FIRE INSPECTION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5479, 25 September 1929, Page 2

FIRE INSPECTION.

SCHOOL PERFORMS DRILL. VISITOR MUCH IMPRESSED. On Wednesday last a special fire drill turnout was performed at the Paeroa school for the benefit of a visiting.fire brigade officer, DeputySuperintendent H. Higgins, of Te Kuiti, who was desirous of witnessing the school fire prevention lessons in actual practice. The inspecting party consisted of the visitor, the headmaster, Mr G. H. Taylor, and Superintendent W. Moore, of the Paeroa Volunteer Fire Brigade. The alarm given, the children responded in lightning fashion to the call and were soon mustered in the grounds under their respective teachers, and stood smartly at attention while the roll was called to see that no children had been left behind in the building. Great credit is due to the staff on the excellent way the children performed their drill, and a noteworthy feature was the way the boys remained behind until they had seen all the girls clear of the building. The children then went through their fire drill.

Mr Higgins was greatly impressed by what he saw, and intimated that upon his return to Te Kuiti he would endeavour to have the lessons adopted in the schools there.

The foregoing goes further to prove how excellent the idea is of teaching fire lessons and drills in schools ; and how deplorable it is that private individuals have to take action in the matter, instead of the Government doing its duty to the populace by making the inclusion of these lessons in the school curriculum compulsory. To have all children trained as they are at the Paeroa school would eventually not only bring down the Dominion fire loss, but, infinitely more important, would lessen the number of deaths through fire. Deaths incurred by fires in crowded places are mostly due to panic and mad rush. Taught as children to remain cool and collected, these tragedies would not be so likely to occur in the next decade.