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reviewed; all ambulances are equipped with analgesic apparatus, piped oxygen, inflatable splints, spinal boards, special stretchers and incubator-carrying capability.
Appliances and Workshops
The Fire Services Department has some 500 modern operational appliances and vehicles fitted with up-to-date fire-fighting and rescue equipment. Most equipment is purchased from the United Kingdom, but the department is constantly evaluating new products from different parts of the world with a view to introducing them if they fit local requirements. In 1979, 79 new or replacement appliances and units of various kinds were brought into service and 69 items, which had come to the end of their serviceable life, were replaced. Among the major appliances commissioned were three 37-metre and three 50-metre turn- table ladders, three pumping appliances, seven light rescue units, one emergency feeding unit, two pump escape hydraulic platforms and 52 ambulances.
To maintain the fleet of appliances and other equipment, the department operates three mechanical workshops. They are responsible for repairing, fitting and installing additional equipment and carrying out essential modifications on appliances.
Training
All recruits are trained at the Fire Services Training School at Pat Heung in the New Territories. The courses vary in content (depending on the type of recruit) and last from eight to 26 weeks. The school has a staff of 83 including 17 instructors.
The school operated at full capacity during the year. A total of 491 men successfully completed training of whom 13 were officers, 297 were firemen and 181 were, senior ambulancemen and ambulancemen. At the end of the year, 178 recruits of all ranks were still under training at the school.
The school also conducts basic fire-fighting and fire protection training for staff of other government departments and private organisations in Hong Kong. Some 1,549 people attended these courses during the year.
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