FIRE FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 August 1943, Page 2

FIRE FIGHTING

NATIONAL COUNCIL SET UP MR T. JORDAN AMEMBER. SOME CHANGES IN POLICY IN PROSPECT. A National Fire Council has been established to advise the Government as to the emergency fire protection requirements of the country. The Government has accepted the recommendations of the council and these are now being adopted as Government policy ■for the future development of the emergency organisation. The council includes two representatives each of the insurance interests, local authorities and fire service .organisations. The personnel consists of the Minister of Civil Defence, Mr D. Wilson, as chairman; the Director of National Service, Mr J. S. Hunter, as deputy chairman; three representatives of the Fire Boards’ Association, of whom at least one is required to be a local authority member, Messrs W. W. Callander (Dunedin), S. S. Dean (Wellington), W. H. Hall (Timaru), the latter being a local authority member; one representative of the Municipal Association, Mr T. Jordan (Masterton); two representatives of the Fire Service organisations, Captain T. J. Watts (representing the United Fire Brigades’ Association) and Mr L. Glover (representing the Federation of Fire Brigade Unions and the Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents’ Union).

LOCAL BODIES’ ROLE. Commenting on the setting up of this organisation, Mr Jordan said that ultimately, it was expected that the fire boards would disappear and the control of fire fighting services would revert to the local bodies. An agreement in-this direction was reached before the outbreak of war between the local bodies and the fire underwriters. Mr Jordan pointed out that there were over 100 voluntary fire brigades in New Zealand, for which all the money was found by the local bodies concerned, without any assistance from insurance interests or the Government. The object in view was to obtain uniformity in fire fighting organisation and services throughout New Zealand. All estimates for expenditure for fire fighting would need to have the approval of the National Fire Council. An important task facing the council was the standardisation of equipment and training, so that brigades would be in a position to render assistance, if necessary, to neighbouring towns. POST WAR DEVELOPMENTS. In a statement covering the reorganisation, the Minister of Civil Defence, Mr Wilson, states that it is proposed to organise the emergency service under the direction of the foul- principal city superintendents with more extended powers than those hitherto held. Provision is also made for the appointment of a Dominion fire officer whose principal duties will be the inspection and instruction of the fire brigades and the preparation of reports on technical matters for the Fire Council. Now that the National Fire Council has taken over the responsibility of advising the Government on fire service matters, Mr Girling-Butcher, formerly Dominion Fire Controller, is to be retained as Controller of the Fire Service Division of Civil Defence. The setting up of the National Fire Council is purely a wartime emergency provision but it has not been done without some regard to the probable post-war developments, Mr Wilson states. The council as now constituted is on the lines of the central authority which was proposed on draft legislation in preparation when war broke out in 1939. This draft legislation had been approved in principle both by the Municipal Association and the insurance interests. It is hoped that the operation of the wartime council will, in conjunction with the advances in equipment and the technique which the war has brought about, facilitate the change-over to an effective post-war organisation.