Why are Hong Kong’s firefighters so celebrated? From hellish infernos to rescue missions, city’s bravest go where they are needed
- City Weekend explores the history of the Fire Services Department and some of the biggest cases its tireless heroes have tackled over the decades
- Recent HKU survey shows firefighters are city’s most beloved disciplinary force
Last year, Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department, the most popular of the disciplinary forces in the city, marked its 150th anniversary.
According to the latest biannual University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme survey, firefighters scored a satisfaction rate of 82.9 per cent, topping other local agencies seven years in a row.
The police force, on the other hand, was second-last and beat only the People’s Liberation Army garrison by less than 5 percentage points.
When the department’s oddball mascot Anyone, played by an actual staff member in an all-blue faceless bodysuit, was first introduced to the public last year, it became an instant viral sensation online.
So why are Hong Kong’s firefighters so celebrated? This is because the department is not only called upon to battle hellish infernos, but also for search-and-rescue missions in times of disaster or when trekkers go missing among the city’s many hiking trails.
In a tragic clifftop incident in March 2017, principal firefighter Yau Siu-ming died while trying to rescue two trapped hikers at Tiu Shau Ngam in Ma On Shan under poor weather. Yau was hailed as a hero, and top government officials and lawmakers gathered to pay their final respects at his funeral.
