H |香港政府 GIS |新聞處]
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 1975
NEW SNORKELS FOR FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT
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TWO NEW FIRE ENGINES, FITTED WITH 50-FOOT SNORKELS (ELEVATED HYDRAULIC PLATFORMS), ARE DUE TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MONTH.
THEY ARE THE FIRST CONSIGNMENT OF AN ORDER FOR TWELVE, COSTING ABOUT $3.9 MILLION, PLACED BY THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY LAST YEAR,
THE FIRE ENGINES ARE BEING MANUFACTURED BY DENNIS MOTORS, WHO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP GOING BACK SEVERAL DECADES WITH THE FIRE SERVICES IN HONG KONG, AND THE SNORKELS BY SIMON ENGINEERING.
THE REMAINING TEN APPLIANCES ARE TO ARRIVE IN BATCHES OF TWO AT MONTHLY INTERVALS AND, AT THIS RATE, THE ORDER SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER.
POWERED BY EIGHT-CYLINDER 185 BRAKE HORSEPOWER ENGINES, THE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FULLY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND POWER ASSISTED STEERING. THEY CAN SEAT SIX MEN. THE PUMP IS OF 1.000 GALLONS PER MINUTE CAPACITY SUPPLYING WATER TO TWO OUTLETS ON EACH SIDE OF THE APPLIANCE, PLUS ONE FITTED TO THE SNORKEL CAGE. THERE IS ALSO A TANK CONTAINING 250 GALLONS OF WATER FOR USE IMMEDIATELY ON ARRIVAL AT A FIRE SCENE AND 180 FEET OF THREE-QUARTER INCH HOSE IS PROVIDED WITH EACH APPLIANCE.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER FEATURES, INCLUDING A PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM, ELECTRIC WINDSCREEN WASHERS AND WIPERS, TWO TONE HORNS, A MECHANICAL EIGHT-DAY CLOCK AND AN 11-IN. SEARCH-LIGHT.
THE SNORKELS, WHICH ARE HIGHLY VERSATILE PIECES OF FIRE- FIGHTING EQUIPMENT, ARE FITTED WITH INTER-COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS BETWEEN CAGE AND BASE, KEEPING FIRE-FIGHTERS AND OPERATORS IN CONSTANT TOUCH.
THE NEW MACHINES WILL REPLACE OLDER APPLIANCES.
LAST YEAR, THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT TOOK DELIVERY OF 12 NEW FIRE ENGINES, WHICH THEY FITTED WITH 55-FOOT RESCUE LADDERS AND AN 85-FOOT SNORKEL. IN ADDITION TO THE TWELVE 50-FOOT SNORKELS, THERE ARE ALSO ON ORDER A 91-FOOT SNORKEL AND THREE 50-METRE LADDERS FROM WEST GERMANY. THE EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCE ELEMENT OF THE 1975/76 FIRE SERVICES BUDGET IS ABOUT 7-1/2 PERCENT OF A TOTAL BUDGET OF $89,740,000.
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Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191
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