FEBRUARY 1988
HONG KONG: THE FACTS
CIVIL AID SERVICES
The Civil Aid Services (CAS) is a uniformed and disci- plined Government-financed, volunteer emergency measures organization. The tasks the CAS undertake are numerous and diverse. Over the years, the Service has attracted international attention, particularly after the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission suggested the Service share its expertise with other nations in operating a volunteer emergency support service.
Role and Organization: The CAS was formed in 1952. Since then, it has grown from a wartime- oriented civil defence unit into a broad-based auxil- iary volunteer organization, capable of undertaking a wide range of emergency duties and helping to relieve the pressure on Hong Kong's full-time emergency forces.
The Service has an establishment of 3 698 adult members and a Cadet Corps of 3 030 youths. The Cadet Corps concentrates on youth training and activities and assists Adult Units in non-hazardous operational duties and community service. The aim is to train young people aged between 12 and 18 to act responsibly and to exercise self-discipline, resulting in better citizens of the future. Apart from enrolling boys, the Cadet Corps started recruiting girls in early November 1987, and, by the end of December 1987, 68 girls were enrolled into the Corps. Girl cadets will form separate and independent units under female officers and supervisors.
The Service has a permanent staff of 113, covering a Directorate, a Training Division and an Administration Division. The Training Division is divided into seven Sections covering all the Adult and Cadet Units in the Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Regions, and a rapid mobilization Tactical Force; the Adminis- tration Division, sub-divided into general administra- tion, accommodation, supplies and accounts, provides logistic support to the Service. The CAS HQ is at 100 Caroline Hill Road, Hong Kong.
Service Function: With emphasis on coping with natural disasters and performing civic duties, the tasks of the CAS are numerous and far-reaching. They include crowd and traffic control at processions and other events which attract large numbers of people, rescue of people lost, injured or trapped on mountains; rescue of people trapped in collapsed buildings or crashed vehicles, or buried in landslides; evacuation of people from dangerous or threatened buildings; and recovery of casualties from disaster sites and their transportation to ambulance loading points. The CAS is also equipped and trained to rescue survivors in the event of an aircraft crash.
Other duties include reconnaissance patrols and clearance of roadways, paths and other essential routes; marking of dangerous obstacles on roadways, cordoning off areas and assisting in the diversion and control of traffic; registration, control and supervision
of homeless persons including victims of fires, floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes and landslides, distri- bution of food and provisions during emergencies, assisting in the management of refugees and illegal immigrants arriving by boat; action against forest and bush fires including the patrolling of popular hiking trails in Country Parks and water-catchment areas, and education of the public using these areas on the danger of starting fires, and on other conservation matters.
The CAS is also prepared for action against oil pol- lution, including the spraying of dispersants, laying of oil spill control booms, providing relief for government drivers during emergencies and despatch riders where other forms of communications are unsatisfactory or not available. The Service also sets up and mans field telephone and radio telephone systems at incident sites.
Cadets are also brought into the field of operations and assist during government campaigns of all kinds, sport meetings and charity drives. They serve meals or refreshments to victims of disasters or at public func- tions during government campaigns.
Service Structure: The structure, role, training and equipment of the CAS are kept constantly under review so that the Service is able to tackle any tasks it is likely to have to face in any emergency or when assisting in performing civic duties. The Operations Wing under the command of the Deputy Commis- sioner (Operations) comprises the bulk of the CAS and consists of three Regional Units in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories and the rapid mobiliza- tion Tactical Force comprising the Mountain Rescue Unit, Emergency Unit and the Liaison Unit.
The Support Wing commanded by the Deputy Commissioner (Support) comprises Pay and Records, Sports, Band, Welfare, Stores, Central Training and Recruiting and Reserve of Officers Units. The Cadet Corps is grouped with the Support Wing Units but has its own infrastructure and is self-administering.
Mobilization is normally carried out through either the Deputy Commissioner (Operations) or his repre- sentative during office hours when the volunteer com- manders are engaged in their civil employment. How- ever, direct contact with any commander can be made at any time for assistance and the commander will use his discretion and initiative in meeting the request for help. After normal working hours, contact with any unit commander is sufficient to mobilize forces to meet any emergency. A Duty Officer is available perman- ently through a Radio Telephone Paging System.
Operations: In 1987, the CAS was heavily in- volved in a series of operational duties. The Mountain Rescue Unit responded to 28 callout operations, searching for missing hikers and rescuing injured hikers; the deployment of 200 adult members for countryside fire protection duty and 60 cadets for rural area patrol duties on each Sunday and public holiday
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