The Civil Aid Service (CAS) is a government auxiliary emergency service established under the Civil Aid Service Ordinance. It has an establishment of 3 634 adult volunteer members and 3 232 cadets, and a permanent staff of 117 civil servants.

    The primary duty of CAS is to provide civil support services during emergencies. Members of the volunteer service are trained to perform emergency duties during typhoons, flooding and landslips; to search for and rescue people in distress in mountains; to help evacuate or rescue victims trapped under collapsed buildings or buried in landslides; and to combat forest fires and oil pollution at sea.

    In 2002, CAS members were mobilised once because of a typhoon, carried out one flood rescue operation, and were called out 50 times for mountain search and rescue duties. From January to April and from October to December, more than 200 members were deployed to 'stand by' every Sunday and public holiday for Countryside Fire Protection Duties when the Amber or the Red Fire Warning Signal was issued. The members took part in a total of 39 vegetation fire fighting operations.

    During the year, the CAS also performed crowd management duties at 234 events; deployed about 100 members and cadets on every Sunday and public holiday to patrol country parks and hiking trails; arranged 59 talks on mountain hiking safety for organised groups, school teachers, students, and hiking group leaders; organised six disciplinary module training courses for 154 school leavers under the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme of the Labour Department; and organised 17 training camps for 1 387 secondary students under the Smart Teen Challenge Camp Scheme of the Education Department.

    The CAS endeavours to develop leadership potential and cultivate civic awareness among youngsters by recruiting boys and girls in the 12 to 17 age group for the Cadet Corps under the CAS Youth Wing. Apart from participating in recreational activities, cadets are trained in a wide variety of disciplines and skills including foot drill, light rescue, basic mechanical and electrical knowledge, printing, canoe-building and fibreglass moulding. They also receive training in crowd management as well as recreational activities such as rock climbing and expeditions. Those aged over 14 years are encouraged to take part in country park patrolling and crowd control duties at community events.