Clara Tsang, 13, and Alisa Kwan, 14, are two ordinary girl guides.
But they have some special commitments that other girl guides may not have, that is, carrying
out the duties of fire safety ambassadors.
The Fire Safety Ambassador Scheme was implemented in 1997 by the Fire Services Department. Apart from the Girl Guides, other voluntary organizations such as the Estates Management Advisory Committees, Auxiliary Medical Service, and the St. John Ambulance have also joined the scheme.
"There are about 4,300 ambassadors now. With such a great number of participants, it is impossible for our staff to train all of them," said Mr. Cheung Chi-woon, senior divisional officer of the Community Relations Division of the Fire Protection Command.
Hence, the Fire Service Department will train the leaders of the participating organizations first. These leaders will then become trainers of the ambassadors.
However, the contents of the "Fire Safety Trainer" and the "Fire Safety Ambassador" courses are basically the same.
These two courses last for two days and the syllabuses include fire safety seminars and on-site studies by visiting fire stations.
During the seminars, participants learn how to use fire extinguishers and fire hose reels. They are also taught some related ordinances, general causes of fire, fire precautionary measures and proper procedures taken in cases of fire.
All the participants need to take a simple written test at the end of the courses. If they pass, they will be awarded a "Fire Safety Ambassador Certificate" which is valid for life.
"The participants are really enthusiastic, so they usually get a good result in the test," said Mr. Cheung.
After finishing the course, these ambassadors have to enforce their duties.
In July and August in 1998, the ambassadors helped distribute brochures at shopping centers in Shatin and played a drama in public to arouse public awareness on fire precautions.
The training courses do increase the knowledge of fire precautionary measures of the participants.
"If our ambassadors find the smoke lobby doors are opened, they will immediately close them. Or if there is anything blocking the corridors or staircases, they are required to report to us so that we can follow up," said Mr. Cheung.
The major duty of the ambassadors is to send fire safety messages to their families and relatives through interpersonal communications.
"They act as bridges between the public and us," said Mr. Cheung.
"Hong Kong people are too ignorant about fire precautions. Like the fire in Mei Foo Sun Chuen, people might have been rescued if they knew that it was safer to stay at home than to go out," said he, "it is high time to educate them so that they get well prepared in case of a fire."
To Clara Tsang and Alisa Kwan, joining the scheme is a valuable experience.
Said Clara, "In the past, I thought it didn't matter when my neighbours opened the smoke lobby doors since they created a loud noise whenever there was a blowing wind."
"I didn't know that there were so many different types of fire extinguishers before taking the course," said Alisa.
"Even though there are labels on the fire extinguishers to teach you how to use them, you may not use them correctly as you have no such experience," she added.
The visit to the fire station was an unforgettable memory to them.
"I won't forget the scene when a fireman returned to the station after work," Alisa recalled, "his face was black and he was all wet. He looked very tired."
Said Clara: "It was winter and he must have been very cold.
"The workload of firemen is really heavy and they have to work very hard. Thus, we should help them minimize the occurrence of fire."
Chief Commissioner of the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, Mrs. Alice Lui said: "It's better to let our girls experience rather than just tell them what it should or shouldn't be."
"By now, I cannot say our scheme is successful, because it has been only introduced for nine months. But there is some evidence revealing its effectiveness," said Mr. Cheung.
For instance, two ambassadors put out a fire in Cheung Ching Estate several months ago.
He added: "The ambassadors were residents there. They kept fire extinguishers at home so that they could put out the fire immediately."
But Mr. Cheung discourages the ambassadors from putting out fires by themselves since it is too dangerous.
"To extend the scope and effectiveness of our scheme, we hope to increase the number of ambassadors to 10,000 by the end of this year," he concluded.
