ENG-2004 — Page 428

366 Public Order

breaching conditions of stay, making false statements or representations, and using or possessing forged travel documents.

Fire Services

The Fire Services Department fights fires, protects life and property in case of fires and other calamities, provides emergency ambulance services and gives fire protection advice to the public.

The department's establishment comprises 8 640 uniformed and 640 civilian members. It is one of the world's finest fire brigades, with well-trained personnel, advanced communication systems, and modern equipment and appliances.

The department responded to 35 092 fire calls, 20 059 special service calls and 574 901 ambulance calls in 2004, representing an average of 1 726 calls a day.

Fire Suppression

Of the 35 092 fire calls received in 2004, seven were classified as major fires of No. 3 alarm. Careless handling or disposal of smoking materials was still the major cause of fires, totalling 3 467 cases in all, followed by accidents involving the preparation of foodstuffs and electrical faults, which accounted for 2 497 and 898 cases, respectively. Unwanted alarms, caused mainly by faulty automatic alarm systems or poor positioning of such systems, contributed to about 62 per cent of the total number of fire calls.

There were two notable fires during the year. One was a No. 3 alarm fire. involving chemicals in a warehouse in Kwai Chung on August 29, in which 33 Fire Services members were injured. The other was a hill fire on November 26 on Lantau Island, which lasted for 40 hours and damaged 520 hectares of vegetation.

Special Services

The department also provides a wide range of rescue services in incidents such as traffic accidents, people trapped in lifts or locked in rooms, gas leaks, house collapses, flooding, landslides, industrial accidents and attempts by people to jump from a height. The department handled 20 059 emergency special service calls in 2004. Among the major incidents attended was a rescue operation on July 7 in which a Senior Fireman was killed when attempting to save a worker who had fallen into a sewage manhole at the basement of the Smiling Shau Kei Wan Plaza.

Ambulance Services

The Ambulance Command handled 574 901 calls during the year, representing 1 575 calls per day. Its fleet of ambulances will all be equipped and manned at paramedic level in early 2005.

The department continues to train front-line firemen to qualify as first responders to provide basic life support to casualties and patients before the arrival of an ambulance crew. During the year, first responders were turned out to 6 091 incidents, helping to improve the survival rate of the injured and sick before their arrival at hospital.