion Fire Board to lay down „encral lines of development and procedure. in place of the expensive multiplicity of independent small fire hoards, is referred to in the annual report of the, inspector of (ire brigades, Mr R. Girling-Butcher. The' Fire. Brigades Act at present requires that a Fire Board independent, of the municipality shall be set up in every fire, district. Half the fire boards at present existing have an annual expenditure of loss than .6600, and the administration expenses of these small boards (secretary’s salary, office expenses, etc.) form a considerable proportion of the cost, in some cases exceeding 20 per cent., states the report. The work of the insurance representatives on fire hoards lias been of undoubted value, particularly in the developmental stage, owing to their professional knowledge of and interest in fire brigade work, hut it will ho seen from the figures in this report that- this stage is now past, since about 85 per cent-, of the insurable property in the towns is protected by fire hoards already existing. Most of the country hoards hold at most four meetings a year, and the actual administration of (ire brigade affairs is mainly .left to the local members (municipal and Government representatives).

FOR EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY

It is suggested that the time has arrived when it would be in the interests of both efficiency and economy to form one Dominion Board to control the financial affairs of (lie fire service, and, except in the ease of the principal cities, or where the areas of more than one local authority are included in the five district, to hand hack to the local authorities the actual administration of the brigades. A detailed scheme to give effect to this proposal is at present under consideration, the report adds. LARGE AND SMALL A table included in the report gives detailed information under various headings as to the scope of the work done in the fifty-four fire districts in the Dominion. The authorised expenditure of the boards varies all the way from 1130,400 per annum (Auckland) down to £75 for one of the, small South Island boards. There are two boards whose expenditure is this year limited to £IOO, and quite a number with limits of £3OO and under, so that the activities of these small boards must be strictly limited.

The Wellington figure for the current year is £28,124. Christchurch £12,000 and Dunedin £11.7506 Twentyseven of the brigades were called out less than ten times during Hie past year: one brigade received no c-ali, and in four cases no fire loss was reported for the year. There are, of course, still many municipal fire brigades, 73, the, largest boroughs so protected being Devonport (Auckland)! with a population 10,400, and Lower Tlutt, 14,250, but the average population of these boroughs is quite small. SMALL BOROUGHS, BIG FIRES Small boroughs or fire districts do not unfortunately mean small fires. Greymouth. where Hie average yearly expenditure on fire protection is about £IOOO, had one big blaze that cost over £32,000. Eaiapoi. well under tin* £IOOO level of annual expenditure, saw nearly £26,000 of property go up in one. blaze, and YVhangarei where the average provision for fire protection is a little over £IOOO, had a few years ago a £36,500 lire. These are exceptional instances, but it is the unexpected that is disastrous in the tire brigade world None of the Dominion’s smaller towns can individually provide against such disastrous fires, and the proposal for a Dominion Board which might supervise the general development of fire protection methods is towards the achievement of maximum economy and efficiency. No details of the scheme are given in the report, hut it would appear that the proposal envisages a plan whereby brigade equipment could he largely standardised, with consequent economy in purchasing, brigndesmen in small centres could bo more fully trained by transfer to main centres, and. presumably, a, great part of the clerical work involved in the administration of many separate bodies handled and reduced by a central supervising board.