SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 1982
SQUATTER FIRES INCREASE ****
THE NUMBER OF SQUATTER FIRES INCREASED FROM A TOTAL OF 229 IN 1980 TO 255 FOR THE FIRST 11 MONTHS LAST YEAR.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT DISCLOSED TODAY (SUNDAY).
TWO PERSONS DIED AND 63 PEOPLE WERE INJURED AS A RESULT OF SQUATTER FIRES.
FIRES IN INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS DECREASED FROM 560 IN 1980 TO 488, BUT 18 PERSONS WERE KILLED AND 116 PERSONS INJURED AS A RESULT.
THERE WERE 1 228 FIRES IN DOMESTIC PREMISES, WITH FOUR PEOPLE BEING KILLED AND 216 INJURED.
THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN FIFTH ALARM FIRES, FROM ONE CASE REPORTED IN 1980 TO FOUR, WHILE THE NUMBER OF FOURTH ALARM FIRES INCREASED TO SEVEN FROM THE FIVE REPORTED IN 1980.
DURING THE YEAR, THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT LAUNCHED A YEAR-ROUND RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN FOR FIREMEN AND STATION OFFICERS IN ORDER TO MEET ITS EXPANSION PROGRAMME.
A NEW MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FIRE-BOAT, EQUIPPED WITH A MARINE SNORKEL AND CAPABLE OF PUMPING FOAM AND WATER AT A RATE OF 11 300 LITRES PER MINUTE WAS ADDED TO THE FIRE SERVICES MARINE FLEET, THE SHEUNG WAN DIVISIONAL FIRE STATION AND GARDEN ROAD FIRE STATION WERE COMPLETED AND HANDED OVER TO THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT DURING THE YEAR.
WORK HAS STARTED ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEVERAL FIRE STATIONS DUE FOR COMPLETION THIS YEAR AT MAI PO, DISCOVERY BAY, CHAI WAN AND WONG TAI SIN.
ALSO DURING LAST YEAR, THE FIRE PROTECTION BUREAU (FPB) OF THE DEPARTMENT WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE REGIONAL OFFICES TO PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE.
THREE SEMI-AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL OFFICES HAVE BEEN OPERATING SEPARATELY FROM HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES WHILE THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE BUREAU REMAIN IN ASIAN HOUSE, WAN CHAI.
THE REGIONAL OFFICES DEAL WITH FIRE PROTECTION MATTERS RELATING TO COMPLAINTS, PROSECUTIONS, SCHOOLS AND FACTORIES. THEY ALSO DEAL WITH DANGEROUS GOODS LICENSING, TIMBER STORES LICENSING AND LICENSING MATTERS CONCERNING PUBLIC ASSEMBLY.
TEN PUMP SNORKELS ARE DUE TO ARRIVE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM EARLY THIS YEAR AS REPLACEMENT AND FOR NEW FIRE STATIONS.
ADDITIONALLY, TWO