CO129-614-1 Commission of Inquiry into fire at West Point- report 26-5-1949 - 22-12-1949 — Page 75

54

75

(e) We should have felt satisfied that all possible steps to save

property had been taken if the Acting Chief Officer or another re-

sponsible Fire Brigade officer, who could have appreciated the im-

portance of early ingress into Godown No. 2, had been spared from

rescue operations during the earliest stages of the fire to maintain

general supervision of the fire area and especially the area at the

rear of the Des Voeux Road premises.

Summary of Recommendations:

101. (a) Wo recommend that the Fire Brigade and the Marine Department

and, where necessary, the Department of Imports and Exports should

interchange information about the arrival in or removal of dangerous

goods from the Colony. We consider that sufficient surveillance of

the movement of dangerous goods can be effected by such cooperation

without amending the regulations, exoept to provide that the ar-

rival of cinematograph film should be notified to the Marine De-

partment.

(b) We recommend that importers should endeavour to have cargoes

of dangerous goods labelled at source by their suppliers in ac-

cordance with Hong Kong regulations, and that the system of labell-

ing should be extended to celluloid and cinematograph films.

(c) We recommend that licensing plates should be reintroduced as

soon as possible and that licenses for storage of dangerous goods

should be required to be prominently displayed in places of storage,

(a) We recommend that all godowns and places of storage above a cor-

tain size to be specified by law should bo required by law to regis-

ter with the Fire Brigade, od that they should be open to inspec-

tion by authorised officers of the Fire Brigade.

(e) We recommend that a staff of qualified inspectors be added to

the strength of the Fire Brigade, so that the regulations for the

storage of dangerous goods and cinematograph film may be adequately

enforced.

(f) We recommend that fire insurance companies should voluntarily

agree to refuse insurance cover on "extra-hazardous" goods stored

in buildings partially used or connected with domestic premises.