HK to expand Fire Services emergency hotline capacity to more than 100 lines

Secretary for Security Chris Tang says the Fire Services Department's 999 emergency hotline capacity has been expanded to 48 lines, and will rise to over 100 lines by early next year.

This as the security chief stresses the city's fire services will always bear the responsibility for the fire safety of buildings.

The move to expand phone line capacity follows revelations from a hearing into the Wang Fuk Court fire, which found that the FSD's hotline system was unable to handle all calls for help from residents during the incident.

Tang says the number of lines in the system has now been increased to 48, and will rise to 70 within the next three months.

The capacity is set to reach 100 lines following an upgrade of the command and control system early next year.

Responding to questions as to whether further increases are needed, Tang says 100 lines will be sufficient.

He notes that the Fire Services Department faces different operational demands from the police and that resources must be balanced against actual needs.

The Wang Fuk Court hearing also exposed confusion over responsibility for certain building fire safety issues.

Among the concerns were windows sealed with polystyrene boards and openings connected to rear staircases.

The Fire Services Department previously argued that such issues involved building structures and therefore fell under the Buildings Department.

Tang says while legal responsibilities are clearly defined, the Fire Services Department has a "final responsibility" when fire safety risks are identified.

He says officers should not simply refer cases to another department and walk away.

Instead, the department should continue to follow up after making referrals to ensure hazards are properly addressed and public safety is protected.

Tang also explains why the government's Emergency Alert System was not activated during the fire.

He says the preparation and processing of alert messages would require about an hour.

The process has since been shortened to around 15 minutes, while the system can now send alerts to any of Hong Kong's 18 districts individually.

Authorities will assess the significance of each incident before deciding whether to issue an alert.