5.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1976
COLOUR POSTERS ON FIRE PREVENTION
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THREE FULL-COLOUR POSTERS ARE NOW APPEARING IN VARIOUS PARTS OF HONG KONG FOLLOWING THE LAUNCHING OF THE CURRENT FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN.
THE POSTERS, ILLUSTRATING A MAJOR URBAN FIRE, A SQUATTER FIRE AND A COUNTRYSIDE FIRE RESPECTIVELY, CARRY THE SAME SLOGAN : +THE HIGH COST OF CARELESSNESS PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY+,
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A FIRE SERVICES SPOKESMAN SAID THE OBJECT OF THE POSTERS WAS TO DRAW PEOPLE'S ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT CARELESSNESS WAS THE CAUSE OF MOST FIRES.
HE EXPLAINED : +THROWING AWAY A LIGHTED CIGARETTE END IS CARELESSNESS, SO IS LEAVING MATCHES AROUND.+
DEFECTIVE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT, OVERTURN OF KEROSENE STOVES AND IMPROPER HANDLING OF LPG STOVES ALSO ACCOUNT FOR THOUSANDS OF FIRES EVERY YEAR.
+ALTHOUGH WE ARE CONSTANTLY WARNING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE INCREASING DANGER FROM FIRE AND URGING THEM TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS, + THE SPOKESMAN SAID, THE NUMBER OF FIRES CONTINUES TO GO UP.+
STATISTICS COMPILED BY THE DEPARTMENT SHOWED THAT CLOSE TO 6,000 FIRES BROKE OUT IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR RESULTING IN 23 PEOPLE KILLED AND 351 INJURED.
+THE FIGURES REPRESENT A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF 50 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR AND IN FACT MOST OF THE FIRES COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CARE WAS TAKEN, + HE STRESSED.
HE URGED ALL SMOKERS, HOUSEWIVES AS WELL AS WORKERS TO BE CAREFUL AT ALL TIME ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN THE HUMIDITY IS LOW AND FIRES CAN START EASILY.
UNLESS EXTRA PRECAUTIONS WERE TAKEN, HE WARNED, 1976 COULD BE A RECORD YEAR FOR FIRES, INJURIES AND DEATHS.
HE SAID THAT THE FIRE SERVICES HAS PRODUCED A NUMBER OF BOOKLETS ON FIRE PREVENTION WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE FROM THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU ON THE 11TH FLOOR OF ASIAN HOUSE.
THESE BOOKLETS, PUBLISHED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE, COVER A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS, INCLUDING HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM FIRE+, +ELECTRICAL SAFETY+, +SMOKING AND MATCHES+ +WINTER PRECAUTIONS+ AND +HINTS ON THE SAFE USE OF KEROSENE AND GAS APPLIANCES+,
THE CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FIRES DURING THE DRY MONTHS.
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