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Wednesday, June 21, 1972
EMERGENCY RESCUE OPERATIONS EXPLAINED
A pre-determined emergency plan for carrying out rescue operations
is put into immediate action whenever a natural disaster or major fire
occurs in Hong Kong.
Explaining this today, a Fire Services spokesman said that the
plan had enabled prompt action to be taken to initiate rescue measures
at the scene of the landslide disasters at Kotewall Road and the Sau Mau
Ping resite area Kwun Tong.
Under the emergency plan, the most senior fire officer to arrive
at the scene, whatever his rank, takes command of operations, and assesses
the seriousness of the situation.
When a disaster alarm is necessary, the Director of Fire Services
or his deputy take over control of rescue operations, and obtains whatever
assistance is necessary from other organisations, such as Police, military,
various government departments and auxiliary services.
All rescue units come under Fire Services control, which maintains
a mobile command unit at the scene.
The Fire Services spokesman said that, at the scene of a disaster,
it was quite natural for onlookers to form the opinion that not enough was
being done to carry out rescue operations.
"This