Firefighters' gear 最佳裝備保護消防員舊工廈應設灑水系統

YESTERDAY saw a fourth fourth--alarm fire in anindustrial building in Cheung Sha Wan. Seniorfireman Yeung Chun Chun--kit unfortunately died inthe line of duty duty. From what is known, when he tried to. get out of the scene, he was trapped in rubble andfallen objects. His death has nothing to do with hisbreathing apparatus. However, he was found twohours after the control officer had lost contact with him.Had he carried with him positioning equipment, wouldrescue have reached him sooner? That is worth lookingat. Firefighters work in extremely dangerous places.They must have the best protective gear. Furthermore,the government should consider requiring sprinklersystems to be installed in old industrial buildings.

The authorities say they keep renewingfirefighters' equipment. However, that may be donemuch more efficiently than it is. In May, 2007, firemanWong Ka Ka--hei was killed in a third third--alarm fire at QPLIndustrial Building in Tsuen Wan. In August, 2008, theCoroner's Court recommended that the Fire ServicesDepartment acquire new breathing apparatus. Themask of a set of it has an LED display that shows theamount of oxygen remaining in the cylinder and thetime by which it will run out. Yesterday Director of FireServices Gregory Lo said firemen were training to usethe new apparatus, which would be issued to themnext month. When the Fire Services Departmentbriefed reporters about the equipment, it said it haddecided to acquire it not because Wong Ka Ka--hei haddied in the line of duty but because it had concluded inthe wake of the September 11 attacks that it shouldhave new equipment that would be needed to deal withthe consequences of a nuclear or biological attack.

If that is true, nine years will have passed beforefirefighters get the new breathing apparatus. AndWong Ka Ka--hei died in the line of duty in 2007. One maysay the authorities have not renewed firemen's gear asefficiently as they should have.

There are many areas where the governmentshould make economies economies. However, firemen's safety is. one of those areas where it must grudge noexpenditure. When firemen fight a fierce fire, their livesdepend not only on their effective day day--to to--day trainingbut also on their protective gear. Technology advancesin leaps and bounds. The Fire Services Departmentmust keep looking out for new devices that would givefiremen better protection. If there are suitable ones, itshould quickly come to a decision and ask thegovernment for the money it needs to acquire them. Inshort, though the government should try its best tomake economies, it must not stint on any equipmentthat is needed to protect people, including firemen,from mortal danger.

The industrial building in which the fire broke outyesterday was completed in 1961. No law requiressprinkler systems to be installed in industrial buildingscompleted in the 1960s.

We gather that there are about 650 industrialbuildings that have no sprinkler systems. Some units insimilar old industrial buildings near the scene of theblaze have been used for other purposes - as offices,storage facilities or restaurants. Such buildings havepoor fire safety installations. Not only is such a buildinga threat to firemen's lives if a fire breaks out in it, butpeople who work there are often in mortal danger. Inour view, the government must take this matter veryseriously. Now industrial buildings will be "revitalised",the government should remove the potential danger inthe interests of public safety. It should lay it down thatsprinkler systems should be installed in old industrialbuildings unless there is not sufficient space forinstalling rooftop water tanks.

最佳裝備保護消防員舊工廈應設灑水系統

長沙灣一幢工業大廈的針織廠發生四級火警，消防隊目楊俊傑救火時不幸殉職。從初步所知情况看來，楊俊傑在撤離火場時，被塌下天花等雜物砸中困阻而出事，與呼吸裝備無關；不過，楊俊傑與隊友失去聯絡約兩小時之後，才被發現和救出，若進入火場的消防員有類似定位儀器的裝備，會否可以使他及早獲救，值得探究。消防員執勤時危險性極高，必須有最佳裝備保障他們的安全。另外，政府應該研究規定舊式工廈裝設自動灑水系統，消除隱患。

關於消防員的裝備，當局雖云不斷更新，但是在速度方面，仍有較大改善空間。例如2007 年55 月荃灣品質工業大廈三級火警，導致消防員黃家熙殉職， ，2009 2009 年88 月死因庭建議引入全新煙帽呼吸設備，在面罩加設二極發光管，清晰顯示氣樽剩餘供氧量與工作時間。昨日消防處長盧振雄表示，正訓練消防員使用呼吸輔助器，下月可分發使用。不過，消防處當日向傳媒介紹呼吸輔助器時，曾表示添置這個裝備，並非因為黃家熙作改善，而是始於美國99．．11 恐怖襲擊後，消防處認為要特別針對核生化危機加添新裝備。

設若這個說法符合事實，則歷時99 年之後，消防員才有呼吸輔助器可用，其間07 年還發生黃家熙殉職意外，在時效方面，不能說已經符合要求。

政府開支可節省之處很多，消防員安全的開支，卻是其中不能吝嗇的事項之一。消防員對抗熊熊烈火，人身安全除了倚賴平日訓練有素，裝備更是消防員的安危所繫，科技日新月異，消防當局要時刻留意進一步保護消防員的新裝備，若有合適者，應盡早定案，向政府提出撥款購買。總之，政府什麼都應該慳，但是關乎人命的事、包括為了消防員的安全，一分錢也不應該慳。

另外，昨日發生火警的工廠大廈於1961 年落成，法例並無要求60 年代落成的工廈安裝自動灑水系統。

據知，現在約有650 幢工廈都沒有自動灑水系統，而發生火警的鄰近同類舊式工廈，有些用途已改變，既有寫字樓、迷你倉及餐廳等。從情况看來，這些舊式工廈，防火設施之薄弱，一旦發生火警，不但威脅消防員的生命安全，對於在工廈工作生活的人，實際上時刻置身危險之中，我們認為政府對此要高度關注，特別趁活化工業大廈之際，應該規定舊式工廈除非天台無空間設置水箱，否則都要安裝自動灑水系統，以消除隱患，保障市民的安全。

Glossary

in the line of dutywhile doing a job.

gearthe equipment or clothing needed for aparticular activity.

economythe use of the money etc that is available in away that avoids waste.