FIRE BRIGADES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 89, 5 October 1911, Page 4

FIRE BRIGADES

INSPECTOR'S ANNUAL REPORT,,. Tn his annual report on the fire brigades of the Dominion (of those planes which are under the jurisdiction of, lh'« boards) Inspector Hugo says there are installed throughout the (ire districts a, total number of thirty-six thermostat automatic lire alarms connected up to the fire stations. Several of these automatic systems had reached a high state of eUiciency. and had been the means of saving an enormous amount of valuable property as the result of giving brigades timely warning of an outbreak of lire. It was to be regretted that more of these safeguards were not installed in the large warehouses, department stores, etc. The total number of calls in the combined tire districts, viz., 71, showed an increase of 74 over those of the previous year; but this was entirely due to the large number of false alarms received by the Auckland and Christchureh brigades, and out of 217 false alarms received by these two brigades no fewer than !k> were maliciously given. There was a decrease in the number of actual (ires that occurred during tke year, viz., 3(ili as against 378 for the vear ending .dine 30, lfllO. 'Tor years'past," continues the inspector, "I*have pointed out the danger of fire caused by the wax match commonly in use. The striking immunity from fires for a long series of years in South Australia some time ago was attributed principally to the almost exclusive used in the State, during that, time, of the safety match; and Dr. von Schwartz, in his 'Fire and Explosion Risks,' states. 'Statistical reports show that in certain years 80 per cent, of the total outbreaks of fire were caused by matches, either dropped or trodden on, thrown down whilst still glowing, or used as playthings by children.'"