LEVIN FIRE BOARD

Chronicle (Levin), 27 September 1946, Page 4

LEVIN FIRE BOARD

MEMBERS DISCUSS SERVICE TO LEVIN FARM QUARTERLY MEETING HELD The' quarterly meeting of the \ Levin Fire Board was neld last , evemng, and was attenae'd by - Messrs. F. E. Parker (chairman), F. i jjesmond, A. H. Cierke, E. Hayes, J. ( C. Miines and F. P. Waikiey uecre- ; oary; . i irrior to the meeting the board made an inspection oi the brigaae, ihe members of which were on parade "lor the occasion. Mr. L. C. Procter, offlcer-in-charge at the Levin Farm, Kimberley Road, wrote expressing appreciaoion of the work done oy Mr. E. Mclntyre, a member of the brigude, m dealing with a fire which vvas smouldering in one of • the viiias at the institution recently. Tnis letter was read with gratifica-

Jon. The chairman advised that the brigacle clesired a fairiy powerlui hand lamp for carrying when cntering a burning ouiidmg wnere neavy smoke or steam was eiicountered, and the secretary haa written to the Coloniai Motor Company, asking for details of the xamps which had been supplied to Are fighting units of the military lorces. In repiy to this a letter was received from the company, intimating that. a considerable number oi. these lamps had been received and clisposed of, and stocks were now depieted. However, as soon as further stocks were received the ooard would be advised. It was left .o Mr. Desmond to prosecute f uruher inquiries in Wellington, it oeing felt that a lamp of tnis type was necessary. A circular letter was received i'rom. the New Zealand Fire Boaras Association, pointing" out its excess of expenditure over revenue and stating that at its annuai meeting it had been decided to request boards to agree to an increase of 50 per cent. in the annual levy. The board's increase would be from £1 ls to £1 11s 6d yeariy. The board agreed to the xise, the chairman commenting that the levies were far too small and the increase was justified. Payment of accounts totalling £230 16s was eonfirmed, while accounts amounting to £102 5s 7a were passed for payment. Service to Levin Farm The oliicer-in-cnarge at the Levin Farm (Mr. L. C. Procter) wrooe in reference to the temporary arrangement made with the board iast year whereby the brigade would attend flres at the inscituaon, and stated that the Public Works Department had advised that a permanent agreement should be entered mto between tne ooard ■ and Mental Hospitals Department; not the Public Works Department. The communication enquired whether the board, in view of the advice from the Public Works Department, was able and wiliing to continue the existing arrangement. The superintendent reported on a recent visit he had made to . the institution. He said the equipment now available there for fire fighting consisted of flve 75-foot lengths of hose, a holder, three brancnes and one set of adaptors, all of which were stored in the institution's fire shed. A quantity of fire pump buckets were locked in another shed, and were not being used because they belonged to the Public Works Department. Mr. Salmons added that he had suggested that these buckets should te filled and placed throughout the buildings until the institution received its own allocation, as they could be the means of quelling an outbreak discovered in its early stages. In reply to a question, Mr. Salmons said he did not think, with uhe small number at present staffing the institution, that the brigade in the event of a fire could txpect any assistance in its early stages. The staff would be fully occupied with the inmates. The chairman said the report did not disclose a very satisfactory position. It was the department's job to ensure that the facilities for uealing with a fire were providecl at the institution, because the brigade should not be tied to an mcompetent service at that end. At least 500 feet of hose was necessary, and a small first aid fire fighting group should be formed ihere and the members of it trained. An actual test had shown that it took the brigade ten minutes to travel from the station to the farm and get water on. After discussion it was resolved that, the board acknowledge the

letter, stating that it was prepared to confer with the Mental Hospitals Department in regard to the provision of equipment and the attendance of the brigade at any fire which might occur, with a view to ensuring an efficient service. A further letter was from the Department of Internal Affairs intimating in reply to the board's request that no fire tender was at present available which could be allocated to Levin. The chairman pointed out that this was required solely for the Levin Farm. Superintendent's Report The superintendent (Mr. W. S. Salmons) gave the following report: "During the quarter the meetings and practices Jiave been well attended, and everything is going along very satisfactorily. We have had three practices and three meetings, one fire and one chimney fire subdued without a call. "The engine has had to receive some attention owing to condensation causing water to settle into the oil. It has been suggested that the engine be taken for a run round the borough boundary once a week. We have now received 1000 feet of used and patched hose from the Government allocation; it has not

yet been tested and it seems to be only second grade hose. I have paid a visit to the Levin Farm, and nave got the adaptors for both the rour-inch and two and a-han-inch hose. This will enable us to go straight to work in the event of any call coming for our attention, and they will be kept on the engine. All the equipment and gear is in good running order." - The report was adopted, the trouble with the engine being referred to Mr. Miines and the superintendent to further investigate.