FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1981
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AMBULANCES HAVE BUSY TIME
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THE AMBULANCE COMMAND OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT SET A NEW DAILY RECORD BY RESPONDING TO 812 CALLS LAST FRIDAY (MAY 1).
THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 811 CALLS, RECEIVED DURING THE 24 HOURS ON JUNE 18 LAST YEAR.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID THE NUMBER OF CALLS RECEIVED HAS BEEN EXPANDING FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS AT A RATE OF BETWEEN EIGHT AND 15 PER CENT.
LAST YEAR, 221 057 CALLS WERE MADE COMPARED WITH 199 152 IN 1979. THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 11 PER CENT.
WHEN COMPARING THE 1979 FIGURE WITH 173 816 CALLS OF 1978, THE RISE IS ABOUT 14.6 PER CENT,
IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE RESPONSE BY THE COMMAND TOTALLED 77 974 COMPARED WITH 69 459 RECORDED DURING THE SIMILAR PERIOD IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THIS REPRESENTS AN
INCREASE OF ABOUT 12.3 PER CENT,
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE REASONS FOR THE INCREASING NUMBER OF CALLS RECEIVED BY THE SERVICE WERE MANY, THE MAJOR ONES BEING THE GROWTH OF THE POPULATION AND THE PUBLIC MAKING INCREASING USE OF THE AMBULANCE SERVICE.
CITING AN EXAMPLE OF PRESSURE EXPERIENCED BY THE DEPARTMENT, THE SPOKESMAN SAID IN ONE INCIDENT ALONE ON MARCH 19 THIS YEAR WHEN A JETFOIL RAN AGROUND IN HONG KONG WATERS, 15 AMBULANCES WERE USED TO TRANSPORT 86 INJURED PASSENGERS TO QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL.
TO COPE WITH INCREASING CALLS MORE AMBULANCES ARE ENTERING SERVICE. MOST OF THE 24 ADDITIONAL VEHICLES ORDERED FOR THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR HAVE ARRIVED AND THE DEPARTMENT IS AT PRESENT CONSIDER ING BUYING ABOUT 26 NEW ONES FOR THE COMING YEAR.
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