FSD arranges special operation deployment for hill fires during Ching Ming Festival
The Fire Services Department (FSD) today (March 27) announced a special operations deployment for hill fires during Ching Ming Festival. It also urged members of the public not to leave ignition sources when paying tribute to ancestors at graveyards or hiking in the countryside in order to prevent hill fires.
The FSD is fully prepared and will set up a High Command during the Ching Ming Festival period to strengthen co-ordination among operational units and enhance the capability to respond to hill fires. At the same time, through flexible allocation of internal resources, additional frontline staff and fire appliances will be deployed to handle emergencies.
The FSD identified 12 hill fire hotspots in the North District of the New Territories after an assessment. Together with the Civil Aid Service, nearly 300 additional frontline staff will be deployed to form patrol teams at these hotspots. The teams will remind the public to be cautious with fire and, where feasible, quickly extinguish initial fires to prevent the spread of hill fires.
Meanwhile, the FSD is actively engaging community forces to promote fire prevention. Through the FSD Community Collaboration Network and strengthened co-operation with District Fire Safety Committees, as well as with the FSD Community Emergency Responder Honorary Presidents' Association and FSD Community Emergency Responders, the department will disseminate fire safety messages to the public at various graveyards and rural areas before and after Ching Ming Festival.
In terms of technology application, apart from using drones equipped with loudspeakers to broadcast fire prevention messages at graveyards, the FSD will also deploy two newly introduced drone technologies. These include deploying a 30-kilogram payload capacity drone to transport firefighting tools to enhance operational efficiency. Additionally, drones and automated drone docks will be deployed to conduct regular autonomic patrols in the countryside. By leveraging AI technology, these drones will detect early-stage fires and assist rescuers in appraising the onsite situation more promptly and making timely deployments.
As most hill fires are caused by human negligence, preventing hill fires requires joint efforts from all parties. The FSD urges the public not to leave ignition sources behind, or burn weeds, and to work together to prevent hill fires.
