Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Question:
There are views that the Government may further enhance existing fire safety education, deepen the concept of “making preventive efforts to ensure fire safety”, and introduce virtual reality (VR) technology to assist members of the public in staying calm and making appropriate escape decisions and to enhance their self-protection ability in case of fire. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the numbers of fire safety talks, seminars, exhibitions and fire drills organised by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) for community members and the total number of times fire safety advisory service was provided in the past three years;
(2) whether the FSD will consider further enhancing the fire safety education and promotion approach to step up the fire risk assessment and escape decision-making capabilities of the public, such as encouraging or requiring building management bodies (including owners’ corporations and property management companies) to participate in and organise practical training, regularly conducting evacuation simulation drills and on-site demonstration of fire suppression methods, and teaching residents how to make appropriate judgement and choose escape routes in case of fire based on the fire location, building structure and their own physical conditions, while at the same time stepping up the overall co-ordination and response capabilities of building households and property management personnel in case of fire; and
(3) whether the FSD will consider, in collaboration with the Education Bureau, designing and promoting activities that create an immersive sense of presence by re-creating fire scenarios with VR technology and require regular participation by schools, so as to heighten students’ crisis awareness through situated education and provide them with specialised training for fire escape?
President,
The Government attaches great importance to public fire safety education. In emergencies such as fires, whether members of the public can remain calm, make effective risk assessments and escape decision directly affects their safety. To this end, the Fire Services Department (FSD), apart from actively implementing a “community-based” public safety strategy, has also widely applied innovative technologies to enhance the interactivity and realism of education and training. The objective is to enable the public to acquire and practise emergency response skills in simulated yet safe situations, thereby strengthening the overall fire prevention awareness and self-rescue capabilities.
The reply to the question raised by the Member, in consultation with the Education Bureau (EDB), is as follows:
(1) The total number of fire safety talks and advisory services provided by the FSD to the community in the past three years is shown in the table below.
In addition, the FSD from time to time organises disaster prevention and emergency preparedness exhibitions, fire premises open days as well as district disaster and emergency preparedness carnivals. It also conducts fire drills with residential estates and schools, among others, to continuously strengthen community fire safety promotion.
(2) The FSD has been educating and cultivating public awareness of disaster risks through conventional mass media, digital and social platforms, community outreach, and collaboration with different organisations. At the same time, the FSD has actively strengthened district-level co-operation and encouraged direct public participation in training. It has also integrated innovative technologies into public education to further enhance the public’s capability to respond effectively in the event of a fire.
Strengthening district collaboration
To enhance district collaboration, the FSD established the “Fire Services Department Community Collaboration Network” (FSDCCN) in 2022. Members of the FSDCCN include Divisional Commanders of the FSD and chairpersons of the 18 District Fire Safety Committees under the Home Affairs Department. FSDCCN members hold regular meetings to jointly formulate targeted district fire safety strategies and organise district fire and disaster prevention publicity campaigns. For example, in 2025, over 3 000 sets of “three treasures for fire protection” (fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and stand-alone fire detectors) were distributed to the public through the FSDCCN. Information on fire prevention and emergency preparedness was also provided to residents to enhance their emergency readiness. It is expected that in 2026, 5 400 sets of “disaster and emergency preparedness kits,” with the addition of smoke hoods, will be distributed across all districts in Hong Kong through the FSDCCN to continue to strengthen district collaboration efforts.
Encouraging direct participation of the public in fire safety training
Since December 2024, the FSD has launched the “Community Emergency Responder Scheme” to provide members of the public with knowledge on basic fire prevention and emergency response. As of December 31, 2025, a total of 8 420 members of the public have become “Community Emergency Responders” upon completion of the training course. In 2026, the annual recruitment target for “Community Emergency Responders” will be increased to 10 000 members, with a view to expanding the community safety network.
To ensure that residents and managerial personnel in buildings are equipped with knowledge on fire prevention and emergency response, and are able to respond correctly and immediately during the incipient stage of fires, the FSD has specifically established the “Building Emergency Responders” which provides specialised training for property management personnel, representatives of owners’ corporations (OCs) and residents on building fire safety, such as the correct usage, management, and maintenance responsibilities of fire service installations and equipment, as well as key considerations when conducting fire inspections, etc. These “Building Emergency Responders” can assist in identifying potential fire safety hazards within housing estates, participate in fire safety inspections, and report risks to the FSD or property management companies.
Integrating innovative technologies into public education
The FSD has all along been actively leveraging innovative technologies for public education and publicity. As early as 2020, the FSD introduced an “Emergency Preparedness Education Bus”, which features a virtual reality game and an interactive firefighting simulation system. This allows participants to experience escaping from a fire scene, operating fire extinguishers, and using hose reels to put out a fire, etc, thereby learning the skills of “Extinguish and Prevent Fire”, “Self-help and Help Others” and “Escape and Evacuate” under the “Three Basic Skills on Emergency Preparedness”, and enhancing the participants’ self-help capabilities.