Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Friday said the government would increase the number of phone lines the Fire Services Department (FSD) uses to answer emergency calls, with the goal of boosting it to more than 100 next year.

This comes as the independent committee probing last November’s fire heard about a backlog in emergency call transfers between the police and fire services on the day of the disaster, which may have delayed help for the trapped residents.

At a Legco Finance Committee meeting on Friday, in response to questions from lawmaker Chan Hok-fung, Tang acknowledged the call centre was unable to cope with the number of calls that came in and conceded there was room for improvement.

“The police force currently has some 200 usable telephone lines, while the Fire Services Department has 30. We believe there is room for improvement,” Tang said.

“In a week or two, we hope to add 18 lines to the fire services call centre.

“Secondly, in the next three to four months, we will add an additional 18 to 20 emergency lines for the fire services. By then, we will have been able to double the lines operated by the Fire Services Department to nearly 70."

By the time the fourth-generation command system starts operating next year, the FSD call centre would be able to operate more than 100 emergency lines, Tang added.

Tang also said it was "not optimal" for the police force to fax caller details to the FSD during an emergency.

He told the committee that within one to two months, a basic electronic system would be implemented to allow the two departments to exchange data more efficiently.



Edited by Tony Sabine