XN000022-1980-04-08 — Page 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 1980

CAS ON SPECIAL EASTER DUTIES

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THE CIVIL AID SERVICES WAS PUT TO THE TEST OVER THE EASTER HOLIDAYS AND HAS COME THROUGH REMARKABLY WELL.

THE CHING MING FESTIVAL COINCIDING WITH THE EASTER HOLIDAYS MEANT THAT THE CAS HAD TO MANAGE ENORMOUS CROWDS OF GRAVE SWEEPERS AND TO TAKE CARE OF HILL FIRES AND ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY HOLIDAY-MAKERS TO THE COUNTRYSIDE.

THE FIRST CALL FOR ASSISTANCE CAME FROM THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WHERE TREMENDOUS DEMANDS FOR TRAIN SERVICES WERE EXPECTED OVER THE HOLIDAYS.

IN RESPONSE TO THE URGENT CALL FOR MANPOWER FOR CROWD CONTROL AND DESPITE OTHER HEAVY COMMITMENTS, THE CAS MUSTERED NEARLY 400 ADULT AND CADET MEMBERS TO KEEP GOOD ORDER AT KOWLOON RAILWAY STATION.

THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM FACED CAN BE REFLECTED BY THE NUMBER OF TRAVELLERS WHO USED THE RAILWAY TERMINAL ON GOOD FRIDAY WHICH WAS ALSO CHING MING DAY, A RECORD 46 000 PEOPLE WERE REPORTED TO HAVE TAKEN THE TRAIN FROM KOWLOON.

WHILE THEIR COLLEAGUES WERE AT HUNG HOM CONTROLLING THE CROWDS, OTHER CAS MEMBERS WERE OUT IN FORCE IN THE COUNTRY PARKS AND FORESTRY PLANTATIONS KEEPING WATCH ON HILL FIRES.

AS

THE NUMBER OF CAS FIRE FIGHTERS ON PATROL WAS DOUBLED CHING MING IN THE PAST WAS A NOTORIOUSLY BAD TIME FOR COUNTRYSIDE FIRES. ALTOGETHER OVER 700 ADULT AND 160 CADET MEMBERS SACRIFICED THEIR HOLIDAYS FOR THIS SPECIAL DUTY.

THE FINAL COUNT WAS 92 HILL FIRES. CHING MING DAY WAS PARTICULARLY BUSY WITH 55 FIRES, 38 OF WHICH WERE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, 12 ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND FIVE IN KOWLOON.

CAS MEMBERS ACTIVELY HELPED IN STAMPING OUT 22 OF THEM OVER THE WEEKEND. QUICK RESPONSE BY FIRE FIGHTERS WAS A FACTOR TO PREVENT THESE FIRES GETTING OUT OF CONTROL. THE RATHER HIGH HUMIDITY AND INCREASED PUBLICITY ALSO HELPED. ONLY 11 HECTARES OF GRASSLAND WERE BURNT AND SOME 800 PINE TREES DESTROYED IN THE 22 FIRES CONTAINED BY CAS MEMBERS.

CAS MEMBERS ALSO HAD A BUSY TIME IN LOOKING AFTER PICNICKERS WHO NEGLECTED BASIC COMMON SENSE SAFETY RULES.

LATE ON SATURDAY NIGHT A CAS MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM RECEIVED AN EMERGENCY CALL TO PROCEED IMMEDIATELY TO YUNG SHU AU IN SAI KUNG TO RESCUE A YOUNG MAN WHO HAD FALLEN FROM A CLIFF AND RECEIVED HEAD INJURIES.

AFTER A QUICK BRIEFING BY THE KOWLOON POLICE DISTRICT CONTROLLER, A TEAM OF 10 TRAINED MOUNTAIN RESCUERS SPED TO THE SCENE AND LOCATED THE INJURED PERSON ON A STEEP ALMOST INACCESSIBLE ROCKY SLOPE ON COCK'S HILL IN THICK UNDERGROWTH.

/THE TEAM