Photo Features
Duty behind gates
Because of the special nature of their job and the pressure they face, firefighters on average have to work for 56 hours a week and each session lasts for 24 hours.
The shift begins at 9 a.m. The firefighters have
to check the equipment, clean the tools, do drills and
training, finish paper work and handle complaints
from the public such as about the blockage of means
of escape and fire doors.
Although firefighters repeatedly do almost the
same tasks in each session, 26-year-old fireman Alan
Li Ming-chun said, the nature of the work is to
emphasise "discipline" as their job is not a one-man
show.
Since firefighters have to face life and death all the time, when they stand by they try to talk as relaxingly as possible. And many of them incline to believe in fung shui. The Tung Lo Wan fire brigade keeps 67 fishes and two birds as well as some plants for the sake of good fortune, like most fire stations do.
Firefighters said no one would plant
melons at the fire stations. "As the
Cantonese pronunciation of melon 'gua'
sounds the same as that of the Chinese
character death, we'll just avoid it,"
woman firefighter Lee Ship said.
Thanks to fung shui, for those who
believe in it, and to the technological
advancement in facilities and better
promotion of fire prevention awareness
among the public, the deaths and injuries
in fires have been decreasing sharply
over the decade.
Still, the firefighting job is tough and
seems to be more man-oriented. Few
women join the services. Lee, who is one
of the city's nine firewomen, said the
physical requirements were indeed very
difficult to meet.
She recalled that when she applied for the job, only two out of about 30 women candidates were qualified for the recruitment tests.
Lee said financial problems at home made her determined and strong enough to pass all the tests and the training afterwards. Each firefighter has to be trained for 26 weeks before he is assigned to work in a specific station. Every year there is a fitness test to make sure the firefighter is in good shape and capable to do the job.
Having served in the team for five years, Lee is now a station officer who has to give orders to colleagues on the accident scenes and to make sure everything is under control.
Once when her colleagues could not find the source of fire, she was the only one who suggested the source was inside the wall and persuaded them to break the wall. Her judgment was proved to be right. "We just have to be more alert and sensitive sometimes," the officer said.
