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SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1976
RECORD NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS BY FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
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THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS CHALKED UP A NEW RECORD BY CARRYING OUT OVER 23,310 INSPECTIONS, RE-INSPECTIONS AND FOLLOW-UP VISITS ON BOTH DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS IN MARCH. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 20,745 ACHIEVED IN MAY 1974.
AS IN THE PAST, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS RELATED TO MEANS OF ESCAPE, TOTALLING 13,242. OF THESE, 12,229 WERE IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. A FURTHER 2,050 GENERAL COMPLAINTS WERE ALSO LOOKED INTO.
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THERE WAS A 50 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL PREMISES INSPECTED DURING MARCH 4,712 COMPARED WITH 2,288 IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH.
THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS ON BUILDING VENTILATION SYSTEMS ALSO ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY FROM 568 IN FEBRUARY TO 883 IN MARCH,
A FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE BUREAU HAD RECEIVED MORE INQUIRIES ABOUT AIR CONDITIONING INSTALLATIONS FOLLOWING THE ARRIVAL OF WARMER WEATHER.
A TOTAL OF 369 INSPECTIONS OF FIRE SERVICES INSTALLATIONS WERE CONDUCTED, OF WHICH 220 WERE IN RESPECT OF PRIVATE BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRIES AND THE REMAINDER OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AND QUARTERS.
OTHER INSPECTIONS INCLUDED STORAGE OR MANUFACTURE OF DANGEROUS GOODS (776), RESTAURANTS AND NIGHTCLUBS (329), SCHOOLS (294) AND PLACES OF PUBLIC ASSEMBLY (134).
DURING THE MONTH, 264 VEHICLES USED FOR CONVEYING COMPRESSED GASES AND INFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS WERE EXAMINED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ANNUAL LICENSING SCHEME. IN ORDER TO GIVE OPERATORS OF SUCH VEHICLES MORE TIME TO COMPLY WITH THE NEW LICENSING REQUIREMENTS, THE ENFORCEMENT DATE OF THE REGULATIONS HAS BEEN DEFERRED FOR SIX MONTHS UNTIL OCTOBER 1, 1976.
TWENTY-TWO FIRES WERE INVESTIGATED IN DEPTH BY FIRE OFFICERS. IN ADDITION, 1,276 FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT NOTICES WERE ISSUED AND 94 PROSECUTIONS WERE TAKEN OUT RESULTING IN THE IMPOSITION OF FINES AMOUNTING TO ALMOST $54,000.
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