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emergencies in the harbour or the Colony's waters. At Kai Tak Airport, firemen with the most modern equipment provide safety coverage for all flights. The Ambulance Service and the Fire Prevention Bureau are two other arms of the department which are provided for the guidance, help and succour of the population of this crowded community.
The current authorised establishment of the department is 345 officers and 2,620 other ranks. This is supported by a reserve force of some 850 auxiliaries. It has 273 modern operational appliances vehicles carrying the most up-to-date fire fighting and rescue equipment, including 547 sets of breathing apparatus and 93 miles of hose.
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No less than 87,224 calls for assistance were received by the department in the year. This is a staggering figure in comparison to the total for 10 years ago which was 23,318. The Ambulance Service responded to 79,955 calls, of which 48,035 were emergency cases or accidents. It is sad to relate that calls for fires and similar calamities show no signs of diminishing. This year the service responded to 7,269 calls compared with 6,744 calls last year, which was a record in the history of the department. The total monetary loss resulting directly from fire was in the region of $12,000,000. This does not take into account substantial losses incurred indirectly, such as loss of production in industry and general disruption of family life in domestic premises.
It is a common trend throughout the world that as nations become more industrialised and affluent there is a proportionate increase in financial loss through fire. Regrettably Hong Kong is no exception. To eliminate this problem as much as is humanly possible the Fire Prevention Bureau's staff of 127, are constantly at the disposal of the public to help, advise and if necessary take legal action to protect the community. Officers from the bureau made a total of 215,799 inspections in all types of premises throughout the year. Principally these visits were in answer to complaints or, with regard to the licensing of factories, dangerous goods stores, hospitals, schools, places of public entertainment and air-condi- tioning plants. Complaints from the public cover a wide variety of law infringement. Officers from the bureau are normally successful in getting the hazard removed by request and persuasion. Where