XN000022-1975-07-13 — Page 1

L

香港政府

GIS H

新圖處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

SUNDAY, JULY 13, 1975.

BIG DROP IN FIRE CALLS RECORDED LAST YEAR BUT NO CAUSE FOR COMPLANCENCY, SAYS FIRE CHIEF

****

THE NUMBER OF FIRE CALLS DURING THE 1974/75 FINANCIAL YEAR DROPPED BY A HEFTY 29 PER CENT TO 6,283 — THE LOWEST SINCE 1970/71 THANKS TO THE WEATHER AND GREATER FIRE PREVENTION PUBLICITY,

THIS IS STATED BY MR. HARRY WOOD, DIRECTOR OF THE FIRE SERVICES, IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT WHICH IS TO BE PUBLISHED SOON.

HE NOTES THAT THE NUMBER OF FIRE CALLS IN 1974/75 WERE DOWN BY 2,508 THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND ATTRIBUTES THE DECLINE MOSTLY TO THE REVERSAL OF THE NORMAL DRY WEATHER PATTERN IN OCTOBER USUALLY THE BEGINNING OF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUSIEST TIME.

DESPITE THE FAVOURABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS, HOWEVER, THERE WERE STILL 723 FIRES IN OCTOBER, THE LARGEST NUMBER FOR ANY MONTH\DURING THE YEAR.

IN TERMS OF TOTAL CALLS, THE REPORT SAYS, THE YEAR WAS ALSO THE BUSIEST ON RECORD, WITH 120,059 FIRE, SPECIAL SERVICE AND AMBULANCE CALLS RECEIVED. AND, ALTHOUGH FIRE CALLS WERE DOWN, 5,076 MORE AMBULANCE CALLS WERE ANSWERED.

THE DIRECTOR STRONGLY WARNS AGAINST COMPLACENCY, HOWEVER, AND POINTED OUT THAT A YEAR WHEN THE NUMBER OF FIRE CALLS IS DOWN IS USUALLY FOLLOWED BY ONE IN WHICH THERE IS AʼSIZABLE RISE'

HE NOTES THAT, IF PAST TRENDS ARE FOLLOWED, THIS COULD VERY WELL MEAN THAT HONG KONG CAN REASONABLY EXPECT 10,000 FIRES IN 1975/76, OR DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF JUST SIX YEARS PREVIOUSLY.

+THIS IS LOOKING ON THE BLACK SIDE ADMITTEDLY, HE SAYS +BUT IT IS CERTAINLY REFLECTS THE STATISTICAL TREND AND IT IS RIGHT THAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE WARNED AGAINST COMPLACENCY AND ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ALL POSSIBLE PRECAUTIONS.+

ON THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU, THE REPORT SAYS THAT, WHILE THE UNDERLYING FIRE TREND IS UPWARDS, A WORSE STATE OF AFFAIRS WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY EXIST BUT FOR THE WORK OF THE BUREAU WHICH, WITH A STAFF OF 160, GETS THROUGH 'A PRODIGIOUS NUMBER" OF INSPECTIONS EACH MONTH TO EXPOSE AND ELIMINATE THE RISK OF FIRE IN RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS, CINEMAS, RESTAURANTS AND NIGHTCLUBS.

/IT GOES ON:

Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233101

PAH 7