PUBLIC ORDER
paramedic motorcycles have been equipped with automatic external defibrillators. The department has also strengthened the application of intubation skills and advanced protocols to enhance the pre-hospital resuscitation service for patients in critical condition. An additional light ambulance has been acquired to enhance efficiency in handling injured/sick persons in rural areas that do not have proper access roads.
Communication
The Fire Services Communication Centre, manned round the clock, is responsible for mobilising all fire-fighting and ambulance resources for providing efficient and effective fire and ambulance services to the community. The centre is also responsible for receiving complaints about fire hazards, dangerous goods and services of the department. It acts as an emergency coordinator for other government departments and public utilities in large-scale emergencies or major incidents.
The centre is equipped with a computerised mobilising system and other telecommunication sub-systems which together form the integrated Second Generation Mobilising System (SGMS). With regular enhancement, the SGMS has been functioning efficiently for more than a decade in meeting the target resource dispatch time.
In order to meet the projected growth of emergency calls over the next 10 years, a $445 million Third Generation Mobilising System (TGMS) is being developed under a contract awarded in March 2001. The new system, expected to be commissioned by the end of 2003, will adopt state-of-the-art technology and have a capacity that will further enhance the department's current capability and efficiency in mobilisation and communication.
Fire Safety
The Community Relations Division is responsible for enhancing the public's knowledge of fire safety and coordinating actions with other government departments and District Fire Safety Committees in stepping up fire prevention publicity in the community. In 2002, 2 424 fire drills at various locations and 5 299 fire safety talks and seminars were conducted by the division and local fire stations for various community sectors.
The Commercial Buildings and Premises Division enforces the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance with the objective of upgrading fire safety measures concerning 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 income, may apply for interest-free loans and longer repayment periods.
In order to enlist more people to assist in reporting fire hazards and disseminating fire prevention messages, the Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme has been extended to 164 organisations, including schools, public transport companies, major property management companies, government departments, homes for the elderly and hotels. A total of 10 383 people were trained as Fire Safety Ambassadors during the year.
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