Suva’s fire hazards
THE huge number of dangerous hazards that could be seen all around Suva was labelled as a "slowfused bomb" in the heart of the city by the Suva Fire Chief, Harold Henderson.
This article regarding the dangers within the city and ways the Council needed to counter them was published by The Fiji Times on June 13, 1975 and was titled "Dangers in Suva".
These factors, coupled with lack of adequate facilities, gave headaches to the Suva Fire Brigade. And this major worry was apart from the daily fires the brigade anticipated and dealt with to safeguard the lives and property of the thousands of citizens.
Nevertheless, Mr Henderson believed that the rapid expansion of the city was probably the biggest obstacle facing the brigade, whose equipment was being slowly dwarfed by the high-rise buildings.
"The capabilities of the brigade are reflected in its equipment which is limited to the size of the city. Manpower is such, or will be such this year that all the equipment we have will be fully manned at all times," he said.
Mr Henderson pointed out that the need for ladder equipment was urgent to cover high-rise buildings from the outside.
The brigade also needed more portable pumping power. After detailed recommendations to the Board of Fire Commissioners, Mr Henderson had secured a unit of this type valued at about $134,000.
This welcome addition to the force was expected in about 18 months’ time. Units of this kind were assembled to specification and were not of standard built.
Mr Henderson said if a fire broke out on the top floors of either Dominion House or the Honson Building, he would be faced with the task of getting to the seat of the fire.
Reflecting on years of experience and planning in the event of such a blaze, he said his men would have to fight their way up staircases through smoke the seat of the fire.
"We would take a little longer getting to the seat of the blaze. But even then we would stand a good chance because the design of these buildings has built-in equipment.
Nevertheless, an 85-ft extension ladder would give
June 1
WHAT was once a bishop's home in Suva provided about 10 homes for Fiji's underprivileged families. The Roman Catholic Church gave HART(Housing Assistance and Relief Trust) a large wooden building in Suva to tear down and use for building low-cost homes for needy people. The house, one of the oldest in Suva, used to be the bishop's residence.
June 2
ABOUT $1700 worth of goods was stolen from a Suva shop. A police spokesman said the thieves broke the front door of Sounds Unlimited Shop in Dominion Arcade and stole cameras, lighters, camera flash units and binoculars.
June 3
FIJI'S two competitors at the Far East, Asia and South Pacific Paraplegic Games won three gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal after the first two days of competition. The two, Sefanaia Sau and Taniela Vakalagilagi, were among 700 officials and competitors taking part in the games in Japan. Fiji was one of the 14 countries at the games and the score showed Fiji had done well. Although neither had ridden a wheelchair for more than a year, Vakalagilagi won a silver medal and Sau a bronze medal in the 100 metres race.
June 4
THE commissioner for Fiji's 1966 census, Doctor Hans Zwartz, was special adviser for the next one in September 1976. Dr Zwartz, who worked at the University of Gronigen in Holland, was part-time adviser to the Fiji census under a scheme aided by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. The acting Government Statistician, Ratilal Lodhia, said Dr Zwartz came to Fiji first in the brigade better coverage because we wouldn’t be fighting just from the centre but both sides."
"We would also have rescue phases for people possibly trapped on a high floor.
These facilities would be a feature of the new unit. Other problems related to the city’s expansion included the failure of landlords to advise the brigade on the layout of their fire fighting equipment, the fuel discharge point at the King’s Wharf, and the absence of fire awareness to the public.
Firefighters said the point where tankers discharged their cargo was a grave danger to the city, and with two incidents in 1974, could have been disastrous to the lower sector of Suva.
One of these was the rupture of a discharging pipe line. He was positive about this as they prepared for the danger of an eruption in the wharf area which could be the biggest potential fire risk in Suva, in the light of overseas experience.
He believed that priority should be given to the relocation of these fuel discharge points, particularly in an area which is a valuable source of Fiji revenue.
Mr Henderson was happier about Walu Bay where companies storing fuel realised the tremendous risks involved, and had taken the necessary precautions by specialised training of labour in the handling and working of such materials.
This raised the question of whether a fire boat was necessary, in view of the rate of expansion of the trade at King’s Wharf.
Mr Henderson believed such a unit would be uneconomical at this stage.
"The Ports Authority of Fiji is likely to provide tugs for handling ships, and in overseas ports such tugs are usually fitted out with lire fighting equipment, to which the brigade would attach “its own unit in the event of a fire".
He emphasised that all firemen dreaded ship fires. "A ship is like a city on its own. On water we are faced with the instability of the ship, steel construction which conducts heat, and cargo which can be made up of all kinds of material."
