XN000022-1984-07-31 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, JULY 31, 1984

BY COMPARISON, THE RESPONSE TIME IN REMOTE RURAL AREAS COULD BE UP TO 23 MINUTES.

MR HOLMES SAID THAT THE DEPARTMENT WAS PLANNING TO BUILD MORE FIRE STATIONS IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

+ IN THE PAST 20 YEARS, WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF STATIONS FROM 21 TO 48, AND AN ADDITIONAL 24 STATIONS ARE SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION BY 1991, HE SAID.

HE NOTED THAT IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE NUMBER OF FIRES REPORTED WAS UP 20 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

MR HOLMES RULED OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF INTRODUCING A PARAMED IC-TYPE OF SERVICE IN HONG KONG.

OR SHALL WE SAY LOUD

+THERE ARE FROM TIME TO TIME REQUESTS CRIES FOR PERSONNEL TRAINED TO THE IMAGE WE HAVE SEEN ON TV, NAMELY THAT OF THE PARAMEDIC, HE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT THIS TYPE OF SERVICE WAS UNNECESSARY IN HONG KONG BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF HOSPITALS AND CLINICS HERE.

PILING TENDER APPROVED FOR HOUSING PROJECT

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A PILING TENDER HAS RECENTLY BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE FINAL PHASES OF HIN KENG ESTATE, THE 10TH PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT IN SHA TIN NEW TOWN.

UNDER THE $8.8 MILLION TENDER, PILING WORK WILL SOON BEGIN FOR A COMMERCIAL CENTRE AND A CARPARK IN THE SECOND PHASE AND TWO TRIDENT BLOCKS AS PART OF THE THIRD PHASE.

UPON COMPLETION OF PILING EARLY NEXT YEAR, CONSTRUCTION WILL START ON THE TWO DOMESTIC BLOCKS WITH 1 428 MODERN FLATS TO HOUSE 6 700 PEOPLE.

THE THIRD PHASE WILL HAVE TWO MORE BLOCKS PROVIDING HOMES FOR ANOTHER 5 600 PEOPLE.

BEING BUILT IN THREE PHASES, HIN KENG ESTATE WILL BECOME YET ANOTHER SELF-SUFFICIENT COMMUNITY IN THE NEW TOWN WITH A POPULATION OF 27 000 PEOPLE UPON FULL COMPLETION BY 1987.

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