The area of responsibility covered by the GFS is up to 700 nautical miles (1300 Kilometers) which include the international waters of the South China Sea bounded by Latitude 10 degrees North and Longitude 120 degrees East (area in white) for which the search and rescue (SAR) service is co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre; and the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (area in yellow) for which assistance will be provided in the event of aircraft emergencies or an aircraft in need of SAR assistance. It is very unique that GFS is the only disciplined force in Hong Kong that carries out their duties outside the HKSAR boundary.
Anyone who suffers from distress should dial 999 (the Emergency Telephone Number) to provide the details of the emergency. Police officers will assess the situation and consider what and how the most appropriate assistance can be provided in a timely manner.
The GFS helicopters cannot land on the rooftops of all hospitals in Hong Kong since rooftop helipads are only available at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and the Tuen Mun Hospital for life-saving missions.
There are a lot of factors dictating the water-bombing tactic, for example, wind, terrain, high tension cables, pylons, lives and property nearby, etc. The basic technique of water-bombing is to airdrop water ahead of the advancing fire line to form a stop line in order to trap or slow down the fire from spreading further. Once the fire is trapped, the crew may consider direct water-bombing to put the fire out. Fire-fighting is a risky operation for which our aircrew requires years of training. To make the operation effective, it also requires ground party support from colleagues of the Fire Services Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. In general, it"s a coordinated air and ground operation.