XN000022-1980-10-01 — Page 20

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1980

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ON THE FIRE AND AMBULANCE SERVICES, SIR MURRAY DISCLOSED THAT THERE WERE PLANS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO PROVIDE FOR CONTINUED EXPANSION AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 15 PER CENT PER YEAR,

+AS HONG KONG HAS EXPANDED SO HAVE THE DEMANDS ON THESE SERVICES, HE SAID. THE SERVICE HAD TO RESPOND TO AN AVERAGE OF 650 EMERGENCY CALLS A DAY AT PRESENT COMPARED WITH 320 SEVEN YEARS AGO.

HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT IN SPITE OF CONGESTED STREETS, APPLIANCES AND AMBULANCES IN THE URBAN AREAS WERE ALMOST ALWAYS ON THE SCENE WITHIN SIX MINUTES OF AN ALARM BEING RECEIVED.

+FOR THIS SHORT RESPONSE TIME TO BE POSSIBLE THE SERVICE HAS BEEN EXPANDED OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS FROM JUST UNDER 3 500 TO OVER 5 000 MEN OF ALL RANKS WITH A CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN FIRE STATIONS AND AMBULANCE DEPOTS AS WELL AS FIRE APPLIANCES AND AMBULANCES, HE SAID.

SIR MURRAY SAID IN HONG KONG'S CROWDED ENVIRONMENT AND LONG DRY WINTER, FIRE POSED A CONSTANT THREAT, AND THERE WERE PARTICULAR HAZARDS OF BOTH HIGH RISE DEVELOPMENT AND SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS.

+THE FIRE AND AMBULANCE SERVICES HAVE MET THESE CHALLENGES EXCEPTIONALLY WELL, HE REMARKED.

ON FIRE PREVENTION IN MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS, HE MENTIONED THAT SINCE THE EARLY 1970S THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAD REQUIRED NEW BUILDINGS OVER A CERTAIN HEIGHT TO BE PROVIDED WITH AUTOMATIC FIRE DETECTION AND SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS, AND THE BENEFITS OF THESE WERE NOW BECOMING APPARENT.

+ IT IS HOPED THAT WITH THE WIDER APPLICATION OF MODERN SYSTEMS AND AS PROPERTY IS REDEVELOPED, THE RISK OF DEVASTATING FIRES IN MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE,+ HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE CO-OPERATION OF PROPERTY OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS IS ESSENTIAL. +

MORE POWER FOR DRUG FIGHTERS

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THE GOVERNMENT WILL INTRODUCE MORE LEGISLATIVE POWER IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS PART OF THE CONTINUING BATTLE AGAINST NARCOTICS, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE DISCLOSED TODAY.

ADDRESSING THE OPENING OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SIR MURRAY SAID THREE NEW PIECES OF LEGISLATION, WHICH HAD BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS, WOULD BE SUBMITTED DURING THE SESSION.

THEY ARE TO PROVIDE FOR THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS OF DRUG ADDICTS TO IMPOSE STRINGENT PENALITIES ON SHIPS REPEATEDLY FOUND TO BE CARRYING DANGEROUS DRUGS INTO HONG KONG AND TO STRIP CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS OF THE IR PROFITS.

/SIR MURRAY

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