XN000022-1987-01-14 — Page 34

32

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1987

+WE SHALL VERY SHORTLY BE CONSULTING DISTRICT BOARDS ON THESE PROPOSALS.

+ BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL ENABLE GOVERNMENT TO DEAL SOME MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE PROBLEM, HE SAID.

+1 SHOULD LIKE TO EMPHASISE IN CONCLUSION THAT OUR FOREMOST CONCERN IN DEALING WITH UNAUTHORISED BUILDING WORKS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND MUST CONTINUE TO BE THE REMOVAL OF ANY IMMINENT DANGER TO THE PUBLIC,+ HE SAID.

O

1

EFFECTIVE MEASURES TAKEN TO PREVENT SQUATTER FIRES

*****

GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO PREVENT SQUATTER FIRES HAVE BEEN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AS SHOWN BY THE MARKED REDUCTION IN BOTH THE NUMBER OF LARGE-SCALE FIRES AND THE FIRE VICTIMS INVOLVED, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, THE HON DONALD LIAO, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY),

REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, MR LIAO SAID THE MEASURES INCLUDE FIRE WATCH TEAMS, PUBLICITY PROGRAMMES, CONTROL OF ILLEGAL TAPPING OF ELECTRICITY AND THE SQUATTER AREA IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME.

EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF CURRENT FIRE PREVENTION MEASURES WAS BEING ACHIEVED THROUGH THE CONTINUOUS EFFORT OF DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED INCLUDING FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION.

+TO DATE, 187 FIRE WATCH TEAMS OF LOCAL VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN FORMED IN ALL MAJOR SQUATTER AREAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH DISTRICT BOARDS.

+THEIR PRIMARY ROLE IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AMONG RESIDENTS, PROMOTE BETTER FIRE PRECAUTION MEASURES AND TO RAISE FIRE ALARMS ON DETECTION OF A FIRE,+ MR LIAO SAID.

HE SAID THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT MADE 1 213 VISITS TO SQUATTER AREAS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY AS PART OF ITS REGULAR PROGRAMME OF PUBLICISING FIRE PREVENTION METHODS.

+THE DEPARTMENT