FIGHTING FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 10 February 1911, Page 3

FIGHTING FIRE.

' ~.'..■• '■:■'/,:. '.. ,*': ;'. -; ■. "" aCreport by superintendent .•:.■.;..::;:•■ r ■ .A comprehensive report upon the••; requirements .of - Greater-. Wellington, in regard to-more .adequate -protection from firo than.is possible under existing conditions;,has Jiecri ,presented to..the .Firo Brigade-.Committee :of the City Council by O'Brien. ',' • • . The fthroe'-inch water mains running through many, important- streets ;in congested* areas are condemned by tho superintendent as inadequate. Ho recommends that larger mains shall bo laid in a, number of .streets, particularly in Waring Taylor, Grey, Willeston, Harbour, Manners, Majoribanks, - Gkuzncc, Abel Smith;. Cuba, Frederick, Sydney, Brougham, Austin, and Elizabeth Streets', Talavera, and 1 Wellington, Terraces, and Wes-| ley irßoad. , ,-:,.-,.'. '~-,;• • ■.:: -..' -.'' -: • Four i years ago. tho' '■ question was considered of-putting.down cisterns, (to bo fed by salt, water) in various parts of the business 7 area. . Superintendent' O'Brien recommends that'tho proposal should bo revived, remarking that. these cisterns would bo invaluable in case of a large fire, allowing tho 6team firo engines to.bo n6arer .tho fire. ~ . '"" . Tho superintendent' recommends further that tho street fire.alarm" system .; should be gradually extended and that, in view of. the .rapid extension of 'Newtown,'' Island Bay,, and .Kilbirnie, a motor hose wagon of 21 h.p. bo purchased and placed at the Newtown station. , : This would afford better protection than •at present to Kilbirnie and Island Bay, / "/." ' ' ; / 'Tho present staff, Superintendent O'Brien'states, is'riot able to cope with tho work that has become necessary, owing to tho extension of tho brigade's area, such as , attend "n§ to electrical faults, testing, alarms in out-districts, and providing instructors to drill voluuteor firemen. On'occasions the stations have, been undermanned in order, to carry out necessary work, and he rccom- ' mends that six men be added to tho permanent staff, four to bo stationed at tho Central and one each at Newtown and Thorndon stations.' Tho difficulty of getting suitable men as auxiliary firemen at the city and Newtown stations is, he adds, very, great, trouble in obtaining . work causing them to bo continually on the move. Ho,docs not recommend that they should.be dispensed with, only that more permanent mcn.aro needed to allow for the'deficiency in the auxiliary staff, arid to enablo him to keep the apparatus with sufficient men to carry out tho work required. ■'''■■. < • The Kilbirnie Ratepayers' Association has mado application to'the committee for more modern methods than handdrawn apparatus for proceeding to fires, viz., n motor hoso wagon. In order to show what would bo required if this were provided, tho city engineer's department nas prepared plans for a building in brick « to be erected on tho sito of the nrcsent 6tation, at nn estimated cost of .£2500 (tho motor would cost anproximatcly .£750), to accommodate eight men, two permanent'(married),' and six auxiliaries (single). 'The tiro olarm svstem, tho superintendent states, should be extended to Maranui. and a call box erected there. In regard, to Island Bay, tho ' superintendent recommends that teleohone communication should bo established between the Newtown station and tho house of a volunteer fireman residing, closo to tho Island Bay station. There are two firebells in the district, one at the station and, the ,other 400 yards 'away. Tho bell nt;the station is. cracked, and the superintendent suggests that it should ho replaced .by tho other, as it-would bo too expensive .to'purcbaso a-new bell. Also, he recommends.that water bo laid on to the station.' '-,'.'. ' V ' The extension'of the-firo alarm system to tho Rosencath district, and tho* erection of two; call points- would bo a distinct advantage, ho states, enabling an early call to bo received. It would also bo necessary to have direct telephone communication to tho Central itation as at Island Bay.

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