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Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 107, 30 January 1943, Page 4

Because of the improvement in the South Pacific war situation it was considered that, at this stage, it would not’be necessary or desirable to give full effect to the recommendations outlined in the report of the LomTon expert, Mr. A. D. YVilson, said the Director of National Service, Mr. J. S. Hunter, when commenting on tlie reorganization of the Dominion fire brigade services in a letter to the New Zealand Fire Boards Association, which was read at yesterday's meeting of the YVellington Fire Board. It was appreciated by the Minister, Mr. Hunter added, Unit it was not possible to improvise an effective fire-fighting service at short notice, and it would therefore be necessary to continue with the training of the fire-fighting personnel, ami the setting up of a technical organization on the lines recommended by Mr. YVilson. It was proposed that this should be done in two stages, the first (to operate during the existing period of limited danger of attack) to consist of the continued training of a combined service of the numerical strength recommended by Dlr. YVilson, but modified in personnel as far as practicable to permit of the release to the Army of grade 1 men. The second stage would be a development on the lines of Mr. Wilson’s technical recommendations. ... The proposed limited application ot the technical recommendations would involve consideration by the expert fire brigade officers, continued the letter, for which reason it was desired that the varying conditions in each centre should be considered by the District Fire Controllers (who were the senior brigade officers in the area). Details of the information required were to be communicated 1 to the district controllers by the Dominion Fire Controller, who was writing to the officers concerned. As the result, of this correspondence, which has a Ministerial backing, tlie senior brigade officer in each military district becomes the district fire controller. whose duties consist of visiting the various sub-centres to inspect the equipment and personnel of each brigade, and to see that it is brought up to the required standard. . It was understood that the seipor fire brigade officers who carry out the duties of district fire controllers were to he remunerated for the extra work entailed —£so a year each for the district controllers of the Auckland. Wellington and Canterbury districts and £3O ior the Otago controller.