customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Julia Hollingsworth

Christy Leung

A 24-hour operation to rescue two mainland tourists who went hiking during a typhoon warning likely carried a price tag of more than HK$344,000 in staffing costs alone, according to estimates.
A 31-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman ran into trouble on the difficult Kowloon Peak hike on Saturday, and had to be saved by 160 fire service personnel as Severe Tropical Storm Pakhar lashed the city.
According to a source, the lowest ranked fire service officer has an hourly wage of HK$215, meaning if each of the 160 staff worked for 10 hours at that rate, the total cost would be HK$344,000. This excludes the cost of equipment and other operational costs.
Fire service personnel are required to work 51 hours a week, meaning the average working day is just over 10 hours.
Rescuers in Hong Kong save 11 at sea and two on mountain as Tropical Storm Pakhar batters city
Ten ambulances and 31 fire engines were also involved in the operation, which took 24.5 hours.
Another source close to the operation said not all fire service personnel were on the front line, and many took shifts.


“Some firefighters were in the front row to rescue the pair on the mountain, but do not forget many more, among the 160, were providing back up work behind the scenes, mapping out the route and rescue tactics,” the source said.
Hong Kong Hikers director Steve Pheby questioned the number of staff involved, saying it was “absolutely ridiculous”.
“They’re there to put out fires, and while they’re out in the hills ... there could be a genuine fire in the city where it will take them a while to get back.
“I find that the resources are kind of wrong,” he said, adding that a mountain rescue service would be much more efficient. “They really don’t need that many people. I knew where they were, I could have gone there with two other people and looked after them and got them down safely.”
But Yang Kin-sang, the chairman of the Fire Services Officers Association, said he had not seen any ill will towards the couple.
“Even if one might have made a foolish or stupid decision which leads to his or her life [being put] in danger, it is still worth everything for us to save a life. And in this case, the woman was injured. The pair had no one else to turn to and therefore called us as a last straw,” Yang said.
“It is better than people being afraid of calling us for help.”
Yang added that hikers should always be well equipped and should not hike under extreme weather.
A growing number of hikers are calling authorities for help, according to police records released in a reply to the Legislative Council. In 2014, 990 hikers requested help by calling 999, which to 1,134 in 2015 and 1,327 last year.
The numbers of hikers also appears to be on the rise, with country park visitors growing from 12.2 million to 13.3 million between 2005 and 2016.


Elderly man dies after fire in luxury Hong Kong flat in Mid-Levels

Woman arrested for suspected child neglect after 2 rescued from Hong Kong flat fire

Flying debris after crane collapses injures 5 workers at construction site in Hong Kong

Expat hiker critically injured in Hong Kong after falling from cliff on uninhabited island

Hong Kong rescue services

Cost to rescue two stranded hikers in Hong Kong runs into hundreds of thousands

Some 160 fire service personnel were deployed to find the hikers. Photo: Handout

Hikers underestimate danger of ‘suicide cliff’ in Hong Kong, experts warn, after tourists trapped during tropical storm

Kowloon Peak, the highest mountain on the Kowloon Peninsula, is an advanced-level hike as it involves climbers scrambling up narrow paths, but its popularity is growing thanks to social media coverage. Photo: Edward Tin

Rescue team members carry the woman who fall down a cliffs in Kowloon Peak. 28AUG17 Photo : SCMPicture

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Some 160 fire service personnel were involved in a 24-hour operation to save pair who went hiking during typhoon warning
