SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1980
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THE MOST PROMINENT FEATURE OF THE 34-METRE BOAT IS THE HYDRAULIC PLATFORM WHICH CAN TURN FULL CIRCLE AND BE ELEVATED TO A HEIGHT OF 24 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
+ITS MONITOR WITH LARGE WATER FLOW AND THE FACT THAT IT CAN TOWER OVER A FIRE MAKE IT A POTENT FORCE IN FIGHTING SHIP FIRES EVEN ON LARGE CONTAINER SHIPS, MR DOONG SAID.
THE VESSEL WILL ALSO HAVE A DRY CHEMICAL UNIT WITH A CAPACITY TO STORE 1 030 KILOGRAMS OF DRY CHEMICAL POWDER.
COMPLEMENTING THESE ARE THREE FOAM/WATER MONITORS AT THE BOW AND THREE WATER MONITORS AT THE STERN. THERE ARE ALSO FOUR DELIVERY HEADS FOR CONNECTING EXTRA HYDRANTS,
+THE SNORKEL AND MONITORS WILL BE SUPPLIED WITH FOAM COMPOUND THROUGH FOUR SETS OF VARIABLE INDUCTORS FROM TWO FOAM LIQUID STORAGE TANKS, EACH OF WHICH HAS A STORAGE CAPACITY OF 8 600 LITRES,+ SAID MR DOONG.
ANOTHER OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE FIRE BOAT IS ITS TWIN DIESEL ENGINES OF 850 HORSE POWER EACH.
THEY WILL ALSO POWER TWO OF THE THREE SETS OF DUAL-STAGE CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS. THE THIRD WILL BE DRIVEN BY AN
INDEPENDENT ENGINE. THIS WILL PERMIT PUMPING AND MANOEUVRING TO BE CARRIED OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE TOTAL PUMPING CAPACITY IS ABOUT 27 275 LITRES PER MINUTE.
THE ENGINES ARE PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE AS THEY HAVE ATTACHED TWO VARIABLE PITCH PROPELLERS WHICH WILL ENABLE THE CREW TO MANOEUVRE THE BOAT WITH EASE.
STANDARD INSTALLATIONS INCLUDE MODERN NAVIGATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, TELECOMMUNICATION AND INTERCOM SYSTEMS, AND LIFE-SAVING AND BREATHING APPARATUS EQUIPMENT. IT WILL ALSO BE FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED.
THE VESSEL WILL CARRY A 12-MAN CREW, AND WHEN COMPLETED, WILL BE DEPLOYED AT THE FIRE BOAT BERTH NEAR TSING YI.
AT PRESENT, THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS SIX FIRE BOATS AND A CREW OF 158 PROVIDING FIRE COVER IN HONG KONG WATERS. SOME 60 MORE MEMBERS WILL BE RECRUITED TO MAN THE NEW BOAT.
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