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The Civil Aid Service (CAS) will celebrate its 55th anniversary with the first open day at its new headquarters from 10am to 3.30pm on Sunday (April 1).
The President of the Legislative Council, Mrs Rita Fan, and the Commissioner of the CAS, Dr Norman Leung, will jointly officiate at an opening ceremony at 11am. They will each deliver a speech and tour the stalls and equipment on display.
The open day will feature rescue skill demonstrations, marching band performances and bicycle trick rides at frequent intervals from 11.30am.
There will be a handicraft-making demonstration, game stalls and an exhibition, which will enable visitors to know more about the history, operations and services of CAS. A fleet of service vehicles, including mobile command cars, a mobile canteen and motorcycles, as well as equipment and uniforms will be on display.
In addition, visitors to the Central Command Centre and various training facilities at the new headquarters will further enhance people's understanding of the service's work, operations and training.
Located at No. 8, To Wah Road, Yau Ma Tei, the CAS new headquarters came into service last August. The eight-storey headquarters has a construction floor area of 11,250 square metres and provides the service with modern training, operational and command facilities.
One of the highlights of the new headquarters is the 20-metre high sports climbing and tactical rescue facility, which offers a purpose-built training environment for the service's Mountain Search and Rescue Companies. The debris pile simulating disaster sites provides field practice for rescuers' training.
A free shuttle bus will run between the Mass Transit Railway Jordan Station Exit C2 (Bowring Street) and the Civil Aid Service Headquarters from 9.45am to 3.15pm on the open day.
Established in 1952, the Civil Aid Service is an auxiliary emergency service financed by the Government with more than 3,600 members from the community. Its primary duty is to augment the regular front-line emergency forces in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies. It also provides various community services such as crowd management for community activities, fire-prevention patrols in country parks, and the provision of training on mountain hiking safety to the public.
Ends/Friday, March 30, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:17
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