CO129-614-1 Commission of Inquiry into fire at West Point- report 26-5-1949 - 22-12-1949 — Page 66

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annual cost would probably be somewhat greater. We feel however that

the cost of such a service would be small in comparison with its value

to the community in general. We considered whether the Fire Insurance

Association should be asked to contribute to the cost, as it would

be the most immediate beneficiary, but we recommend that as the public

would in the long run benefit, the full cost should fall upon public

funds. We regard it as of importance that the best possible training

should be given to these officers, and that they should possess an

adequate knowledge of chemicals. It is important that the officer in

charge of the fire preventive service should be particularly well ex-

perienced and qualified in this type of work.

Cooperation Between the Fire Insurance Association and the Fire Brigade:

85. We recommend moreover that the Fire Insurance Companies, who by

the nature of their business must have special knowledge of the safest

methods of storage and who must have occasion to inspect storage fac-

ilities when assessing fire risks, should co-operate closely with the

Fire Brigade in preventive measures, There should be full exchange of

information, which is the basis of a mutual trust now, in our view,

lacking.

"First-Aid" Fire Prevention:

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86. During the course of the inquiry we heard some observations on

the provision of fire buckets, extinguishers, sprinkler systems, fire-

proof rooms etc., that is to say, "first-aid" measures in the case of

fire. These matters are no doubt always in the minds of Fire Officers

and consideration of their merits or demerits is a highly technical

question. We therefore make no comments on this aspect of fire pre-

vention.

Fire Precautions in the Construction of Godowns:

87. There is however one important point and a peculiarly difficult

one on which we must comment. Undoubtedly a contributory factor, if

not the main factor, which made for the complete destruction of the

Wing On Godown No. 2, was that it was an umpartitioned building of some

750,000 cubic feet capacity. Mr. Brand described the building in his