LOSSES BY FIRE

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 5

LOSSES BY FIRE

WASTE IN THE DOMINION HALF EASILY PREVENTABLE. “To illustrate the huge and steadily increasing loss of property that vanishes in smoke every year,” says the annual report on the Fire Brigades of New Zealand, “the insured losses for 1918 were £462,540, but in 1923 it had risen steadily to £831,373. The Dominion fire waste for 1924 is estimated at £997,648, or 15/8 per capita of the population. Quite 50 per cent, of the outbreaks of fire are easily preventable, mostly caused by sheer carelessness; and, as pointed out and advocated for years past, the remedy is education. “The United States of America and the Dominion of Canada, whose fire waste is somewhat on a par with that of Now Zealand, have realised the necessity for a National movement towards the reduction of their huge loss, and this has resulted in very practical action being taken. Fireprevention methods are now regularly taught in their schools and colleges; fire prevention weeks have been established by proclamation; special colleges have been founded, and are in operation, for the education of fire brigade officers in more efficient methods of fire-prevention and fireextinction, etc. “Any material reduction of the present heavy drain on the resources of this Dominion can be brought about only by a general movement to that end—spasmodic action will not attain the desired result. Concerted action, following as closely as possible the methods outlined above, together with compulsory installation of automatic alarms or sprinklers in large warehouses, stores, emporiums, etc., over a certain cubic capacity, is the only really effective remedy. DEALING WITH FALSE ALARMISTS. “Malicious false alarms of fire are on the increase; the returns show a total of 132 alarms under that heading. In May last one such alarm resulted in the death of a fire brigade officer—not the first death from a similar offence—and in more ar fess severe injuries to several brigademen. Applications have been made to have the Act amended in the direction of providing heavier penalties for this class of offence. Hitherto, the very serious nature of the offence, with ite always present liability to fatal and other consequences, including ex,penne, does not seem to have been realised, and, with few exceptions, the penalties inflicted upon conviction have been of a trivial nature, generally fines ranging from HV'- to tS; whereas if heavier penalties, as allowed by the Act, were inflicted, it would certainly have a markedly deterrent effect.”