Rescuers put in shape for real-life disasters

The Civil Aid Service held a large-scale simulation exercise yesterday involving 500 personnel practicing responses to extreme weather events such as typhoons, floods and building collapses.

The drill, codenamed Taurus and which took place at the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy in Tseung Kwan O, was aimed at assessing the efficiency of rescue operations in areas such as command and deployment, communications, rescue technology, victim care and logistical support.

Simulations were conducted for four rescue scenarios involving floods, a super typhoon hitting the SAR, a mountain search and building collapses.

International-standard equipment was deployed during the drill, including electric search robots, robot dogs and drones.

Chief staff officer Leung Kwun-hong said the service has been proactive in training personnel to handle emergencies.

Since last year, it has conducted eight flood rescue courses for more than 110 frontline workers and plans to hold six more this year for 100 workers.

It has also been running around 30 mountain search and rescue-related courses for more than 700 people to enhance the professional knowledge and skills of team members and other government personnel.

In yesterday's drill, three 15-kilogram robotic search dogs were deployed in scenarios where internal conditions or gas levels in collapsed buildings were unknown, with one of them installing gas detectors.

Also, 14 drones were showcased, which rescuers can use after completing a 40-hour Civil Aviation Department-approved course. These drones can provide aerial assessments and monitoring to facilitate search and rescue planning.

Leung said: "The CAS has increased the number of patrol points from eight to 11, and the patrol teams will inspect various districts for potential flooding before extreme weather or storms arrive."

When asked about the current manpower situation, Leung said the service has more than 3,000 people and would continue to work on recruitment.