FIRES AND FIREMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19733, 30 December 1926, Page 6

FIRES AND FIREMEN

A YEAR’S STATISTICS AVERAGE OF ELEVEN CALLS A MONTH EFFICIENT SERVICE AND LOW LOSSES The Wanganui Central Fire Brigade was not strenuously engaged during the twelve months which ended on December 26. The brigade turned out 136 times during the year and out of that number the men were called upon to show their skill in fire-fighting at 57 actual blazes. Grass fires engaged attention 37 times, chimney fires on 10 occasions and rubbish fires six times. The brigade was lucky during the year in the fact that the false alarm fiend was not operating extensively. Nineteen justified false alarms were revived and five malicious false alarms Twice the brigade turned out for fires which proved to be out of its district. Out of the total, 57 calls were recorded from street alarms, 68 were received by telephone and evelen came by messenger. March was the big fire month of the year, 19 calls being received. Sixteen calls were received in January, 14 in November, 13 in Al ay and December, 12 in April and July, 9 in September, 8 in August, 7 in October and June and 6 in February. Tuesday is apparently the popular day for fires, as on that day 30 fires engaged the attention of the brigade throughout the yelir. Afondays were responsible for 21 calls, Wednesdays 18, Thursdays 18, Fridays 16, Saturdays 20 and Sundays 20. Insurances on risks damaged by fire amounted to £78,840, comprising buildings £44,530 and contents £34,310. The values of buildings affected was £69,985 while contents were valued at £51,495 making a grand total of £121,480. The actual losses on insured buildings amounted to £3,322 while contents lost accounted for £1735. Un insured loss amounted to £45 on build ings and £240 on contents.