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Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Miriam Lau Kin-yee in the Legislative Council today (May 12):
Question:
The No. 4 alarm fire in an industrial building on March 8 this year caused the death of one fireman and injuries to three firemen who had bravely fought the fire, increasing the number of firemen who died while fighting fire to four in the recent three years. Some representatives of staff associations and some firemen have criticised that the Fire Services Department ("FSD") had in fact been allocated a long time ago funds for purchasing equipment such as new breathing apparatus and new digital radio communication system, etc., and yet the provision of such equipment to frontline staff for use was delayed by years because the procurement procedure was complicated and time consuming, and there were problems with the computer software of the equipment (e.g. 1,400 new breathing apparatus were not officially provided to firemen for use until April 8 this year). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it will assess if the time taken to complete the entire process, from planning and studies to official use, of procurement of fire equipment for frontline staff is too long, whether it will conduct a review in this respect and request FSD to shorten the time involved;
(b) for how long the actual date of use of the new breathing apparatus has been delayed as compared to the original plan, the reasons for the delay and its impact on the work of firemen, and how FSD will follow up the delay; and
(c) whether FSD will study adopting a more flexible arrangement for the introduction of new equipment in future and accord priority to those firemen stationed in high-risk areas for receiving training and using the new equipment, instead of waiting for all staff to have been trained before using the new equipment?
Reply:
President,
(a) The Administration attaches great importance to ensuring the safety of frontline fire-fighting personnel. Besides taking measures to ensure that fire services equipment are under proper maintenance and in effective operation, the Administration regularly replaces and procures more advanced equipment taking into account Fire Services Department (FSD)'s suggestion, so as to further enhance the protection for frontline personnel. On the whole, the existing equipment of FSD can be favourably compared with those used by fire brigades overseas.
Large scale replacement or procurement of fire services equipment normally involves a number of steps, which include bidding of fund, drafting specifications, tendering, manufacture, delivery, installation, testing and training. The time required for the entire process depends on the complexity of the equipment, its specifications, price and the quantity procured, etc. For the procurement of equipment with relatively simple specifications and readily available stock, such as fire fighting hose and protective gloves, the entire procurement process will normally be completed in around six months. With respect to fire services equipment that are purchased for the first time, or replacement of existing equipment that requires substantial upgrading or changes to the specifications, or equipment with no readily available stock and the suppliers need time for manufacturing, the time required for procurement would be relatively longer. According to traditional practice, the Administration would start preparing the specifications and tendering after funding is approved. In the most complicated cases for special equipment, the entire procurement process, from funding approval to the use of new equipment, may take three years.
In order to expedite the procurement process, FSD and relevant departments have reached a consensus to make an early start on the initial procurement procedures, including the drafting of specifications and tendering, etc. It will enable FSD and relevant departments to award contract as soon as possible upon securing funding approval, which will in turn allow the suppliers to commence the manufacturing or delivery procedures right away. The new measures are summarised below:
(i) FSD and relevant departments will advance the time of drawing up the design and specifications for the equipment;
(ii) FSD and relevant departments will then immediately kick off the tendering process, including conducting tender evaluation and securing the approval of the tender board;
(iii) Upon obtaining funding approval, FSD and relevant departments will award the procurement contract immediately.
By completing the entire tendering process in advance, the above special procurement procedures will shorten the time required for procurement by about a year, counting from the time when funding is approved.
(b) According to FSD's original schedule, the new breathing apparatus should be ready for full operational use in December 2009. In order to ensure that the equipment met the specifications and were able to protect users effectively, FSD started testing on the new breathing apparatus upon their arrival in April 2009. During the testing process, FSD detected some software problems with the new apparatus, for which the supplier had already sent technicians to Hong Kong and successfully rectified the problems. The new breathing apparatus have been in full operational use since early April this year.
During the period, the original breathing apparatus were still in effective operation. Hence the postponement in the use of the new apparatus did not affect the safety of frontline fire fighting personnel.
(c) The Administration strives to provide frontline personnel with the best equipment so as to ensure their safety and efficiency while carrying out their duties. In order to further expedite the replacement process, FSD will request suppliers to deliver the new equipment by batches wherever practicable. FSD will conduct testing on the new equipment that arrive in early shipments and, depending on operational need and the actual situation, distribute them for use by firemen who have already been trained to do so. In deciding whether the new equipment can be introduced in batches, FSD will consider a number of factors, including the need to maintain uniformity in overall operation; whether the parallel use of old and new equipment can be accommodated in actual operation and whether such will seriously affect the operational procedures; as well as its impact on training, maintenance, logistics support and use of resources, etc.
Ends/Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:56
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