Rebuild with Innovation Demolition of Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building
“iAM Smart”— Safe and swift gateway to online services
Adopting occupational safety and health measures
Helping firefighters maintain healthy operational work-rest schedules
Fire Services Department
Frontline fire and ambulance personnel often engage in prolonged firefighting and rescue operations in adverse environments, which demand extreme physical exertion. For example, on top of donning gear that could weigh over 23kg, firefighters may also have to withstand temperature of up to several hundred degrees celsius at a fire scene — both of which can significantly sap their energy. The lack of appropriate rest breaks would not only compromise their efficiency but might also increase the risk of accidents due to burnout. For these reasons, FSD has put in place arrangements for rest breaks for frontline personnel engaged in prolonged firefighting and rescue operations to allow them time to recharge and carry on.
To safeguard the occupational safety and health of frontline personnel more effectively and further increase operational efficiency, FSD introduced a new fire engine feature named, Work-rest 15 in September 2021 for deployment at incident scenes whenever needed. The fire engine is equipped with many features that facilitate the rapid set-up of a well-equipped rest area to better cater for the need of frontline personnel to maintain a proper work-rest schedule throughout lengthy operations. In their line of duty, fire crews can retire to the vehicle between work intervals to rest for at least 15 minutes get physically and mentally refuelled, before returning to the frontline.
The Work-rest 15 has four built-in electric cooling chairs with water reservoirs on both armrests which help keep firefighters cool. The reservoirs are automatically refilled by pressing a button. Cooling can be achieved by simply immersing the forearms in the water reservoirs while sitting in the chair. This is very effective in relieving heat stress and preventing heat-related illnesses including heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
The Work-rest 15 is equipped with various types of weatherproof awnings. Apart from sheltering frontline members from sun and rain, they offer much more privacy and afford users a fairly secluded space to rest after strenuous work at the incident scene.
The Work-rest 15 is manned by paramedics — qualified Emergency Medical Assistant II — who closely monitor the vital signs and physical condition of frontline members taking rest there by using blood carbon monoxide detectors and other devices.
The rest area is also furnished with other facilities including heat detectors, misting fans and portable cooling chairs. Plenty of drinking water and isotonic drinks are made available for members for hydration and electrolyte replenishment.
Since the Work-rest 15 was put into service, it has been deployed multiple times to support various operations, the majority of which involved sustained rescue operations such as an eight-day mountain search and rescue mission. In summary, Work-rest 15 provides an anytime and any-place well-equipped mobile rest area that suits frontline members’ need for rest breaks when carrying out prolonged firefighting and rescue or other operations. With its features, the vehicle helps these members stay in the best shape so that they can fulfil their arduous operational duties and protect the citizens.