FALSE FIRE ALARMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 229, 28 September 1933, Page 7

FALSE FIRE ALARMS

SIX IN ONE NIGHT. DISCUSSION IN WELLINGTON. Members of the Wellington fire brigades and of the Fire Board have become very tired of malicious false alarms. Besides again seeking the cooperation of the police they ask that the public should give the fullest assistance in putting an end to the dangerous and stupid practice. There is an offer of £5 to anyone who gives information leading to the conviction of any person giving a malicious alarm. Every call means an emergency run and a certain amount of risk— and also the reduction of brigade efficiency through men being called out at ail hours. On one night lately there were no fewer than six malicious false alarms. The report made by the superintendent. Mr. U. Woolley, to the last meeting of the Fire Board showed that as far as fires were concerned the position so far this year continues to be very satisfactory, for whereas for the first live months of last financial year there were 186 outbreaks, so far this year there have been only 124, of which 28 occurred last month, Not so in the case of false alarms. There was a decrease —25 as compared with 56 in justifiable false alarms, honest mistakes, but in the five months the number of malicious alarms was 71 as against 40, and 26 of these were made last month. Mr. W. H. Bennett remarked that tho false alarm trouble had become altogether too serious. The men got no rest at all. The chairman, Mr. N. W. Nelson, said that the public generally would recognise the meanness of the whole business and would give the board and police every assistance in catching the offenders. The Auckland board had also had a similar bad run. False alarms were anything but a fair deal to the men.