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SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 1977
DEMANDS FOR AMBULANCE SERVICE GROW
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THE AMBULANCE COMMAND OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAD A BUSY YEAR LAST YEAR, RESPONDING TO A TOTAL OF 145,520 CALLS, ABOUT 15 PER CENT MORE THAN IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
OF THE TOTAL, 118,134 (82 PER CENT) WERE EMERGENCY CALLS, INCLUDING MATERNITY CASES.
THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS CARRIED ALSO INCREASED BY 16 PER CENT, FROM 152,816 IN 1975 TO 177,624 LAST YEAR.
ALTHOUGH THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF CALLS RECEIVED PER DAY WAS ABOUT 400, THIS FIGURE WAS FAR EXCEEDED ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CALLS IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD WAS 516, ACHIEVED ON MAY 26.
THE AMBULANCE COMMAND OPERATES A FLEET OF 99 AMBULANCES AND HAS AN ESTABLISHMENT OF ABOUT 640.
A NEW AMBULANCE STATION AT THE HING WAH ESTATE IN CHAI WAN WAS BROUGHT INTO SERVICE IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR, BRINGING TO 10 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEPOTS AND STATIONS NOW IN OPERATION. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE NORMALLY TWO AMBULANCES IN MOST FIRE STATIONS IN THE URBAN AREA.
A SPOKESMAN OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT SAID: +THE NUMBER OF CALLS HAS BEEN RISING BY ABOUT 15 PER CENT ANNUALLY DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS AND TO COPE WITH THE CONTINUING GROWTH IN DEMAND, PLANS ARE IN HAND TO EXPAND THE AMBULANCE FLEET AND TO BUILD MORE AMBULANCE DEPOTS.
A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ARE CURRENTLY IN EITHER CATEGORY A OR B OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME. THESE INCLUDE AN AMBULANCE DEPOT EACH FOR TUEN MUN, SHA TIN, TSING YI, CHEUNG SHA WAN, NGAU CHI WAN, QUARRY BAY AND ABERDEEN.
MEANWHILE, A TWO-STOREY DEPOT AT WO YIP HO ROAD IN KWAI CHUNG IS GRADUALLY TAKING SHAPE.
UPON COMPLETION IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, IT WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS IN BOTH KWA CHUNG AND TSUEN WAN AREAS.
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