EMERGENCY SERVICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 May 1942, Page 2

EMERGENCY SERVICES

9 FIRE BRIGADE AND HOME GUARD STABILISATION OF PERSONNEL. ACTION NOW BEING TAKEN. Matters affecting fire brigade and Home Guard personnel were discussed yesterday in Masterton by the Central District Regional Commissioner, Lieutenant-Colonel C. V. Cioehetto, the Dominion Fire Controller, Mr Girling Butcher, and the Wairarapa District Controller, Mr T. Jordan.

Consideration was given to the stabilisation of the Home Guard personnel and to the transfer from that unit of dairy farmers who were required on their farms, and their replacement by men recently enrolled under the compulsory enrolment provisions relating to the Home Guard. The officer commanding the Masterton Battalion of the Home Guard, Major A. L. Hibbs, has been asked to fix the personnel of the Home Guard at the earliest possible date and the secretary of the Manpower Committee, Mr G. F. Whitlock, is at present engaged in classifying Home Guard enrolments into fire classes. The position of the Independent Mounted Rifles was also dealt with and steps are being taken to improve the situation in respect to that body. Mr Girling Butcher emphasised the need for the fire brigade to be up to strength or even at over-strength, as in the case of an emergency, it might be necessary-for firemen from the Wairarapa to proceed to Wellington to supplement the fire-fighting forces there. In that event it was essential that the other auxiliary fire fighting services should be able to take over fire-fight-ing duties in the Wairarapa and these units too, should be maintained at full ■ strength. Representations were made to Mr Butcher that auxiliary firemen should be placed on the same footing as permanent brigadesmen and be classified as belonging to an essential industry. -He ’ agreed that something should be done in that direction. He also indicated that further equipment, including another trailer pump and hose, would be coming to Masterton in the near future.