HONG KONG 2005

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, which has 8 594 uniformed and 590 civilian members, is one of the world's finest Fire brigades with well-trained personnel, advanced communications systems and modern equipment and appliances.

The department responded to 37 741 fire calls, 20 813 special service calls and 584 882 ambulance calls in 2005.

Of the 37 741 fire calls received in 2005, six were classified as major fires of No. 3 alarm and above. Careless handling or disposal of smoking materials was still the major cause of fires, totalling 2 247 cases in all, followed by accidents involving the preparation of foodstuffs which accounted for 2 113 cases and electrical faults, 888 cases. Unwanted alarms, caused mainly by faulty automatic alarm systems or poor positioning of such systems, contributed to about 68 per cent of the total number of fire calls.

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 20 813 emergency special service calls in 2005.

The Ambulance Command handled 584 882 calls during the year, representing 1 602 calls per day. Its fleet of ambulances has been fully equipped and manned at paramedic level since March 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 13 751 incidents, helping to improve the survival rate of the injured and sick before their arrival at hospital.

The Fire Services Communications 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.

In June 2005, the centre switched to a sophisticated telecommunication and computer integrated mobilising system — the Third Generation Mobilising System. By enhancing the identification, location and mobilisation of resources, the new system will help to improve the efficiency of fire-fighting and rescue operations. It is designed to accommodate future expansion which will enable the department to cope with the projected growth of emergency calls up to 2013.

The Fire Safety Command draws up fire safety policies and formulates fire safety measures in buildings. It also devotes much of its efforts to the upgrading of fire safety in old buildings and enhancing the community's awareness of fire safety.

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.

Pending implementation of the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance, the Building Improvement and Support Division continues to inspect old private composite and domestic buildings with a view to enhancing fire safety and advising owners and occupiers on the new standards.

The New Projects Division, in cooperation with the Buildings Department and other departments, is responsible for vetting new building plans including projects on mass transit systems, tunnels, bridges and at the airport. It also formulates fire protection requirements appropriate for particular premises and the risks involved. Some 11 116 submissions of building plans were processed during the year.

The Railway Development Strategy Division formulates and scrutinises fire safety requirements in respect of new railway infrastructure projects. Acceptance tests of fire service installations were carried out on the MTR Corporation's Disneyland Resort Line prior to its opening in July.

The Community Relations Section is responsible for enhancing the public's knowledge of fire safety and for coordinating publicity about fire prevention with other government departments and the District Fire Safety Committees. In 2005, 1 916 fire drills and 5 356 fire safety talks and seminars were conducted by the section and local fire stations.

To enlist more people to assist in reporting fire hazards and disseminating fire prevention messages, the Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme has been extended to 298 organisations, including schools, public transport companies, major property management companies, government departments, homes for the elderly and hotels. A total of 10 710 people were trained as Fire Safety Ambassadors during the year and Fire Safety Ambassador Clubs were set up in eight districts with 96 local community leaders appointed as honorary presidents. .

A major fire prevention campaign focusing on household fire safety was launched on November 13 featuring a series of publicity activities, including fire safety messages broadcast on television and radio stations, and fire station open days. A mobile publicity unit promoting fire safety also toured schools and public housing estates.

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. Fire Services personnel conducted 170 675 fire safety inspections and issued 3 219 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices requiring the removal of fire hazards. There were 600 prosecutions for contravention of the Fire Services Ordinance, the Dangerous Goods Ordinance and the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance, which resulted in fines totalling $1.25 million. Direct prosecutions for obstructing the means of escape in buildings resulted in 52 convictions, with fines totalling $246,300. Prosecutions for illicit fuel activities resulted in 175 convictions; the maximum penalty was $20,000 and imprisonment for six months.

The Fire Service Installation Task Force has stepped up monitoring efforts to improve building fire safety and arouse public awareness of the need to maintain fire service installations and equipment in buildings. A total of 56 360 inspections to buildings were made during the year. The task force also monitors the performance of the registered fire service installation contractors and made 554 random checks. Legal action was taken against six contractors who had contravened the regulations.

In 2005, the department had 853 fire appliances, ambulances and supporting vehicles. A fire-fighting support machine designed for tackling large-scale tunnel and basement fires was acquired and a high-performance fireboat, the Excellence, was commissioned in April to replace Fireboat 6 to further enhance the department's maritime fire-fighting and rescue capabilities.

The department continued to plan and build fire stations and ambulance depots to cope with local development and service needs and follow the Government's policy of providing an emergency response to all areas within minimum set times according to the category of risk. During the year, it opened ambulance depots at Mong Kok and Kwai Chung.

The Public Liaison Group was set up in 1994 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 84 applicants to form the group for 2005.