FIRE PROTECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22710, 24 October 1935, Page 15

FIRE PROTECTION

NEW MACHINE ON TRIAL EQUIPMENT OF LATEST TYPE The new fire engine recently purchased by the Dunedin Metropolitan Fire Board was given a trial yesterday in the presence of members of the board and the City Council and representatives of insurance companies. The machine, which is a product of the Ford works, reached Dunedin on Sunday. In appearance it differs in several respects from the type of machine with which the public has become familiar, and one of the changes that will be noted is that gleaming nickel replaces the brasswork which is a feature of the ordinary machine. The test which the machine was given yesterday in the yard of the Dunedin Fire Station consisted of pumping from a well through two lines of hose each 200 ft in length with a one-inch nozzle. About 30 seconds after th? engine was set in motion water was spurting from the nozzles, and the fire-fighting screen which was given was regarded as very effective. The pump was then connected with the water mains, and, working at a pressure of 1201 b, it considerably increased the efficiency of the streams. In purchasing the machine the board took specially into consideration the speed which it is able- to uttain on the hills. After the pumping demonstration yesterday it was given a trial in the hill suburbs, and it climbed York place at a speed of 22 miles an hour. Its maximum speed on the flat is said to be in the vicinity of 70 miles an hour. In its trial on the Anzac highway yesterday brigade officials were satisfied with 58 miles. The new motor will replace a small machine, fully equipped with pumping gear, which will be sent to Mosgiel. The Mosgiel Brigade is now under the control of the Metropolitan Fire Board, and the machine to be housed at the new Mosgiel station is very suitable for the flat country. The new machine is fitted with a 20gallon water tank and the latest firstaid outfit, while a 300 to 400-gallon capacity pump is also part of the equip • ment. A new type of body, known as "New World," is of such a design that the crew on board will sit knee to knee, their feet resting in a passageway running through the middle of the machine. This will provide the men with greater comfort and safety for travel The pump on the new machine is of the turbine design, is capable of building up to a very high pressure if required, and will also deliver water mi very low speeds to any practical height. It has a capacity of 400 gallons a minute at 1201 b pump pressure, and is so constructed that this discharge can be maintained over a long period of operation. The engine is of the eightcylinder V type, and is carried on three rubber supports, which completely insulate it from the frame, chus preventing the transmission of engine vibration to the frame. The body is sufficiently large to accommodate 14 men. The first-aid equipment works through the main pump when required, and the hose may be wound off the reel while the water is actually passing through itj and the water may be taken from the tank to the main pump, then through the first-aid hose. The Fire Board has on order a second machine of the same type. This machine will be delivered towards the end of the year, and will be stationed at South Dunedin. It will be used in the fire protection of the Anderson's Bay, St, Kilda, St. Clair, Mornington, and Green Island suburbs.