ENG-1997 — Page 372

PUBLIC ORDER

284

The department made significant advances during the year, despite heavy operational commitments. These included the launching of a 'Fire Safety Ambassador' scheme in May to give members of the community fire safety training, the establishment in September of a Community Relations Unit within the Fire Protection Command with a view to strengthening community relations and fire safety education, and the full commissioning of the computer-aided Trunked Radio System which provides more rádio channels and restricts unauthorised users from intruding into the system.

Fire Suppression

Of the 35 543 fire calls received in 1997, 26 were classified as major fires of No. 3 alarm and above. Unwanted alarms, caused mainly by faulty automatic alarm systems or their poor positioning, contributed to about 53.9 per cent of the total number of fire calls. Careless handling or disposal of smoking materials was still the major cause of fires, totalling 4 411 cases in all, followed by accidents involving the preparation of foodstuffs and electrical faults, which accounted for 3 005 and I 529 cases respectively.

Fires claimed 47 lives and 605 injuries, including 16 firemen. Fire personnel rescued 2411 people. Notable fires during the year included: a No. 3 alarm in a karaoke establishment in a commercial building in Tsim Sha Tsui on January 25, claiming 17 lives and 13 injuries; a No. 1 alarm in a Shek Kip Mei housing estate unit on February 20 which claimed three lives; a No. 3 alarm in a Mei Foo Sun Chuen domestic unit on April 8, claiming nine lives and 37 injuries, including three firemen; and a No. 3 alarm in a Sai Wan Ho domestic unit on April 25, in which three people died and six others were injured, including a fireman.

Special Services

The department also provides wide-ranging rescue services in incidents such as traffic accidents, people trapped in lifts or locked rooms, gas leakage, house collapses, flooding, landslides, industrial accidents and attempts to jump from a height. The department handled 20 899 special service calls in 1997.

Major incidents included the crash of a floral parade vehicle in Tsim Sha Tsui on February 7 in which one person died and 31 others were injured; the immersion of a fishing vessel off Ap Lei Chau on September 27 in which three people trapped inside the vessel were killed; the leakage of toxic gas in a Kowloon Bay unit on October 17, in which seven people were injured, including five firemen; and spillage of sodium cyanide from a lorry travelling along Tai Po Road near Kam Shan Country Park on December 4.

Ambulance Services

Demand for emergency ambulance services kept rising in the year. During 1997, ambulances answered 367 064 emergency calls, representing an increase of 5.6 per cent compared with 1996.

Non-emergency ambulance services were transferred to the Hospital Authority in October 1995, and in April 1997 the Auxiliary Medical Service took over the non- emergency ambulance service originating from private hospitals, the Social Welfare Department and Department of Health for the whole territory.