Emergency medical services in Hong Kong

The service employs some 2200 people and operates approximately 256 emergency ambulances and 35 motorcycles from 36 depots, located strategically around the Hong Kong territory.

[5] In addition, the service operates a number of rapid response vehicles, and four heavy truck-based Mobile Treatment Centres.

It used to have ambulance crew with basic life support equipment from Hong Kong Fire Service Department (HKFSD) abroad when mission needed.

Enlisted as auxiliary officers, they operate as part of the aircrew on non-risky rescue missions during 09:30–18:30 at weekends (Fri-Mon) and public holidays when the majority of recreational accidents occur.

Nowadays, the programme is not enough to support current heavy demand on air medical emergency basis 24x7, 365 days a year.

To be qualified as flight paramedic, some of standing Air Crewman Officers (ACMO) is recently receiving pre-hospital care training from Hospital Authority (HA) as well as Hong Kong Fire Service Department.

In addition, the service operates a handful of vehicles for isolated areas where the full-sized ambulances have difficulty in travelling.

All of the emergency ambulances of the Hong Kong Fire Service carry advanced life support (ALS) equipment, while those of the volunteer agencies do not.

Although the Hong Kong Fire Service maintains that its ambulances provide paramedic service, the current highest level of training is what most would recognise as a US EMT-Intermediate level, including IV therapy, airway management using Combitube, defibrillation, and a limited range of drugs, given orally or by injection.

[13] The system operates technologies and decision support software that are approximately equivalent with those found in Europe and North America.

The objective of the Hong Kong Fire Service is to have an ambulance on the scene of an emergency within twelve minutes of receiving the request, 24 hours per day.

The current dispatch system in Hong Kong does not categorise ambulance calls by medical acuity, although there are plans to introduce this measure in the future.