THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1976
OVER 3,000 FIRE CALLS IN FIRST QUARTER
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THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT ANSWERED MORE THAN 3,000 FIRE CALLS DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY.
THIS REPRESENTS AN ALMOST TWO-FOLD INCREASE AS COMPARED WITH THE FIGURE FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR WHEN 1,655 FIRES WERE RECORDED.
+SOMETIMES WE RESPONDED TO 60 OR 70 FIRES IN A DAY,+ A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.
HE URGED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO CONTINUE TO EXERCISE EVERY PRECAUTION AGAINST FIRES AT HOME, AT WORK AND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
THE 3,000 FIRES WHICH BROKE OUT IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR INCLUDED 2,516 FIRST ALARM FIRES, 60 SECOND ALARMS, 17 THIRD ALARMS, FOUR FOURTH ALARMS, ONE FIFTH ALARM AND 429 FALSE ALARMS.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE FIRST ALARM IS THE FIRST CALL TO ANY FIRE OTHER THAN A GRASS FIRE, A KNOWN SMALL FIRE OR AN ELECTRIC FIRE.
SPECIFIC PLACES, SUCH AS HOSPITALS, THEATRES AND PLACES OF PUBLIC ASSEMBLY WHICH HAVE A HIGH RISK ÅRE ACCORDED THE SECOND ALARM.
THE THIRD ALARM IS RAISED FOR INITIAL CALLS TO ALL SQUATTER AREAS AND FOR A FIRE WHICH CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY DEALT WITH BY THE INITIAL ATTENDANCE AND IN WHICH A BUILDING NOT HIGHER THAN FIVE STOREYS IS INVOLVED.
THE FOURTH ALARM IS RAISED WHEN ANY FIRE IN WHICH LIVES ARE IN DANGER- ANY FIRE WHICH BY VIRTUE OF ITS EXTENT, COMPLEXITY, OR POTENTIAL OR SPECIAL HAZARD REQUIRES ADDITIONAL APPLIANCES, EQUIPMENT AND/OR PERSONNEL, OVER AND ABOVE A THIRD ALARM RESPONSE= AND ANY FIRE WHICH CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY DEALT WITH BY THE INITIAL ATTENDANCE AND WHICH IS HIGHER THAN FIVE STOREYS.
THE FIFTH ALARM IS USED TO INDICATE ANY FIRE WHICH IS SPREADING RAPIDLY, OUT OF CONTROL, AND OBVIOUSLY BEYOND THE RESOURCES OF A FOURTH ALARM ATTENDANCE.
THERE IS ALSO A DISASTER ALARM AND THIS IS RAISED WHEN A WIDESPREAD INCIDENT, OR SERIES OF SIMULTANEOUS INCIDENTS ARE LIKELY TO ENGAGE THE ENTIRE RESOURCES OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR A PROTRACTED PERIOD, POSSIBLY PERHAPS REQUIRING THE ASSISTANCE OF THE MILITARY AND OTHER EMERGENCY UNITS.
/THIS