Fire_Services_1965-1966 — Page 22

a manner that if required they can be produced in court as evidence of the circumstances which may be under query.

Accidents to Fire Service Vehicles

75. The total mileage of Fire Service units increased by 100,000 miles, but despite this there was no significant increase in the number of accidents involving Fire Service vehicles; these totalled 131 this year as compared to 123 for last year. The containing of the accident rate at these figures is no doubt due to the more concentrated training programme which started in 1964, but there are no grounds for com- placency, and as training facilities improve driving instruction courses will be intensified.

FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU

76. The Fire Prevention Bureau continued to develop and there are few sections of the community which have not in some way been affected or influenced by the work of the Bureau.

77. In a colony developing as rapidly in terms of industrial sophis- tication as Hong Kong the Service is faced with a multitude of problems, but the most important of these is staffing the Bureau by trained technologists. Any expansion programme for the Fire Preven- tion Bureau must necessarily be geared to the rate at which trained staff can be provided. Fire protection duties necessarily demand pre- liminary training and experience of fire ground activities followed by a minimum of two years advanced technical instruction. It follows, therefore, that since the operational sections, which are also expanding, must not be drained to strengthen the Bureau, the temptation to expand and extend the Bureau's activities must be resisted however great the pressure is from external sources otherwise quality will be usurped by the superficiality of quantity and permutate the existing and future fire hazard problems.

78. Although the Bureau is under-staffed it has had a most success- ful year and has gained the increasing respect and co-operation of the public by the diligence and dedication of its staff.

Abatement of Fire Hazards

79. Complaints from all sources and by all means (e.g. letters, telephone calls, personal visits to fire stations, etc.) have substantially increased during the year. The majority of complaints draw attention to

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