MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1976.
FIRE LOSSES DOWN BY 20 PER CENT IN 1975
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THE NUMBER OF FIRE CALLS RECEIVED BY THE FIRE SERVICES ARTMENT IN 1975 SHOWED A SLIGHT INCREASE, BUT THE ESTIMATED TOTAL LOSSES WERE DOWN BY ABOUT 20 PER CENT,
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY, THE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 7,370 FIRE CALLS LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH 6,971 FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR. DIRECT MONETARY LOSSES FROM FIRES IN 1975, ESTIMATED AT $40 MILLION, WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN ON THE FIGURE OF $50 MILLION FOR 1974.
A TOTAL OF 399 INDUSTRIAL FIRES COSTING ABOUT $29 MILLION WERE REPORTED. THIS MEANS THAT ALTHOUGH ONLY 5.4 PER CENT OF FIRES OCCURRED IN THIS SECTOR, THEY ACCOUNTED FOR 72 PER CENT OF TOTAL MONETARY LOSSES. THE RESPECTIVE FIGURES FOR 1974 WERE 377 FIRES AND $38 MILLION.
THERE WERE ALSO 868 DOMESTIC FIRES, 1,854 GRASS FIRES AND
31 SHIP FIRES DURING THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW.
AS IN PAST YEARS, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF FIRES WERE ATTRIBUTED TO CARELESS HANDLING OR DISPOSAL OF CIGARETTE ENDS AND MATCHES (2,293) AND ELECTRICAL FAULTS (1,087).
THIRTY-EIGHT PEOPLE DIED, 412 PEOPLE INCLUDING 25 FIREMEN WERE INJURED AND 513 PEOPLE WERE RESCUED BY FIREMEN,
THE YEAR'S MOST EXPENSIVE FIRE BROKE OUT ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN A FACTORY BUILDING IN LEE CHUNG STREET, CHAI WAN, WHERE THE LOSS AMOUNTED TO $5.1 MILLION. IT TOOK FIREMEN MORE THAN EIGHT HOURS TO PUT OUT THE BLAZE.
DECEMBER WAS THE BUSIEST MONTH FOR FIREMEN WHEN 1,265 CALLS WERE DEALT WITH, FOLLOWED BY NOVEMBER WITH 863 FIRES.
IN ADDITION, THE DEPARTMENT ALSO HANDLED 3,651 SPECIAL SERVICE CALLS INCLUDING DROWNINGS, HANGINGS, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND OTHER MISHAPS IN WHICH 279 DEATHS AND 1,470 INJURIES OCCURRED.
COMMENTING ON THE STATISTICS, THE DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES, MR. FRED WATSON, SAID: +ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A DROP OF 20 PER CENT IN FIRE LOSSES LAST YEAR, THERE IS STILL CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND NONE WHATEVER FOR COMPLACENCY.+
HE CONSIDERED THAT THE REDUCTION COULD PARTLY BE DUE TO THE INTENSIVE FIRE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
HOWEVER, HE CONTINUED: +A GREATER AWARENESS OF FIRE DANGERS BY MEMBERS. OF THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS THE COMMISSION OF A NUMBER OF NEW AND IMPROVED FIRE APPLIANCES MIGHT ALSO HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR THE SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL SAVING.+
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