Fire Services Department to conduct inspections in more plain clothes in the future
發佈日期: 2026-01-19 01:07
TVB News
The Fire Services Department said they will carry out more fire safety inspections and enforcement operations in casual wear in the future, deeming it a more effective method than inspecting in uniforms.
However, the department also emphasised uniform inspections are necessary under certain circumstances.
About 30 firefighters in casual wear, showed up at this commercial building on Nathan Road in Mong Kok - a known blackspot with high-risk of fire - for a "surprise" fire safety inspection and enforcement operation.
Including its basement, the building has a total of 28 floors. Inspection teams were sent out to hit every floor at once to keep shops from tipping each other off.
A team of officers spotted miscellaneous articles that could obstruct fire exits here, and handed a Fire Hazard Abatement notice for its person-in-charge right on the spot, reminding him to clear the clutter within 24 hours.
A total of 40 violations of the Fire Services Regulation were identified in the building, with only a couple of floors found to be violation-free, resulting in nine Fire Abatement Notices being handed out and one direct prosecution.
Some 90 officers carried out inspections at other commercial buildings in the Yau Tsim Mong district the same night.
While they were operating in casual clothes, most of them wore their work IDs. Some of them explained that without identification, they could easily be mistaken for ordinary citizens, which could hinder the inspection process.
The first large-scale inspection in plain clothes was carried out at the end of last month, and the FSD said the method will be used more frequently in the future.
Lai Kin Mo, senior division officer of the Fire Services Department's Building Improvement Strategy and Special Operations, said: "According to our experience in last December, we find this quite an effective way to conduct our inspections and also our enforcement actions."
So why wasn't this method adopted earlier?
He said: "Currently, some of our inspections are conducted by our operational command members, and they are required to wear a uniform."
Lai further explained that, the uniform would be necessary as the front-line firefighters are conducting inspections while they're on duty, and are expected to handle incidents that may require immediate response.
Following repeated public feedback that some of the fire hazard blackspots just revert to their old ways after the inspections,
the authorities stated that they would definitely conduct follow-up inspections for each case, reiterating that the recurrence rate of similar situations is actually less than one percent.
The Fire Services Department said they'll continue to pursue a multi-pronged approach, including law enforcement, public outreach and inter-departmental cooperation, to collaborate with all sectors in promoting a culture of fire safety.
