19. As problems have been so great, and are by no means of recent origin, very careful analysis of causes have been maintained, possible remedies examined, and where practicable these have been tried. The simple fact in all areas is, however, that there are better paid jobs in commercial and industrial fields with more freedom and less personal risk, and so long as this remains so, no remedy within our present concept of the ranking system will prove anything more than temporary.
20. The most serious affect on the well-being of the Service is our continuing inability to recruit suitable trainee officers (i.e. Fire Officers Cl. III). In this echelon we remain 65% under establishment, and if a solution is not found within the next 18 months considerable recruitment of overseas officers will be necessary to avoid organizational collapse of the intermediate echelons. In the long term the situation is extremely serious as we lack the facilities to produce sufficient officers of local origin to fill vacancies created by the retirement of Senior Officers.
AMBULANCE SERVICE
21. As was mentioned in paragraph 13 the position of the Ambulance Service has been under consideration in the light of experience since the inception of the 10 year development plan. It is probable that the Ambulance Service, whilst remaining under the overall control of the Fire Services Department, will have to be developed as a separate Service.
22. Interchange with comparable ranks in the Fire Service has failed to produce the right person for what is after all a very different career, The supervisors in charge of ambulances in Hong Kong not only need to be experienced male nurses but also have to base their treatment on their own preliminary diagnosis. They need, as do also their assistants, to be bilingual, to possess high standards of initiative, powers of decision and the capability of working under highly emotional circumstances without guidance or supervision. Persons with such attributes can only be attracted to the Service if there are prospects of an attractive career.
23. The co-ordination, deployment and training of ambulance personnel serving a population of nearly 4 million in a territory where a hypercritical eye must of necessity be maintained over expenditure requires the whole time services of professional officers, and 'Fire Officers' find it hard to give such attention to ambulance duties. Proposals to remedy the deficiencies referred to are being considered.
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