ENG-1996 — Page 228

HEALTH

172

Volunteer members receive comprehensive training in areas covering first-aid, life- saving, squad drill, ambulance aid, practical nursing, casualty evacuation, clinical and hospital care, paramedic, disaster medicine, leadership, supervision and management. AMS personnel visited overseas medical authorities and participated in international conferences, training courses and rescue exercises organised by other countries to enhance the service's professionalism.

AMS volunteer members are deployed to accident scenes to provide immediate treatment to the injured, convey casualties to hospitals and render nursing care to patients at both acute and convalescent hospitals. The AMS Emergency Response Task Force is available at short notice to provide paramedical assistance at the scene. Apart from providing emergency services, the AMS undertook the duty of non- emergency ambulance transfer service starting in April 1996. It also committed a total of 99 640 man-hours in 1996 to provide first aid coverage at country parks, cycle tracks, school activities and major public functions. Another 343 900 hours were involved in manning 21 methadone clinics and providing round-the-clock clinical services in five Vietnamese Migrant camps.

The AMS further provided first-aid, nursing and casualty evacuation training to front-line civil servants. Regular seminars and demonstrations are organised to promote the public's awareness of home safety. Members of the public were able to obtain information and materials concerning home safety and first-aid through the First Aid Education Workshop in the AMS Headquarters or a 24-hour enquiry hotline (2762 2033).

Environmental Health

Working under the policy guidance of the two municipal councils, the Urban Services Department (USD) and the Regional Services Department (RSD) are responsible for environmental health and hygiene in the territory. This includes cleaning streets and gullies; collection of night soil, refuse and junk; management of refuse collection. points, public toilets and bathhouses; pest control; and services for the dead.

Discharging these responsibilities involves the deployment of 7 274 people and a fleet of 598 specialised vehicles such as refuse collection vehicles, street-washers, mechanical sweepers, night soil collectors, desludgers and gully-emptiers. The departments also mount regular joint operations with the Marine Department to clear marine and littoral refuse.

Streets and lanes are swept from four times a day for busy thoroughfares to once every two days for village lanes. Where conditions warrant, streets and lanes are also hosed down once or twice every fortnight. Refuse collection points and hawkers areas are washed more frequently. The USD has introduced contracting-out of street- cleaning services in Ma Tau Kok, Shek Tong Tsui, Tai Kok Tsui, Wan Chai West, Wong Chuk Hang and Kwun Tong East. The RSD contracts out its street-cleaning services in Kwai Tsing, Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long districts.

The USD collects 3 100 tonnes of refuse and junk each day, 1 200 tonnes in Hong Kong and 1 900 tonnes in Kowloon. There are some 200 refuse collection points in the urban area, most of them fitted with equipment to contain smells, with carbon filtration being replaced by the more effective water-scrubber system as the deodorising method.