The Round Table
departments
At the 3rd Annual Conference of the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration some speakers stressed the fire prevention benefits that could be derived from strong code enforcement and arson suppression programs.
Accordingly, do you feel now that your division of fire prevention and your arson squad If any, are sufficient for the job on hand?
What percentage of your total fire department budget is allotted to fire prevention activities, including fire prevention education and arson investigation?
E. Mandeville, Director, Verdun, Quebec: Regarding your specific question as to whether or not I feel that we have enough men in our fire prevention bureau, my answer is an emphatic no.
At the present time, a captain-inspector is in charge of our fire prevention bureau and he is assisted by an inspector plus a secretary who does the office work.
In the coming year, I have good reasons to believe that the following changes will take place: the man in charge will have the rank of chief of fire prevention, and will assist the director and the deputy-director in all important administrative decisions. He will also be in a position to replace either of the directors in times of need, such as during vacations and sick leaves. This chief of fire prevention will be assisted by either a captain or a lieutenant-inspector, two inspectors and a secretary. Only then will I be satisfied that we have enough men to do the amount of work that this important department requires, and to do it thoroughly.
Whenever arson is suspected in a fire, the Montreal Urban Community Police arson squad is notified and they send special police investigators to work with our own inspectors. To help out, in the spring and again in the fall whenever the temperature permits, we dispatch one apparatus out with one officer and four fire-fighters to do door-to-door inspections. When we get a fire call, this apparatus is contacted by radio and ordered to stand by, return to its station or report to the scene of the incident, depending on the nature of the call.
To become a member of our fire prevention bureau, a fire fighter must be a certified University of Montreal’s graduate of a special fire technician night course. Presently, eight of my men are taking that night course which takes a total of three years to complete.
We do not have a separate budget set aside for this fire prevention department, but a quick calculation shows that in 1977, about 3 percent of our total budget will have been spent for this service.
George M. Grant, Chief, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: The present method in this department of combining fire prevention and arson investigation is satisfactory to a point. Being limited in manpower (9) which necessitates complete involvement with prevention, restricts our efforts with fire and arson investigations. As the result, I feel that the present manpower situation is not sufficient to adequately cope with these problems, causing us to rely heavily on the detective branch of our city police department for extensive investigation.
Of the total amount of this department’s budget, 3.5 percent is allocated to the fire prevention division, of which 6 percent of this amount is used for fire prevention education. There is no set amount allocated to arson investigation.
Robert W. Bannister, Chief, Kenmore, Wash.: I do not feel that we have enough people to do a proper and efficient job of fire and arson investigation.
Our department has a one man fire prevention and arson investigation division. He does a very effective job with the population, area, and limited time available. We need at least three to four more people on the staff and hope to add to the fire prevention division during 1978.
During 1978 our total fire prevention budget allocation including training will be 9.8 percent.
Steve Childress, Chief, Fairbanks, Alaska: Under the present conditions, I do not feel that my fire prevention department, and arson squad are sufficient for the job on hand.
Of the total budget.allotted for our fire department, 6 percent is used for fire prevention and arson investigation.
L.C. Cole, Chief, Forest Park, Ga.: We have a very effective fire prevention program and have access to the full detective bureau in our city to assist on arson investigations. I feel that I am much better off in this area than most cities.
Donald Moody, Asst. Chief, Concord, N.C.: At the present time, we have one full time man in fire prevention and fire investigation. If the determination is made that arson or unlawful burning is involved in a fire investigation, the case is then referred to the criminal investigation division of the local police department. We do feel the need for additional personnel in this field and are hopeful that arrangements can be made in the near future.
Of the total budget for the department, approximately 3 percent is allotted for the operations of the fire prevention bureau.
E.R. Besley, Chief, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan: With the job on hand requiring more aid than we can give, I cannot see how we can perform efficiently when we are under staffed.
Approximately 4 percent of the total fire department budget is allotted for fire prevention and arson investigation,
Byron Hollander, Chief, Oklahoma City, Okla.: Current authorized positions in the fire prevention division are 14, including the fire marshal and one secretary, and is representative of the resources assigned to this activity for the past several years. Necessary functions related to code enforcement and fire investigation consistently consume available manhours, leaving minimal opportunity to implement prevention and educationally oriented programs. Even with the assignment of some routine inspection activities to fire suppression personnel, the fire prevention staffing is inadequate.
The percentage of the total fire department budget allotted to fire prevention activities, including public education and arson investigation, is 2 percent. The assignment of resources to fire prevention is controlled by the budget process, and even with the documentation available on the relationship between fire prevention activities and fire incidence rates, the primary emphasis of funding continues to be fire suppression.
Tom H. Garner, Chief, El Centro, Calif.: The total fire department budget including salaries and supplies and services is $811,120.00. Approximately 1 percent of the budget less salaries and supplies for fire prevention is $1,468.00. It should be noted that a comprehensive fire prevention program is being proposed for the coming budget year which will include additional inspection teams both individual and company level inspection programs.
