FIREMEN FOR A DAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 81, 29 December 1937, Page 6

FIREMEN FOR A DAY

Unwelcome Intruders at Hastings Outbreak "MORE HINDRANCE THAN HELP" An unusual sidelight of the fire in Heretaunga street on Monday ..afternoon was the action oJ two men, visitors to Hastings, who were responsible for upsetting, to some extent, the efficieney of the Hastings Fire Brigade, as the rcsult of their intrusion nto the activitics of the brigade. ^ It appears that, when the gftieral alarm was sounded, these men, quite ' unknown to the regular brigadesmen, rushed into the fire station, grabbed the nearest available uniforms and helmets, and proceeded to the scene of the fire. There they mingled with the firefighters, and, in the hustle and bustle that is natural at such a happening, the intrusion was not fully appreciated for some little time. No doubt the two men were imbued with good intentions of assisting the brigade, and realised that at this time of the yea ■ the brigade would be sliorthanded, but the facts of the matter are that tliey were a definite hindrance,and, until their removal, tended to upset the effic^""cy of the hrigaf r~th r than improve it. "I pulled the uniform off one of the men and ordered him out of the vicinlty," said Mr R. Henderson, superintenof the brigade, this morning, when commenting upon the intrusion of the two outsiders. Mr Henderson said he understood that both men had had some experience of fire-fighting in other parts of New Zealand, but one of the men was quite unkm, /n to him at all, though the other was known to be a member of one country brigade. "We have enough to do without having someone else to worry about. People who rush in and assist, or try to assist J j that, are more hindrance

than a hc'p," he said. "They do things which we do not expect them to do, and which our own men would not do because they have been trained to a particular system. "These mer, no doubt, had t..c very best intentions, but aetually they were in the way and put our men 0' t of their stride by getting v here they should not," he said. "Frankly we would rather not have any lielp at all. If we should want any assistance we easily obtain it by asking, as we have done on occasions, when it comes to eontrcilling the spectators, or keeping the leads of h.ose clear of obstructions. "It should not be overlookecl -tLr.t there is a distinct danger in having outsiders actively taking part in the fire-fighting," he pointed out. "They may injuie themselves or the brigadesmen."