XN000022-1973-02-17 — Page 3

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Saturday, February 17, 1973

FOUR NEW FIRE STATIONS FULLY OPERATIONAL

More Are Being Planned

Four new fire stations, which were completed towards the end

of last year, are now in full operation.

They are in Fanling, Cheung Sha Wan, King's Park (Yau Ma Tei)

and Kwai Chung.

Two more stations in Yau Tong and Chung Hom Kok are expected

to go into operation soon following their completion later this month.

With the completion of these two new stations, Hong Kong will

have a total of 37 fire stations →→ 13 on Hong Kong Island, 12 in Kowloon

and 12 in the New Territories.

Some 10 others are being planned.

Meanwhile, work on the new Airport Fire Station, which is to replace

the existing one, will begin shortly.

It is expected to be completed in November.

The resiting of the present station is necessary because it would

be cut off from the rest of the airport by construction works on the

airport tunnel road.

A spokesman for the Fire Services Department said today that all

these new fire stations formed part of an expansion plan designed to

reduce to six minutes the interval between the raising of an alarm

and the arrival of fire engines at the scene anywhere.

The spokesman