FALSE FIRE ALARMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22010, 17 January 1935, Page 6

FALSE FIRE ALARMS

"FOOLS" IN MELBOURNE OVER 1500 CASES LAST YEAR Stupid practical jokes, or a malicious desire to cause inconvenience., were responsible for 1579 false alarms received by the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade last year. A report by .the chief officer of the brigade, Mr. J. T. Wilkins, states that the number of false alarms answered by the brigade was 2215. Of these 636 were made in the honest belief that a fire bad occurred, but there was no excuse for the remainder. The efficient system of alarms in the city and suburbs provided a strong temptation to fools to call the brigade oa bogus errands. "Because better provision has been made in Melbourne for alarms than in any other city approximating the ske of this city," said Mr. Wilkins, "we have to cope with a large number of false calls. Melbourne in this respect is the happy hunting-ground of fools and vandals. If the education authorities would teach children that a false fire alarm is a crime against the community firemen would not have to risk their lives unnecessarily, nor would the safety of property be at stake while equipment is being used to search for fires which do not exist." '(M*

Of the 1935 fires which the brigades attended, 1003 caused damage estimated at less than £3O; 499 caused damage estimated at less than £IOOO ; 482 caused damage exceeding £1000; and two damage exceeding £IO,OOO. The fire at a furniture warehouse at South Melbourne, on September 29, when the damage was estimated at £60,000, was the most serious of the year.