FIRE BRIGADE CONTROL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18942, 13 February 1925, Page 11

FIRE BRIGADE CONTROL.

NEW SYSTEM ADVOCATFA A METROPOLITAN fiGARD. COST OF FIRE PROTECTION, SCOPE FOR REORGANISATION, * Close on £25,000 a year ft spent in Auckland on fire-fighting. There are 14 separate brigades in the metropolitan area with 13 stations, One brigade only, with five stations, is under the control of the Auckland iire Board, All the others are controlled separately by the various municipal bodies concerned. This system of divided control is not regarded by many members of local bodies as an ideal onQ, It is r.ot pretended that it affords complex' efficiency. "Is it surprising,*' asks a representative administrator, " that there should be a demand for the establishment of a metropolitan fire board with an adequate subdivision of Greater Auckland into fire protection zones, each of these provided with modern equipment and a permanent staff of expert firemen ?" A little reflection on the question encourages the, reply that it is not summing at all. Indeed, in* quiry shows that there is no impressive opposition to tho advocacy of unified control of fire brigades and the general system of protection against destructive fire. Such objection as there is to the proposal o£ the One Tree Hill Road Board that tho Auckland Fire Board should have its present limited scope of control extended throughout tho metropolitan area is on finance. Those in opposition to the movement for reorganisation of tho existing system, which in some features is admittedly haphazard, contend the expenditure involved would becomo an intolerable burden upog the insurance companies and the smaller local bodies. This argument is dismissed by supporters of 'metropolitan fire brigada control, who assert that the first cost alone would be irksome, after which maintenance would be more economical than it is to-day, while Auckland as a whole would enjoy the protection of a uniform system of efficient fire-fighting. Notorious Fire Losses. There is no question about the necessity for securing the best possible methods of fire-prevention and fire-extinction, New Zealand is notorious for its fire losses and takes rank proportionately almost equally with the United States and Canada. Ths Dominion fire waste, calculated 011 tho basis of insured loss, which is conservative, is roughly 15s per head o'f the population per annum. The losses have increased steadily during the past six years, and aggregate over £4,000,000 for tho period. It is a great sum to vanish in smoke. "Do riot forget that Auckland is a combustible city," said aif experienced fire-Sghter. "The majority of residential properties are nothing more than frame* works for bonfires. Real fire-proof com. mercial buildings are few and far between. Building regulations are anything but drastic. A new college in brick and concrete was completed recently, but curiously enough the residential building was constructed of timber. One would have expected the reverse order of construction, if the use of timber could not be avoided. "There is a need of concerted action: for the reduction and prevention of firelosses, such action including more rigorous building regulations, and compulsory] installation of automatic alarms tlirough-J out the community. Greater Auckland is anything but well equipped for firofightir.g." What about water supply for fire cx« traction?. Ah ! that is a. tender sirrtr at. present," was tho reply. "You had better consult members of local bodies." Brigades snd Equipment. Of the 36 fire districts in New Zealand' the Auckland lire Board district leads in respect of equipment, personnel, and. doubtless, efficiency. The City Brigade operates five stations with a staff of 65 permanent and auxiliary firemen. Its stations are these: City central, Western district, _ Parnell, . _ Reniuera and Point Chevalier. Their equipment consists of! 11 engines. Some £41,000 has been in-, vested in stations and plant. The estimated cost of the brigade for this year, ending June 30, including interest on capital expenditure, is £IB.OOU. The latest available annual report of tho Fire Board shows that the contributions toward the brigade's upkeep were:— Auckland City Council, £8062; 41 insurance companies, £8063: Government. £200; special services, including Harbour Board, £3OO, and theatre proprietors for fire* protection, £I3OO, out of which £I2OO was paid m wages of firemen on theatre patrol. It" is of interest to note that the contra! brigade can turn out for service in tha New Zealand record time of 25 seconds from the sounding of an alarm. The speed of the motor engines on Auckland's concrete rojds may reach the rate of 45 miles an hour. Pedestrians are wise to keep out of the way of a fire engine. Tho cost of benzine and motor oils last year averaged exactly £5 a week. So far this year the brigade has had th«» busiest time on record, There has been an epidemic of small fires. Suburban Voluntary System. There are 11 suburban fire brigades in Greater Auckland. These are Devonport, Takapuna, Northcote, Mount Fden, Mount Albert, Newmarket, Green Lane. Ellerslie, Onehunga, Otahuhu, and Fapakura. In addition there is a brigade for the Newmarket Railway Workshops, and one at the Westfield Freezing Works, Together these employ 175 voluntary firemen. Two of the larger suburbs also employ one or two' permanent firemen. As a rule a voluntary fireman is paid 3s for attending a fire, and an additional 3s an hour over the first hour of attendance. Some of the volunteers attachod to suburban brigades also receive 2s an hour for each turn-out for practice. This, however, is said not to be a general rule. The total expenditure on these small stations is not available, but the chairman of the One Tree Hill Road Board, Mr. R. G. Clark, has asserted that "their upkeep is very costly." It appears to be heavy enough at least to promote tKe advocacy of a unified form of control under a metropolitan fire board. Practical administrators state that it would probably cost £30,000 to establish a zone system of fire protect ion for Greater Auckland, with properly-equipped stations and residential staffs at central points. Under such a system it is held that a higher standard of efficiency would be obtained at relatively less cos£ for maintenance. . That is the position, and it is for local bodies and insurance companies to consider whether the end would justify the means.