Schools, Restaurants & Places of Public Entertainment and Assembly 97. This section of the Bureau works in conjunction with the Education Department, Urban Council and the Commissioner of Police who are the licensing and registration authorities for the undertakings concerned. The liaison with all these departments is good but inevitably difficulties do arise. In places of public entertainment these difficulties are principally encountered in the field of 'occasional' entertainment e.g. matshed theatres, temporary stage shows etc. where the maintenance of reasonable standards of safety for the audience is constantly under review.
98. In the case of schools the demand for school places is con- stantly on the increase and officers in this section have the difficult task of treading the fine line that separates the acceptable from the positively dangerous in relation to premises not designed for school purposes.
99. So far as restaurants are concerned new administrative arrange- ments formulated between the Bureau and the Urban Council arc confidently expected to stream-line the processing of licensing applica- tions and at the same time ensure that the safety of restaurant patrons is in no way diminished. Apart from the initial problems related to suitability of premises in this field one of the greatest hazards is the overcrowding of these places during festive seasons. The Bureau is now doing an increasing number of inspections during peak periods to keep check on these conditions. Such inspections are being made not only to restaurants but to all places where a licensee invites the public to his premises as a licence holder is obliged to ensure that the people he invites in no way have their safety placed in jeopardy.
Public Relations and Fire Prevention Education
100. In co-operation with the Government Information Services, rural committees, kaifong associations and numerous other community agencies Fire Prevention Bureau personnel and staff of the operational Fire Commands conducted fire prevention exhibitions, training courses and gave lectures to members of the public throughout the year as listed in Appendix VIIIA and VIIIB.
101. The Fire Prevention Bureau again provided a senior fire officer to lecture on fire prevention to architectural undergraduates at the University of Hong Kong and also an officer undertook similar lectures for students at the Hong Kong Technical College.
19
Page 25Page 26
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.