Hong Kong fire service is easing requirements for applicants but recruits still need to pass training programme to join, school chief says

Eyesight and physical requirements are being relaxed for Hong Kong firefighter applicants from next month but recruits will still have to pass an existing fitness programme to enter the service, the chief of its training school has said.

Fire and Ambulance Services Academy commandant Yiu Men-yeung said he hoped the relaxed requirements would attract candidates from more diverse backgrounds as well as those who wore glasses.

“We hope that after adjusting our visual acuity and physical fitness requirements, we can boost the number of passing candidates. We hope to attract more competent candidates from different backgrounds to apply for our openings,” he said on Wednesday.

Yiu said he hoped that with the Fire Services Department’s relaxed requirements, the pass rate for the vision and fitness test could rise to around 80 to 90 per cent from the current 60 per cent.

The department is among the disciplined services relaxing their recruitment criteria to address hiring problems.

Yiu said 3 per cent of fire service jobs were unfilled as of this month. For station officer posts – the most difficult to fill – 90 vacancies remained, taking up 10 per cent of the total establishment.

The department is also looking to fill 120 firefighter spots, 10 ambulance officer positions and 60 ambulancemen and ambulancewomen posts.