The governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau signed in June last year a framework agreement on setting up a government-led cooperation mechanism for emergency response measures, and Fire Services Bureau (CB) Commissioner Leong Iok Sam said yesterday that the relevant discussions have nearly reached completion, expecting that the five local ambulances and three fire engines licensed for use in Guangdong would start operating later this year.
Leong made the remarks during yesterday’s media forum at the CB headquarters in Nam Van.
Leong clarified the role of the Fire Services Bureau in cross-border emergency medical services between Guangdong and Macau, saying that the bureau has already obtained dual Guangdong-Macau licence plates for five of its ambulances and three fire engines. “It is not a problem for us to pass through the checkpoints on both sides”, he said, adding that, however, in the case of medical teams, a number of entities would be involved. “Simply speaking, we will only arrange for vehicles to pick up patients after communication and coordination between the medical authorities of the two places, such as which hospital an ambulance should be sent to pick up and drop off a patient”, said Leong, who emphasised the role of his bureau as the one in charge of transferring the patients.
Referring to the Hong Kong-Macau Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-border Ambulance Transfer, Leong said that the drill, simulating the transfer of a patient to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) in Hong Kong from the public Conde S. Januario Hospital Centre late last year, was conducted “smoothly”. He added that the bureau currently has three ambulances ready for use by the Hong Kong-Macau cross-border ambulance service.
Emphasising that the relevant work was being prepared in an orderly manner, Leong said that his bureau would continue to draw on experience and make timely requests for increasing the number of emergency vehicles and drivers in accordance with the needs of the community.
Fire Services Bureau (CB) Commissioner Leong Iok Sam briefs reporters about his bureau’s work last year during yesterday’s media forum at the CB headquarters in Nam Van. – Photos: Yuki Lei
Transfer of fuel intermediate storage now underway
The government has finalised the relocation of its temporary fuel intermediate storage in Ilha Verde district to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) man-made island and handed it on December 18 last year over to the Fire Services Bureau, in response to which Leong said that the relevant work was being carried out to meet safety management standards and other requirements, adding that considering the traffic congestion in and around Zone A, “we are working with the relevant entities trying to address the traffic issues there, making proactive preparations to relocate the intermediate storage facility as soon as possible”.
According to Leong, the bureau launched a new database system for hazardous materials in September last year, and currently there are about 130 types of dangerous goods registered in the database, as well as about 40 storage locations. He said that the database system enables different entities handling hazardous materials to share data in real time and keep track of the information of dangerous goods storage sites in Macau.
The bureau has also launched its Reporting and Management System for Dangerous Goods for users to report hazardous materials anytime, anywhere by computer or mobile phone.
Several journalists attend yesterday’s media forum at the CB headquarters held by senior officers of the Fire Services Bureau.
CB marks 54,133 incidents last year, incl 45,236 ambulance operations
Meanwhile, during yesterday’s forum Leong also briefed the media about the bureau’s fire and rescue incident statistics.
According to Leong, the bureau attended to 54,133 incidents last year, a year-on-year increase of 2.75 percent, among which 45,236 involved ambulance operations, only 882 cases were attributed to fire alarms.
In term of ambulance services, minor discomforts such as dizziness and headache remained the main causes of the increase, while for fire alarms, failing to turn off the stove, leaving behind unextinguished items such as smouldering joss sticks and incense, and equipment malfunction continue to be the most common causes of fire, Leong noted.
The CB officers carried out last year 15,924 inspections in line with the city’s “Legal Framework for Fire Safety of Buildings and Premises”, during which the officers fined 83 households for violations, Leong said, adding that the bureau conducted last year 220 courses on enhancing public awareness of fire safety.
