HIGHER FIRE LOSS

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21525, 13 September 1941, Page 9

HIGHER FIRE LOSS

OUTBREAKS IN DOMINION MALICIOUS FALSE ALARMS WELLINGTON, Friday “The loss by fire in New Zealand In 1940 was £772,692, an increase ol £62,079 on the losses for 1939,” says the report on the fire brigades of the Dominion for the year ended March 31 last, which was presented in the House of Representatives today. “The increase is probably due in the main tc the higher value of both buildings and contents involved in fires.” The losses in large fires over £SOOC still seem to be the determining factor in the Dominion’s annual fire lcftses, the report states. It is evident that the cycle of large fires mentioned in the previous year’s report is continuing. Owing to the war it has not been possible to obtain much of the statistical information on which previous reports were based. Fires during the year were responfible for 19 deaths and 14 cases of serioi*. injury. A total of 15 people were killed by being trapped in burning buildings, one by clothing catching alight and two by ignition of petrol used for home dry-clean-ing. One man was knocked down and killed by a fire-engine responding to a malicious false alarm. Warped Mental Outlook “It is doubtful whether any appeal to the persons with the warped mental outlook which results in the giving of these false alarms would be successful,” the report adds. “The only effective deterrent would appear to be the imposition of a heavy penalty on detection, and the fact that one of these false alarms resulted in the death of an unfortunate bystander may cause the Courts to view the offence in a more serious light.”* The report states that it has been necessary to discontinue almost entirely ordinary inspection work and to concentrate on the preparation of an emergency fire-fighting organisation. Arrangements were made for an emergency fire service of 2100 men in the cities and larger towns. Most of the equipment is being made In New Zealand.