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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1974.
THE REPORT DESCRIBES THE TWO-YEAR PERIOD AS +AN EXCEPTIONALLY BUSY ONE+ WITH A TOTAL OF 222,968 FIRE, SPECIAL SERVICE AND AMBULANCE CALLS BEING ANSWERED. THIS FIGURE IS 20 PER CENT MORE THAN THAT FOR THE PREVIOUS TWO-YEAR PERIOD..
ON FACTORY FIRES, THE REPORT REVEALS THAT LOSSES AMOUNTED TO $75.9 MILLION FROM 880 FIRES. +THIS MEANS+, IT STATES, +THAT 80 PER CENT OF THE MONETARY LOSS FROM FIRE IN 1972/74 RESULTED FROM ONLY SIX PER CENT OF THE FIRES+.
THE REPORT GOES ON: +FACTORY MANAGEMENTS ARE CONSTANTLY BEING URGED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO FIRE PREVENTION, ACCORDING IT AT LEAST THE SAME PRIORITY THEY GIVE TO PREVENTING BURGLARY, FROM WHICH THEIR LOSSES ARE LIKELY TO BE ALMOST INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED WITH LOSSES THEY WOULD SUFFER SHOULD THEIR FACTORY BE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED BY FIRE. THIS IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES BE DOWNGRADED, BUT THAT STEPS TO REDUCE THE FIRE RISK BE UPGRADED+.
THREE FACTORY FIRES ALONE COST $41 MILLION, OR 40 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LOSSES, AND THE REPORT DESCRIBES THIS AS +PERHAPS A REFLECTION OF THE INADEQUACY OF FIRE PRECAUTIONS IN MANY MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ENTERPRISES+.
OTHER POINTS FROM THE REPORT:
*
A TOTAL OF 859 PEOPLE WERE RESCUED FROM FIRE.
*
THE NUMBER OF AMBULANCE CALLS ANSWERED WAS 19 PER CENT UP ON THE PREV JOUS TWO-YEAR PERIOD.
*
THE NUMBER OF FIRE STATIONS INCREASED TO 37.
*
THERE WERE 2,854 FALSE ALARM CALLS.
* 4.731 FIRES WERE CAUSED BY CIGARETTE ENDS.
* 2.985 FIRES WERE CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL FAULTS.
*
THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU DEALT WITH ALMOST 151,000 COMPLAINTS ABOUT MEANS OF ESCAPE.
*
TWO FIREMEN WERE KILLED AND 110 INJURED.
*
THE TOTAL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT IS 3.789 INCLUDING CIVILIANS.
*
THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS 437 APPLIANCES AND VEHICLES AND MORE THAN 95 MILES OF HOSE.
*
THE BUDGET FOR THE TWO-YEAR PERIOD WAS $102,384,400.00.
* A TOTAL OF 48 OFFICERS RECEIVED AWARDS DURING THE PERIOD.
TWO OFFICERS WERE AWARDED THE GEORGE MEDAL.
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