ENG-1976 — Page 182

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Training School

PUBLIC ORDER

At the Fire Services Training School at Pat Heung in the New Territories, intake in 1976 was 15 officers and 277 other ranks. A total of 172 men, of whom six were officers, passed out and were posted to duty. Some 2,289 men attended refresher training courses, including physical fitness assessments, which were organised for all serving personnel with the rank of station officer and below. Short fire-fighting courses were held for staff of other government departments and commercial and industrial firms. The courses were attended by 2,397 people.

Ambulance Command

The number of calls dealt with by the Ambulance Command is increasing heavily each year due to greater public awareness of the services provided. As a result, the command is now severely stretched to keep pace with demands. In 1976 it responded to 145,520 calls, some 15 per cent more than in the previous year. Of the total, 118,134 calls (or 81 per cent) were to emergencies, including maternity calls. Altogether 177,624 patients were carried.

The command operates a fleet of 99 ambulances throughout Hong Kong and has an establishment of 560 all ranks. A new ambulance station at the Hing Wah public housing estate at Chai Wan was brought into service during the year, bringing to 10 the total number of depots and stations in operation. Construction of a two-storey ambulance station at Kwai Chung is well under way and is scheduled for completion in 1977. To cope with the continuing growth in demand, there are plans to increase the ambulance fleet, take on additional staff and build more stations.

Establishment

The authorised establishment of the Fire Services Department at the end of 1976 was 3,743 all ranks, an increase of 162 over the previous year. Actual strength was 3,498-a deficiency of 245. Non-uniformed staff numbered 346, an increase of 15 compared with 1975.

The response to recruiting campaigns for both the fire and ambulance services was generally satisfactory but, out of 1,886 applications for the rank of fireman, only 116 were accepted; and, out of 519 applications for senior ambulancemen, 23 were accepted and 27 others were appointed as ambulancemen. In addition, eight assistant station officers were recruited.