ENG-2017 — Page 327

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Public Order

1,599 cases. Careless handling or disposal of lighted materials, such as cigarette ends, matches and candles, caused 842 fires, while disposal of joss sticks caused 201 fires. Unwanted alarms, triggered mainly by faulty automatic alarm systems, contributed about 70 per cent of the total number of fire calls.

The department also provides rescue services for traffic accidents, shipwrecks, people trapped in lifts or locked in rooms, gas or hazardous material leakages, building collapses, floods, landslides, industrial accidents, people stranded on hillsides and attempts to jump from a height. It handled 36,326 such calls in 2017.

Ambulance Services

The department's Ambulance Command operates a fleet of emergency ambulances, rapid response vehicles and emergency medical assistant motorcycles manned by paramedics. All the vehicles are fully equipped with life-support equipment such as automated external defibrillators and selected drugs for conditions including diabetes, shock, heart attack, shortness of breath, convulsion, cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis and drug overdose. The Ambulance Command handled a daily average of 2,154 calls in 2017.

The department trains front-line firefighters to become first responders to provide basic life support to casualties and patients while ambulance crews are on their way to the scene. In 2017, first responders were on hand in 40,298 cases.

Communications

The 24-hour Fire Services Communications Centre mobilises all firefighting and ambulance resources to provide timely services. It also receives complaints about fire hazards and dangerous goods, and acts as an emergency coordinator for other government departments and public utilities during major emergencies. To enhance the emergency ambulance service, the centre provides simple post-dispatch advice over the phone on some easily identified sicknesses and injuries, namely general bleeding, limb dislocation and fracture, burns, convulsion, heat exposure and hypothermia, after dispatching an ambulance to the scene. Such advice covers simple first aid and time-saving advice, enabling patients to receive prompt medical help before the ambulance crew arrives.

The department uses a digital trunked radio system to ensure effective and efficient radio communication at scenes of incidents.

Fire Safety

The Fire Safety Command and the Licensing and Certification Command formulate fire safety policies and promote fire protection.

The Fire Safety Command draws up fire safety policies and formulates fire safety measures for buildings and mass transit systems. It devotes much effort to upgrading fire safety in old buildings, vetting loan applications for fire safety improvement works and raising public awareness of fire safety.

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