HONG KONG 2004 - Public Order

The Fire Services Department fights fires, protects life and property in case of fires and other calamities, provides emergency ambulance services and gives fire protection advice to the public.

The department's establishment comprises 8 640 uniformed and 640 civilian members. It is one of the world's finest fire brigades, with well-trained personnel, advanced communication systems, and modern equipment and appliances.

The department responded to 35 092 fire calls, 20 059 special service calls and 574 901 ambulance calls in 2004, representing an average of 1 726 calls a day.

Of the 35 092 fire calls received in 2004, seven were classified as major fires of No. 3 alarm. Careless handling or disposal of smoking materials was still the major cause of fires, totalling 3 467 cases in all, followed by accidents involving the preparation of foodstuffs and electrical faults, which accounted for 2 497 and 898 cases, respectively. Unwanted alarms, caused mainly by faulty automatic alarm systems or poor positioning of such systems, contributed to about 62 per cent of the total number of fire calls.

There were two notable fires during the year. One was a No. 3 alarm fire involving chemicals in a warehouse in Kwai Chung on August 29, in which 33 Fire Services members were injured. The other was a hill fire on November 26 on Lantau Island, which lasted for 40 hours and damaged 520 hectares of vegetation.

The department also provides a wide range of rescue services in incidents such as traffic accidents, people trapped in lifts or locked in rooms, gas leaks, house collapses, flooding, landslides, industrial accidents and attempts by people to jump from a height. The department handled 20 059 emergency special service calls in 2004. Among the major incidents attended was a rescue operation on July 7 in which a Senior Fireman was killed when attempting to save a worker who had fallen into a sewage manhole at the basement of the Smiling Shau Kei Wan Plaza.

The Ambulance Command handled 574 901 calls during the year, representing 1 575 calls per day. Its fleet of ambulances will all be equipped and manned at paramedic level in early 2005.

The department continues to train front-line firemen to qualify as first responders to provide basic life support to casualties and patients before the arrival of an ambulance crew. During the year, first responders were turned out to 6 091 incidents, helping to improve the survival rate of the injured and sick before their arrival at hospital.

The Fire Services Communication Centre, manned round the clock, is responsible for mobilising all fire-fighting and ambulance resources to provide efficient and effective fire and ambulance services to the community. The centre is also responsible for receiving complaints about fire hazards and dangerous goods. It acts as an emergency coordinator for other Government departments and public utilities in large-scale emergencies or major incidents.

To meet the projected growth of emergency calls over the next 10 years, a $445 million Third Generation Mobilising System is being developed to replace the current Second Generation Mobilising System. The cut-over to the system is expected to start in early 2005, and be implemented in phases.

The Community Relations Division under the Fire Safety Command is responsible for enhancing the public's knowledge of fire safety and for coordinating actions with other government departments and District Fire Safety Committees in stepping up fire prevention publicity in the community. In 2004, 2 139 fire drills and 6 064 fire safety talks and seminars were conducted by the division and local fire stations for various community sectors.

The Commercial Buildings and Premises Division enforces the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance with the objective of upgrading fire safety measures in specified commercial buildings and prescribed commercial premises. The Director of Buildings administers a Building Safety Loan Scheme, which provides non-means tested loans to individual owners who require financial assistance in carrying out building safety (including fire safety) improvement works, either on a voluntary basis or as required by law. Owners are required to pay interest calculated in accordance with the no-gain, no-loss principle. Those facing hardship, such as the elderly or people with very low incomes, may apply for interest-free loans and longer repayment periods.

To enlist more people to assist in reporting fire hazards and disseminating fire prevention messages, the Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme has been extended to 279 organisations, including schools, public transport companies, major property management companies, government departments, homes for the elderly and hotels. A total of 10 936 people were trained as Fire Safety Ambassadors during the year.

A major fire prevention publicity programme focusing on the upgrading of fire safety measures in buildings was launched on December 5. A series of publicity activities, including broadcast of fire safety messages on television and radio, and fire station open days, was organised. A mobile publicity unit was widely used for promoting fire safety and conducting roving exhibitions at schools and public housing estates.

The Fire Service Installation Task Force is committed to improving building fire safety and enhancing public awareness of the need to maintain fire service installations and equipment in buildings. A total of 55 659 inspections were made. The Task Force also monitors the performance of registered fire service installation contractors, with 505 random checks carried out. Legal action was taken against 18 contractors who had contravened the Fire Service (Installation Contractors) Regulations or the Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations.

With the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland scheduled for September 2005, the Theme Park Projects Division, which is responsible for formulating fire safety requirements of the theme park, maintains close liaison and meets regularly with all parties concerned to give advice.

The Railway Development Strategy Division is responsible for formulating and scrutinising fire safety requirements in respect of the new railway infrastructure projects. With the commissioning of KCRC's Tsim Sha Tsui Extension and Ma On Shan Rail in October and December, respectively, acceptance tests were carried out on the new railways' fire service installations.

The Licensing and Certification Command sets fire safety requirements for buildings and various types of licensed premises as well as dangerous goods stores and vehicles to ensure proper protection for the public. Some 11 252 submissions of building plans were processed during the year. Fire Services personnel conducted 163 293 fire safety inspections of all types of premises and issued 5 332 fire hazard abatement notices requiring the removal of fire hazards. These helped to ensure that fire prevention measures met the required standards and enhanced public awareness of fire safety. There were 711 prosecutions in cases of contravention of the Fire Services Ordinance, the Dangerous Goods Ordinance and the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance, with fines amounting to $1,331,860. Direct prosecutions for obstructing the means of escape in buildings resulted in 54 convictions, with fines totalling $298,500. Prosecutions for illicit fuel activities resulted in 186 convictions; the maximum penalty was $10,000 and imprisonment for six months.

In 2004, the department operated 835 fire appliances and supporting vehicles fitted with up-to-date fire-fighting and rescue equipment. Fire appliances procured during the year included three hydraulic platforms, eight major pumps, two diving tenders and two jackless snorkels. A 'cold' cutting system using high pressure water jetting mixed with abrasive slurry was acquired for piercing and cutting in flammable and explosive atmosphere. A high-performance fireboat, the Excellence, will be commissioned in early 2005 to replace Fireboat 6 to enhance the department's maritime fire-fighting and rescue capabilities.

In line with the Government's policy to provide an emergency response to all areas within minimum set times according to the category of risk, the department continued to plan and build fire stations and ambulance depots at strategic locations to cope with local development and service needs. During the year, the Braemar Hill Fire Station-cum-Ambulance Depot and the Penny's Bay Fire Station-cum-Ambulance Depot were commissioned.

The Public Liaison Group was set up to encourage public participation in monitoring and improving the delivery of emergency fire and ambulance services. Thirty members of the public from all walks of life were randomly selected from among 96 applicants to form the group's tenth-term membership during the year.