BETTER FIRE SERVICES

Chronicle (Levin), 1 July 1948, Page 9

BETTER FIRE SERVICES

Press Association) ,

^ Lessons Learned From Fire At Ballantpe's

(Per

' CHRISTCHURCH, June 30. Suggestions i'or "rauch needed improvement" of New Zealand's fire services, were made by Mr. G. G. G. Watson, for'the Crown, in his final sudmissions to the Royal Commission inquiring into Ballantyne's fire on November. 18. \ Diseussing tlie "standai'd egfess and building codes, he said it seemed that the adoption of the codes should- be made mandatory on all local authori ties. It would be wise to have the advice of a first-class cxpert from overseas on a national trainiug school for firemen and other improvexnents, Miv Watson suggested. A national couneil to Coordinate fire .services should be set up, there should be adequate inspections and the coum-.il should have power to compel obedieuce to ,its requisitions. It should be mandatory on the council to establisli a national trainiug school for initial trainiug aua refresher courses. ^Fire-rfighting is an art which - has a theoretical as well as practical side," he said. " "Progress in that art can only be. learned in a proper training school .with ain adequate curriculum and competent insttuctors. ' ' Mr. Watson said the present method p£; in'sp'ection was totally inadequate and unsuitable. It appeared that the •pre'Sent Inspector of Fire Brigades lia«i been. fqi-ced into the inipossible position ,of being responsible for brigadqs fhroughout New Zealand without having been given a staff to do the work •and . without liaving the authority to see that his requisitions were carried out. Re was also uuder a grave liandl-t-ap in not liaving been a practical firelighter. "I suggest it has been a cheese paring policy of trying to combine in one ofiicer, adrainistrative functions as well as the qualificatidns and duties of practical fire-fighters." Diseussing the control of fire brigades, Mr. Watson said municipal control had advantages and disadvantages." If fire services were to continuc to be financed in half by insurancc companies, the companies should have represeutation. Their payinent, however, was only a contribution paid by policy holders. Theoretically there was a great deal to be urged in favour of the fire-fighting service being coutrolled by a central Government departinent. To the chairman, Sir Harold Johnston, Mr. Watson said he thought nationalisation of the fire services would be the best form of control if it were practicable. Mr. W. Croskery, a member of the Commission: Where does it become Lmpracticahle? Mr. Watson: The opposition that 1 would be met from every local authority in New Zealand. The Commission might as well consider the desirabilitv of recommending the immediate establishment of a supcrannuation achenie for all firemen and officers, he continued. Such a schem'i might be expected to niake the fire brigade service more attractive to men of a better stainp. Attention must «iso be given to separating clerical and administrative duties from fire-fighting ; duties. "The task of iuspection thrown on (ire lirigades in the larger areas, is no meait task and we have secn how they are not dischargcd in Christchurch where the excuse is laek of stafi:. Might it not be better to attach to each inetropolitan brigade an individual with a souiid knowledge of building and engineering, so far as they impinge on fire protection and fire precautions1? Such an inspector could give lectures to brigades on the buildings he considered particular fire risks," added Mr. Watson. He also submitted that there must oe Home standardisation of equipment and that firemen should be trained to deal with electric power mains and be equipped for that purpose, and that tliere Bhopld be an easy standai'd way of distinguishing firemen from officers. Egress Code. Mr. Watson said a standard egress code which had been adopted by some 52 municipalities. made adequate provision for a new building. He hoped to show that the code, properly admiuistered, could be made the key to the solution of the problem of existing building. There had been critieism that the onus of compljdng with the code should rest 011 the building owner or architect instead of the local authority, but it was not prepared to ask for a change of onus. If a local authority were to be charged with the dutv of administering- the code as a whole, lie submitted, it should also have the responsibilitv of enforcing and policing the code. He agreed that there was room for.an amendment of clause 704 of the code to strengthen it and'to vemove'the possibilitv of a legal controversy on the power of the local authority engineoT. It should be put beyond doubt that an engineer could order something other than means of egress to protect premises from fire. He wanred to see it put beyond doubt that an engineer could order the installation of a sprinkler system or the closing of an opening or anything he might consider neeessary. There shoqld also be an amendment to allow wider powers of appeal. ' ' The time has come and events have shown, that it is neeessary to make the adoption of at least a standard egress code if not the whole standard building code, mandatory on local authorities," Mr. Watson said. "The very fact that one of the leading municipalities, the Christchurch- City Council, has dilly-dallied with this matter for some years, indicates that it should ba obligatory on local bodies tb adopt the codA"