In these circumstances a fireman depends on the ship’s officers for information on possible dangers, the kind of cargo and its position.
August for two months. Mr Lodhia said census officers ran a pilot test in November to check the questions on the survey paper, to find out whether they were suitable.
June 5
ALMOST all Suva taxis have meters, the Fiji Taxi Union's secretary, Mahendra Pratap, said. But many Nadi and Lautoka taxis were still without them, he said. He also mentioned that the shortage of meters for those vehicles only complicated the situation. Driving without meters, then meant a $100 fine.
June 6
ALL employers including Government had a responsibility to do everything they could to create as much employment as possible, the Minister of Finance, Charles Stinson, said yesterday.
"It is in the interest of Fiji to find maximum employment right now," he said. "Our unemployment trend is certainly due in the main to the fall-off in capital investments, the slowing down of tourism and the depressed copra industry."
June 8
A TEAM of Australian girls selling subscriptions for books and magazines for an overseas company left Fiji while immigration officials were still looking for them. It was believed those girls were working in Fiji without a work permit and had scammed a couple of buyers who bought their product. A Ministry of Labour official said the girls were traced to the Skylodge Hotel in Nadi."By the time we reached there, we found they had already boarded a flight back to Australia," he said.
June 11
KING Taufa'ahau Tupou of Tonga arrived in Fiji last night on his way to Britain and
Firefighters attend to a fire at the army 3FIR buildings in Nabua in
2021.
Mr Henderson dubbed some citizens of Suva as a "menace" to the brigade. "They don’t seem to take any notice of sirens and often crowd us out on the entire ground.
"The public should realise that when there is a fire, things can happen so quickly that firemen may have to run for their lives. The public face the same danger,"
In its efforts to create greater fire awareness, the brigade has maintained its awareness programs and seminars to educate the public on the dangers of fires. possibly Iran for an informal visit. The king was expected to be accompanied on the trip by Queen Halaevalu Mataaho and Princess Pilolevu. The royal party was to travel to London after a brief stopover in Fiji, via Papua New Guinea and Los Angeles and would spend about a month in Britain.
June 12
TOKAIMALO District School in Ra would have a charity queen contest on June 20. Father Leone Rasalala of the Catholic Mission School at Navunibitu would officially open the contest at 1 pm. The principal of Ra Junior Secondary School, Qoca Waqatabu, will crown the charity queen at around 4pm. The main aim of the festival is to raise money for the completion of a four-classroom concrete block.
June 13
THE manager of a Government-owned cattle ranch near Tavua had resigned, the House of Representatives heard yesterday. Earlier, an Alliance backbencher, Maleli Raibe (Ba East-Ra communal) gave notice of a series of questions about Yaqara Pastoral Company, which operated the ranch.
June 14
THE Fiji Sugar Corporation was prepared to deduct rent for Native Land Trust Board tenants from their cane proceeds as soon as it computerised cane growers' accounts later this year, a FSC spokesman said yesterday. He said the FSC had discussed the matter with representatives of the NLTB, when the corporation said it would do the service for a fee.
June 16
BINOCULARS and navigation equipment valued at $781 were stolen from the ship Gerda Bech at Kings Wharf in Suva on Friday night. Police also said, in a separate case,
■ thieves took $300 cash and stole a pair of boots worth $12 from a house in Grantham Rd, Suva on Saturday.
June 17
THE Anglican Bishop in Polynesia, the Right Rev Jabez Bryce, opened a $34,000 wing of St Mary's Anglican multiracial primary school at Labasa. Bishop Bryce was welcomed with both Fijian and Indian ceremonies at. St. Thomas Anglican Church grounds while on a visit to the north.
June 18
THE British High Commissioner in Fiji, Stanley Arthur, made his first official visit to the Northern Division. On Monday heads of departments met him at the operations room and briefed him on development projects in the north. Later he met the Mayor of Labasa. Cr Satyawan Jaduram, and had informal talks with members of Labasa Town Council.
June 19
TWO British parliamentarians have supported a suggestion that Ocean Island Banaba should become an associated state of Fiji. John Lee and Sir Bernard Braine said they were of the belief that the Banaban's of Ocean Island had a distinct identity and to ignore this would be politically foolish and morally wrong.
June 20
MANY beef farmers in Fiji at first thought their task consisted merely of fencing of a large area of land, stocking it with cattle and leaving them to look after themselves. The Tilivalevu beef scheme in Nadroga, however, tells a different story. The 17 beef farmers in the scheme, which covers 9000 acres, are working hard to improve their pastures by collectively spending thou