Stop The Home Fires Burning

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 72, 23 July 1948, Page 5

Stop The Home Fires Burning

FIRE PREVENTION TALK TO ROTARY Fire prevention first came into vogue in America and had grown to such prominence that it was now a universal study for firemen and officers, said Mr J. Crceke in an address to the Whakatane Rotary Club on Tuesday night. In viewing fire records he said it was found that 80 per cent Of fires were in private homes and thus they could be credited to carelessness on the part of the occupants. There was generally public ignorance on matters of fire and prevention and the task of making people realise the dangers was a very difficult one. It was the general indifference to, the dangers of fire that puts the figure so high. In later years the work of fire prevention in the larger centres and business areas had advanced satisfactorily, he went on, and a number of Acts were in force to ensure that certain limits of safety in working premises were observed by the owners.

' This, however, was not always the case and fire officers met with a deal of opposition to their schemes when fire prevention was first mooted in this country. From firemens’ experience in prevention campaigning it had been found that the most difficult section of the community on which to impress the danger was the adult section, which was, when all was considered, the responsible portion. In campaigns teaching the methods of prevention to school children a great deal of progress had been made.

Public apathy to the fire danger was disastrous, as the figures of fire losses showed. As this was due to the carelessness of the public, a hard thing to combat, the task has been difficult. Therefore, the first idea of fire prevention publicity yas to make the public realise the dangers, and determine to make a change for the good, Mr Creeke concluded.