Fire_Services_1962-1963 — Page 19

FIRES AND SPECIAL SERVICE CALLS

OF PARTICULAR INTEREST

68. Fire calls involving property in Hong Kong are classified as

follows:

1st Alarms

2nd Alarms..

3rd Alarms

4th Alarms

5th Alarms

Disaster Alarms

0-5 jets

Specially Dangerous Risks

6 - 10 jets

11-25 jets and/or persons unaccounted

for

26-50 jets

All resources

Each category of alarm is answered by a pre-determined number of

appliances and personnel.

69. Summary of alarms for the year was:

First Alarms

Second Alarms

Third Alarms

Fourth Alarms

Fifth Alarms

Disaster Alarms

2,727

279

80

13

2

Second Street, West Point, Hong Kong

1 (False Alarm with good intent)

3,102

70. At 5.58 a.m. on 14th April, 1962, a fire believed to be caused by the failure of illegal electrical wiring broke out in the basement of 19, Second Street. This building, excessively stocked with goods and chattels, (and for some undiscovered reason bags of lime) became rapidly involved in fire, which was raised to 4th alarm category. During opera- tions Assistant Station Officer No Wei-loong and Senior Fireman Mok Po fell some 30 feet into the centre of the fire area when floors suddenly collapsed. These officers were quickly rescued by colleagues but not before both were severely injured. NG, aged 26 years, died a few days later in Queen Mary Hospital. Mok survived with scars to remind him always of his narrow escape. Material damage was under $30 000.

New Market Street, Hong Kong

71. A little before 11 p.m. on 8th June, 1962, a fire broke out on the 1st floor of a 5-storey tenement building used as a domestic dwelling and for minor industry. Damage at $40,000 was relatively small, but the variety of dangerous goods present in the building produced a specta-

13