Fire department to hire over 400 more workers

The Chief Executive Chui Sai On has issued an administrative order to enlarge the establishment of the Macau Fire Department (CB), which will see an increase of 416 CB personnel.
A spokesperson from CB told the Times that the department submitted the advice about expanding the department to the CE after evaluating how circumstances will change in the upcoming five years. He said that the adjustment is to ensure that the department can maintain its quality of services to residents.
Currently, there are 1,173 places in CB, with 1,057 personnel hired. After the enlargement, the number of places in the department will increase to 1,589.
According to the administrative order, out of the ten rankings in the establishment, eight of them will see more positions become available.
For junior personnel, there will be 242 more firefighters/senior firefighters, 90 more principal firefighters, 30 more deputy chiefs and 20 more chiefs.
There are also increases in the senior positions, with thirteen assisting first chiefs, eight first chiefs, two assisting principal chiefs and one principal chief added to the establishment.
The only two positions that are not included in the adjustment are the commissioner and sub-commissioner that are at the commending level.
This is the fourth time that the CB establishment has adjusted since the Administrative Regulation on the CB operation came into force in 2001.
According to the operation-related data released by the CB, there were 575 cases of fire between January and June this year, an increase of 8.09 percent compared to the same period in 2013.
There is also a growth in the number of cases in which ambulances were dispatched. The figure rose from 16,541 in the first half of 2013 to 18,148 in the same period this year, an increase of 9.72 percent. JPL