XN000022-1985-02-10 — Page 8

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1985

+THE FIRST THING WE DO ON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE OF AN INCIDENT IS TO FIND A WITNESS TO PINPOINT THE LOCATION WHERE A PERSON IS REPORTED TO HAVE FALLEN INTO THE WATER.

+ IF NO WITNESS CAN BE FOUND, WE WILL MARK OUT A SEARCH AREA

ON THE BASIS OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION, MR WONG SAID.

USUALLY NO SEARCH OR RESCUE OPERATION WILL BE CARRIED OUT IF THE CURRENT IS STRONG, THE WATER IS MORE THAN 15 METRES DEEP, OR MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR HAS ELAPSED AFTER THE INCIDENT.

HOWEVER, TO CONSOLE THE FAMILY CONCERNED, DIVERS WILL TRY TO RECOVER THE BODY.

AT PRESENT, THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT OPERATES AROUND THE CLOCK THREE DIVING UNITS OF 22 DIVERS EACH.

IN ADDITION, THERE ARE 18 DIVERS IN THE FIRE CONTINGENT AT KAI TAK AIRPORT RESPONSIBLE FOR RESCUE OPERATIONS WITHIN 100 METRES OF THE AIRPORT.

MR WONG SHIU-HUNG HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED AN EIGHT-WEEK COURSE ON DIVING INSTRUCTION AND SUPERVISION AT A POLICE DIVING SCHOOL IN ENGLAND,

THE COURSE COVERED BASIC DIVING TECHNIQUES, SEARCH PATTERNS, EMERGENCY RESCUE PROCEDURES, UNDERWATER LIFTING EQUIPMENT, SAFETY REGULATIONS, UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY AND DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS.

MR WONG SAID HE WAS INCORPORATING WHAT HE HAD LEARNT INTO THE TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR FIRE SERVICES DIVERS.

FIREMEN APPLYING TO BE TRAINED AS DIVERS SHOULD BE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 25. THEY MUST TAKE AN APTITUDE TEST AND ATTEND A MEDICAL EXAMINATION CONDUCTED BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT FOR COMPRESSED AIR WORKERS.

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE GIVEN THREE WEEKS' TRAINING, COVERING BASIC DIVING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS WELL AS SEARCH METHODS.

THESE TRAINED FIREMEN WILL THEN BE POSTED TO +EMERGENCY TENDERS+, THESE ARE VEHICLES SPECIALLY EQUIPPED FOR FIGHTING BIG FIRES AND FOR SEA OR LAND RESCUE OPERATIONS WHEN LIVES ARE AT STAKE DURING FLOODING AND LANDSLIPS.

THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT NOW HAS SIX EMERGENCY TENDERS STATIONED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TERRITORY.

+WE WILL BE ACQUIRING FOUR NEW-TYPE VEHICLES KNOWN AS DIVING TENDERS. THEY ARE EQUIPPED SOLELY FOR DIVING OPERATIONS,+ SAID MR WONG WING-CHUNG, THE DEPARTMENT'S DIVISIONAL OFFICER TRAINING).

THESE NEW VEHICLES WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP TO THE DEPARTMENT'S DIVING TEAMS, HE SAID.

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