Fire Services Bureau
The Fire Services Bureau[1] (Chinese: 消防局;[2] Portuguese: Corpo de Bombeiros,[lower-alpha 1][3] CB) is responsible for fire and rescue services in Macau. Volunteer fire brigades in Macau dates back to 1851 and full-time department in 1883. Prior to 1851, the Portuguese military provided fire services in the colony. In 1999, the CB became a fully civilian agency. Today the department is organized under the Macau Security Force (since 1976 after decades as a division of public works, Leal Senado and municipal control). The brigade is responsible for fire and rescue for both land and air.
消防局 Corpo de Bombeiros | |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Established | 1851; renamed 1976 |
Employees | 739 |
Commissioner | Secretariat for Security |
Fire chief | Commander |
Facilities and equipment | |
Stations | 7 |
Trucks | 38 |
Ambulances | 9 |
Fire Services Bureau | |||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||
Chinese | 消防局 | ||||||||||
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Portuguese name | |||||||||||
Portuguese | Corpo de Bombeiros |
The CB operates an ambulance service (Ambulância de Macau), but the Macau Red Cross also operates ambulances (Toyota HiAce vans) for emergency and non-emergencies to local hospitals with volunteer staff.[4]
The organization has a total of 739 uniformed firefighters and paramedics serving from seven fire stations in Macau with one central HQ on Macau.
Stations
Macau's fire brigade began with a single station in 1883 and had three by 1916:
- Station 1 – Central
- Station 2 – Avenida Almirante Sérgio
- Station 3 – Avenida Horta e Costa
As of 2011, there are seven fire stations in Macau:
Mainland
- Lago Sai Van (Avenida Dr. Stanley Ho) – modern five-storey building housing fire and ambulance operations; located next to Sai Van Lake; completed 2006 and home to fire services headquarters
- Areia Preta (bounded by Dr Franciso V Mac Avenida Do and Marginal da Areia Preta, Estrada Nordeste, Avenida Do and Nova Da Areia Preta Rua) – second station on mainland and designed by architect Manuel Vicente (1992–1996)
Taipa
- Taipa (Rua Siu Kuan, Rua Nam Keng) – fire and ambulance depot; fire training tower on the north end of Taipa
- Airport Division – two stations at the airport with one main depot (along runway) and one sub-depot (next to north end of terminal)
Coloane
- (Estrada do Alto de Coloane and Estrada do Dique Oeste) – fire services depot
Cotai
- (Rua Campo) – fire operations station
- newest fire station being constructed 2009–2010
Central Command Centre and Museum is a two storey colonial building formerly Station 1 and fire headquarters.
Commissioners
- Loi Kam Wan – Commissioner Macau Fire Service
- Eurico Lopes Fazenda – Deputy Commissioner Macau Fire Service
- Lei Pun Chi – Deputy Commissioner Macau Fire Service
Rank
The following ranks are observed in the CB in accordance with Law No. 2/2008 (Restructure of the Careers in the Security Forces and Departments):[5][6]
- Chief major (消防總監; Chefe-mor)
- Adjunct chief major (副消防總監; Chefe-mor adjunto)
- Principal chief (消防總長; Chefe principal)
- Adjunct chief (副消防總長; Chefe-ajundante)
- First class chief (一等消防區長; Chefe de primeira)
- Assistant chief (副一等消防區長; Chefe assistante)
- Chief (消防區長; Chefe)
- Deputy chief (副消防區長; Subchefe)
- Chief firefighter (首席消防員 Bombeiro principal)
- First class firefighter (一等消防員; Bombeiro de primeira)
- Firefighter (消防員; Bombeiro)
Fleet
Land vehicles
- Honda Civic City Command Car Japan
- Mercedes-Benz Bronto Skylift F52 HLA snorkel Germany
- Scania Heavy Rescue Tender Sweden
- Land Rover Defender rescue operation United Kingdom
- Scania TTL aerial Sweden
- Scania 114G HAZMAT tender Sweden
- Mitsubishi Canter TLF Japan
- Mitsubishi STLF FUSO/Morita Snorkel 17M Japan
- Mazda Astina 1.8 Commander Car Japan
- Suzuki Commander Car Japan
- Mitsubishi Canter TLF Japan
- Mercedes-Benz 3535 Germany
- Scania 94D Heavy Rescue Unit Sweden
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Rescue Unit Germany
- Mercedes-Benz 412 Ambulance Germany
- Suzuki Van Japan
- Mercedes-Benz 210 Ambulance Germany – Ambulância de Macau
- Mitsubishi Fuso/Morita 40M TL Japan
- Iveco Magirus 260-32AH/DL 50 Italy
- Mercedes-Benz 1622/Metz DLK30 Germany
- Mitsubishi Fuso/Morita AP17 Japan
- Mitsubishi/Morita TLF 2500 Japan
- Mitsubishi/Morita TLF 1500 Japan
- Mitsubishi Canter TLF 1500 Japan
- Mitsubishi Canter GW Japan
- Land Rover TLF United Kingdom
- Suzuki Commander Car Japan
- Mitsubishi Van Japan
- Mercedes-Benz 210 Ambulance Germany – Ambulância de Macau
- Rosenbauer Panther airport crash tender Austria
- Oshkosh T3000 airport crash tender United States
Boats
- Boston Whaler Challenger – 27' fire and rescue boat United States – managed by Macau Marine Department
- SEN Engenharia e Arquitectura Naval, Multi-Purpose Rescue and Fire Boat Portugal – for use at airport
Air Support
Sky Shuttle Helicopters can provides search and rescue support when victims need to be transported by area to hospital for treatment.
Ambulances are European standard Type B.
Uniform and gear
The uniform and insignia worn by CB personnel follows the model worn by the firefighters of Portugal.
The gear worn by the CB are similar to ones worn in Hong Kong:
- Pacific F3D fire helmet – fire crews
- F1 Gallet fire helmet – fire crews
Firefighters wear yellow helmets, while senior officers use blue.
- Nomex protection hood
Ambulance officers use chartreuse safety helmet with visor.
See also
- China Fire and Rescue
- Fire Services Department (Hong Kong)
Notes
- Meaning Fire Department in the literal translation.
References
- "Fire Services Bureau". Macao SAR Government Portal. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- 消防局. 澳门特别行政区政府入口网站 [Macao SAR Government Portal] (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "Corpo de Bombeiros". Portal do Governo da RAE de Macau [Macao SAR Government Portal] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "Ambulance". Macau Red Cross. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
- "Lei n.º 2/2008" (in Portuguese) – via Imprensa Oficial.
- "Descrição de distintivos". Fire Services Bureau.
External links
- Fire Services Bureau website (in Chinese)/(in Portuguese)