is in view it may be argued that the best way to approach the problem would be to
bring the fire services under the wings of the Urban Council which will concern
itself at first mainly with the education side of the exercise including the publicity
on the hazards of fire and precautionary measures. In this respect perhaps the
fire services personnel will not raise too much objection if any. Surely the Urban
Council will not interfere with the technical side of the fire services work. There
is another aspect in which the Urban Council can or may cover some expenditure,
that is, the examination of plans of buildings which are now undertaken by the fire
services department. In the Greater London Council that part of the work is left
with the public works authority, the officers of which will accept a schedule of
criteria for fire prevention in approving plans without further referrals. Only
border-line cases will be consulted with the fire services. In this way the Urban
Council with some technical advice may probably streamline the processing of
building plans and this may also contribute to the elimination of certain gossips
of corruption in the fire services department.
The inclusion of fire services under the wing of the Urban Council may
probably not receive any objection from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
U.K. and it is thought it may be a right step forward to expand the Urban Council's
activities.
In GLC, the Fire Brigade is under the Fire Brigade Committee
which in consultation with the Public Services Committee, is responsible for its
management and operation. In Hong Kong, the Fire Brigade is under the Secretary
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