Inquest findings on hill fire case being studied
In response to media enquiries on the decision by the Coroner's Court on the Pat Sin Leng hill fire, the Director of Education, Mrs Helen C P Lai Yu, said today (Friday):
"We are studying the findings of the Coroner's inquest to follow up positively any improvement measures practicable.
"Meanwhile, work is well underway in reviewing the guidelines on school outdoor activities to enhance input by experts from the relevant fields and to strengthen liaison among departments concerned. We will issue the revised guidelines to schools in the 1996-97 school year.
"In addition, we will organise seminars and in-service teacher education programmes to enhance the understanding and awareness of the necessary safety precautions among teachers and heads of schools.
"We are also studying the feasibility of providing mobile phones to schools for use in outdoor activities. However, our findings so far have indicated a number of technical problems, including signal reception in certain locations on land or at sea, and the question of effectiveness.
"Another area of review is the block insurance scheme, which covers outdoor activities organised by public sector schools. We will shortly finalise plans for raising the levels of indemnity."
End
Search and rescue exercise to enhance co-ordination conducted
A major joint exercise aimed at enhancing the communication, co-ordination, command and control capabilities of emergencies services in massive mountain rescue operation was held at Shing Mun Country Park this (Friday) morning.
The exercise, organised by the Fire Services Department, simulated an incident involving a number of hikers being washed downstream by mountain torrents.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.