FSD urges public to cooperate with rescue personnel
​The Fire Services Department (FSD) had responded to a total of seven emergency ambulance calls during the mass gathering at the Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (August 13). At the time of the rescue operation, the radical acts of some protesters had seriously affected the department's service delivery.
When dealing with two of the cases, the FSD's ambulance crews were confronted by protesters who refused to make way for them which hindered the service delivery. Consequently, the crews took a very long time to reach the injured, provide them with ambulance aid and convey them to hospital. In one serious case, it took more than three hours for the crew to take the injured person to the ambulance for conveyance to hospital. An ambulanceman sustained injury after being repeatedly hit by protesters while handling the injured person. It was also noted that some protestors snatched or damaged ambulance tools and equipment, causing serious hindrance to the rescue operations. The FSD strongly condemns and deeply regrets these acts which are not acceptable to the community and have seriously hindered its delivery of emergency ambulance service.
A spokesman for the FSD said, "We must stress that ambulance personnel have to race against time in the provision of emergency ambulance service. Any delay in the process may cause patients to miss the best timing for treatment and pose serious threats to their lives.
"In the spirit of 'Serving with Courage, Passion and Commitment', the FSD provides emergency ambulance services to all members of the public, irrespective of their identity and background. We call on all people to cooperate with rescue personnel, so that patients can receive prompt and efficient ambulance service."