Busy inspection taskforce seeks more resources
The Fire Services Department is seeking more resources to expand its 20-member inspection taskforce, which checked more than 50,000 installations last year.
The taskforce includes two clerical workers, which means each of the 18 firefighters averages more than 230 inspections a month.
'We try to do our best with our limited resources. It's quite difficult,' divisional officer Wong Chi-kong said.
The taskforce members' responsibilities include handling complaints about the fire service installations and monitoring certification of the installations and the performance of contractors who are registered to install them.
Last year more than 130,000 certifications were submitted by the city's 1,100 registered contractors.
In addition to the taskforce's random checks, defective installations are reported by the public, other departments and about 80,000 fire safety ambassadors.
The Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme, introduced in 1997, aims to disseminate protection messages to the public, promote fire safety awareness and help to abate fire hazards.
