MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1978
FIREMEN MORE VIGILANT **.****
THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS CARRIED OUT A RECORD 269,000 INSPECTIONS ON PREMISES THROUGHOUT HONG KONG IN 1977, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY.
THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 6.7 PER CENT OVER THE 1976 RECORD.
AT THE SAME TIME, MORE THAN 10,850 FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT NOTICES WERE ISSUED AND 3,400 PROSECUTIONS TAKEN OUT, RESULTING IN FINES AMOUNTING TO OVER $1.3 MILLION BEING IMPOSED IN RESPECT OF VARIOUS CONTRAVENTIONS OF FIRE REGULATIONS.
COMPLAINTS FROM THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTED FOR SOME 64 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL INSPECTIONS, WITH 142,745 RELATING TO MEANS OF ESCAPE. AND 29,826 CONCERNING VARIOUS OTHER HAZARDS.
APART FROM INVESTIGATING THESE COMPLAINTS, STAFF OF THE BUREAU ALSO CARRIED OUT 15,157 REGULAR VISITS TO BUILDINGS TO ENSURE THAT THEIR COMMON CORRIDORS AND EXITS WERE FREE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS.
DURING THE YEAR, MORE THAN 46,370 INSPECTIONS OF FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL PREMISES AND 6,555 INSPECTIONS OF VENTILATION. SYSTEMS IN BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRY WERE UNDERTAKEN.
INSPECTIONS RELATED TO THE MANUFACTURE AND STORAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS TOTALLED 6,535.
THERE WERE ABOUT 17,400 VISITS RELATED TO RESTAURANTS, NIGHT CLUBS, SCHOOLS, FIRE SERVICE INSTALLATIONS, CINEMAS, MATSHĒDS, DANCE HALLS, BILLIARD ROOMS, TIMBER YARDS AND NEON SIGNS.
IN ADDITION, 1,912 INSPECTIONS WERE MADE ON VEHICLES USED FOR CARRYING COMPRESSED GASES AND INFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS AND 2,128
INSPECTIONS WERE CARRIED OUT ON CHILD CARE CENTRES.
DURING THE SAME PERIOD, THE BUREAU FINALISED 8,223 NEW BUILDING PLANS AND ISSUED OR RENEWED 3,513 DANGEROUS GOODS AND TIMBER YARDS STORAGE LICENCES.
FIRE OFFICERS ALSO INVESTIGATED 72 FIRES IN DEPTH AND CONDUCTED 182 LECTURES AND EXHIBITIONS ON THE RUDIMENTS OF FIRE. EIGHTING FOR STUDENTS AS WELL AS STAFF OF PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
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