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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1975.
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AMBULANCE COMMAND KEPT BUSY IN 1974
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THE AMBULANCE COMMAND OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAD
A BUSY TIME LAST YEAR, RESPONDING TO 109,103 CALLS, AN AVERAGE OF JUST UNDER 300 A DAY. THE FIGURE INCLUDES ABOUT 61,000 EMERGENCY CALLS.
A TOTAL OF 132,775 PATIENTS WERE CARRIED ON THE COMMAND'S AMBULANCES, INCLUDING 59,336 EMERGENCY CASES.
ALL THE FIGURES SHOW INCREASES OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. CALLS WERE UP NEARLY SEVEN PER CENT AND PATIENTS CARRIED ROSE BY 11 PER CENT.
KOWLOON HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CALLS, 50,509, FOLLOWED BY HONG KONG ISLAND WITH 37,271, AND THE NEW TERRITORIES WITH 21,323.
AT PRESENT THE AMBULANCE COMMAND HAS TWO DEPOTS ON HONG KONG
· ISLAND, TWO DEPOTS AND THREE STATIONS IN KOWLOON, AND A DEPOT AND A STATION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. A FURTHER 10 DEPOTS AND STATIONS ARE TO BE BUILT AS PART OF A 10-YEAR FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT PLAN DUE TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE PRESENT DECADE. THE FIRST OF THESE WILL BE A DEPOT AT MT. DAVIS ON HONG KONG ISLAND WHICH IS DUE TO BE OPENED IN APRIL THIS YEAR.
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THE PRESENT AMBULANCE FLEET NUMBERS 86 VEHICLES, BUT IT IS TO BE EXPANDED TO APPROXIMATELY 100 BY THE END OF THE 1975/76 FINANCIAL YEAR. AMBULANCES ARE USED IN FIRE STATIONS AS WELL AS IN AMBULANCE DEPOTS SO AS TO GIVE WIDER COVERAGE.
IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE NUMBER OF CALLS WILL GROW BY MORE THAN 50 PERCENT BETWEEN NOW AND 1980.
THE PRESENT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AMBULANCE COMMAND IS 590 ALL RANKS, OF WHOM 23 ARE OFFICERS. THERE ARE 38 VACANCIES.
DURING THE PAST YEAR, TRAINING METHODS WERE UPDATED AND AMBULANCEMEN ARE NOW ABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND GIVE TREATMENT TO PATIENTS DURING THE JOURNEY TO HOSPITAL. FACILITIES
ON AMBULANCES WERE ALSO IMPROVED INCLUDING THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW PAIN-KILLING GAS, PIPED OXYGEN, AND INCUBATOR CARRYING CAPABILITIES.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
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LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS, PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE, WILL GIVE A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 5.15 PM TOMORROW (THURSDAY) IN THE G.I.S. PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM, FIFTH FLOOR, BEACONSFIELD HOUSE.
MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES ARE INVITED TO COVER THE CONFERENCE.