ENG-1970 — Page 254

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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES

or nursing, whilst others are trained for auxiliary duties within the Service. In emergencies, the functions of the Auxiliary Medical Service are to augment the Medical and Health Department by providing additional staff and equipment for hospitals and clinics, to provide first aid parties to work in disaster areas and to provide trained drivers and ambulance crews to assist the Fire Services. Members have continued to show a keen interest in learning first aid, casualty handling and life saving and during the year two hundred qualified life savers from the Service were made available for duties at public bathing beaches, to reinforce the life guards of the Urban Services Department. The establishment of additional Auxiliary Medical Service teams in the New Territories and outly- ing islands is progressing steadily.

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The Civil Aid Services, with a strength of over 4,000 volunteer members from all walks of life in the community, is a multi-purpose auxiliary force which is trained and ready to assist with emergencies of all kinds. Members are posted to the Warden Service, Rescue Units, Command Units and other Administrative Units, whose duties include crowd control, search and rescue, radio telephonic communications, casualty handling and mountain rescue. The Civil Aid Services has continued to instruct and maintain trained person- nel for essential public utilities, including tram and bus drivers and wharf machine operators. During 1970, three new Warden Zones were established in the New Territories at Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan and Tai Po-Sha Tin. The four mountain rescue teams have continued to maintain a high standard of training and one team is on standby duty during every Sunday and public holiday. The Civil Aid Services Cadet Corps expanded to a total of 14 units during the year and a further increase to a total of 20 units (2,000 boys) by the end of 1971 has been approved during the year.

The 580-man Auxiliary Fire Service provides a reserve of man- power to augment their professional colleagues, particularly in iso- lated communities and offshore Islands. In their training, they are integrated with professional firemen and all training is supervised by officers of the regular service. The Auxiliary Fire Service Band is very popular among the community and gives regular concerts at public parks and playgrounds.