Fire_Services_1965-1966 — Page 11

REORGANIZATION

21. On 1st April, 1966 the Service was reorganized into four main commands, i.e. Fire Service Headquarters, Fire Prevention Bureau, Hong Kong Island and Marine Command, and Mainland Command (see Appendix I). Each command, except Fire Service Headquarters, is under the command of a Chief Fire and Ambulance Officer or, in the case of the Fire Prevention Bureau, by a Chief Fire Prevention Officer. The revised structure of the Service in effect provides two semi- autonomous fire brigades on a conventional British pattern working to Fire Service Headquarters which fulfils, inter alia, the role of the Fire Services Department of the Home Office in the British Fire Service structure.

CHANGES OF TITLES

22. In consequence of the reorganization of the Service, the follow- ing new and revised titles were introduced during the year:

Nil Nil

Old Title

District Fire Officer

Senior Divisional Officer Divisional Officer

Assistant Divisional Officer Station Officer

New Title

Chief Fire and Ambulance Officer Chief Fire Prevention Officer Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Senior Fire Officer Class I Senior Fire Officer Class II

Fire Officer Class I

Fire Officer Class II

Assistant Station Officer

Fire Officer Class III

AMBULANCE SERVICE

23. During the year the Ambulance Service responded to 65,126 calls of which 25,246 were of an emergency nature and the balance of 39,880 were non-urgent removals.

24. Plans for the reconstitution of the Ambulance Service as a separate division with its own officer and rank and file echelons were completed early in 1966, and the new division should be fully opera- tional early in the 1966-67 financial year.

25. As a necessary preliminary to the production of a five year development plan for the Ambulance Division a Departmental Working party collated, analysed and evaluated the potential ambulance require- ments of the Colony having regard to census appreciations, hospital and other medical development plans, traffic densities, etc. The working party's report was nearly ready by the time this report was written.

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