FIRE FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1941, Page 6

FIRE FIGHTING

MEN URGENTLY WANTED IN MASTERTON EMERGENCY & AUXILIARY SERVICES. POOR RESPONSE SO FAR. Men are urgently required for both ordinary and emergency fire fighting work in Masterton. The Superintendent of the Masterton Brigade, Mr T. B. Clark, stated this morning that he had recently attended a conference in Wellington, called by the Minister of National Service, with a view to securing co-ordination between the Emergency Fire Service and the permanent fire fighting services of the Dominion. Superintendents throughout New Zealand had been asked to take action on those lines. Mr Clark said the position in Masterton was far from satisfactory. It had not yet been possible to establish a unit of the Emergency Fire Service in Masterton, on account of insufficient men offering their services. He pointed out that men joining this service were paid for all parades-attend-ed and were provided with uniforms. He would be pleased to supply particulars to those interested. Referring to the E.P.S. fire unit’, he said that men were still required for this voluntary service, regarding which particulars could be given either by the Town Clerk, Mr G. T. O’Hara Smith, or by the superintendent himself. The position relating to the auxiliary staff attached to the permanent brigade, he said, was very serious. At present the brigade was seven men short of itc requirements on the residential staff, owing to men having taken up military duties overseas. The superintendent invited young men of 174 years of age and upwards and other single men who were not eligible for military service, but who possessed a reasonable standard of fitness to join the auxiliary residential staff. These men, he said, were paid a retainer of £5 per year and uniforms were provided, while station duty which was on alternate nights, was paid for at the rate of 2s per night; the payment for fires was 2s 6d per hour or part thereof, and those required for theatre, duty received 3s per performance. In addition, a room and bedding were provided for each man. Mr. Clark said he would like to see some men come forward and assist in this work.