FIRE PREVENTION.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 April 1926, Page 1

FIRE PREVENTION.

AUCKLAND PROPOSAL. NEED FOR EDUCATION. AUCKLAND, April 5. “Fully 90 per cent- of the fires which occur in New Zealand are directly due to carelessness, or, in other words, to causes that could be removed if the general public gave a thought to the prevention of the heavy fire loss imposed upon the Dominion each year.” This is tho considered opinion of .Superintendent W. L. Wilson, of the Auckland Fire Brigade, under the Auckland Fire Board. In discussing litis vital question, Superintendent Wilson made every allowance for the fact that New Zealand is largely a country of wooden buildings. in which the fire hazard is great, hilt this did not alter his view that fires were occurring much too frequently.

'l'lic seriousness of the position in Now Zealand was emphasised by Captain T. Hugo. Inspector of Fire Brigades, in liis recent address before the annual fire brigades’ conference in Dunedin. Captain Hugo added that the majority of these outbreaks in New Zealand could easily he prevented. Alany were due to sheer carelessness, and, but for file general efficiency of the brigades, the loss would he very much greater, even disastrous. In his opinion, the most esential factor in the reduction of the tiafional lire loss was better and more general education of school children, the public generally, and fire officers In particular, in the knowledge of fire prevention. SIMPLE CAUSES. These views found ready acceptance by Superintendent Wilson, who quoted from his records many fires arising from simple and easily removable causes, and showed that tin- organisation headed by him was d® ng much to reduce the fire, risk in the city.

For over a year now. Superintendent Wilson lias had a lire prevention officer making a systematic round oi visits to building- in the City, advising owners or occupiers of their fire risk and the advantages of having lire lighting equipment, on the premises, it is hoped in this way to awaken an active interest, in the question of tire prevention. The special officer, not only keeps a close eye upon establishments where tiro might result in heavy damage and possible loss ot lite. hut by agreement with the owners, takes over tills? internal fire equipment, stu-li a.s hydrants and hose and chemical extinguishers. Air Wilson said that in many cases hose and equipment were in bad shape, and many of the extinguishers were useless. Tito extinguishers wort- recharged and kept ill order, ready for immediate use, but it was not- always possible to get Lbe occupiers of buildings to see that it was in their interest to replace the leaky and sometimes rotten hose. 11l one case, a local syndicate owning two large buildings in the city had hydrants and ilmse fitted on each floor of both buildings, hut when the lire prevention officer made li is inspection, it was found that the hose was somewhat old, and tlie owners were advised to have it: replaced. They were, however, of the opinion that the plant was still serviceable, and the matter was h-lt at 1 lint. Later, a tire occurred in one ol these buildings, and when the firemen attempted to use l lie equipment in the building, the hose hurst in numerous places, and the brigade’s own lios*- had to he laid on from the street, the first few minutes, so vital to the eliceEing of a fire, thus being lost. The syndicate then lost no time in having the equipment in the other building made good. Wilb.in it, very short time, a fire fiend started a lire in thi- second building, and by the use of the host- located close to the seat of the fire., the brigade was able to eheeJ: a blaze that would have developed into a. serious lire had it not been caught lit its ettrlv stages. DUTY OF OWNERS.

“We have never allowed a fire in tile business section to get beyond the building of origin.” said Mr AYilson, “and if can he taken as tt general rule that where such premises have been badly damaged, time has elapsed before we got the call. This tilings out the fact that not enough of the business establishments, are equipped with automatic lire- alarms, and if a fire starts during the night, as is very often the ease, the lire hits a good hold before we hear about it. It the business people are serious in their endeavour to prevent ioss by lire, why do they not make more-use ol these alarms and so give the brigade a

reasonable chance of getting to the scene in the early stages ol the lire-'"

Emphasis is laid on the need tor some inesaim- of lire prevention b,v the tire losses in Auckland last year. Up to dune of last year, the end of the I-ire Board's year, the Auckland Brigade received 305 calls, of which 192 worn actual tires, and the actual loss for the year was C'B3,<iß. one fire alone accounting tor £50.099. In the previous year the loss amounted to £39.935.