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settled by the provision, rather in the nature of an experiment in 1923, of a Fire Brigade Motor Drivers School under the direct supervision of the Superintendent of the Brigade and the Chief Motor Mechanic, Kowloon Canton Railway. This school successfully turned out 9 drivers during the year fully competent to take charge of the powerful Fire Brigade pumps and other appliances and it may now be regarded as a permanent institution in the Brigade. All drivers trained in this School are under agreement with the Brigade for 5 years on an incremental scale of pay.
7. General and Fire Inspection Work.-Full details of the work of the Fire Brigade are contained in the Superintendent's report. Particular attention must be drawn to the Fire inspection work which is rapidly increasing with the construction of a large number of premises exceeding 5 stories in height. This work falls within the special province of the Superintendent himself, whose work in this branch of the fire service is proving most valuable and efficient. Practically every new large building has now its own fire service together with augmenter pumps for increasing the pressure of water in the building and also adaptors enabling Fire Brigade pumps to be coupled up from outside to the private fire installation and thus increase the pressure in the fire mains throughout the building.
8. Fires and Loss of Life.-The actual number of fires, though less than in 1923, show 7 serious fires in 1924 as against 3 in 1923, several unfortunately attended by serious loss of life. The loss of one fireman, who was killed when the verandah of No. 191 Queen's Road West, collapsed during a fire on these premises is greatly regretted.
1st April, 1925.
E. D. C. WOLFE, Chief Officer, Fire Brigade.