Sir
UMELCO
DRAFT SPEECH BY HON HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CBE, JP
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
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30.7.86
Fire Services (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 1986
Hong Kong as a city with a forest of multi-storey buildings, numbering in the tens of thousands, with hundreds of owners or tenants in each large multi-storey building, can on the face of it be regarded by visitors as one of the most fire-hazardous cities in the world.
Yet because of the high standards which we maintain,
Hong Kong is a relatively safe city that is known
internationally for having up-to-date fire-fighting equipment, well-trained and disciplined personnel and an excellent fire prevention service.
Therefore, to keep our standards up to par, the proposed changes to reduce even more the risks and dangers of fire occurring in multi-storey buildings should generally be welcome. Of the 8,960 complaints made to the Fire Services Department during May 1985-April 1986, nearly half had to do with obstruction of means of escape. It is especially dangerous, for example, for the owners of one floor in a huge multi-storey building to block the fire escapes on their floor, or for illegal storage of goods in common areas to extensively
take place.
The proposed tightening of the fire prevention measures by legislation and imposing heavier penalties on those convicted of endangering the lives and property of others in a multi-storey building should be supported by all responsible members of the community. Of course, any abuse by the Fire Services Department of any of the legislative changes adopted should be reported by members of the public and such complaints must be carefully investigated and corrective action when required.
UMELCO