The Fire Services Department (FSD) is holding the Big Hearts, Save Hearts Awards Ceremony cum Carnival for two consecutive days, starting today (April 27), at D‧PARK in Tsuen Wan to share the message with the public that lending a helping hand during emergencies saves lives. The event is funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (HKJCCT), organised by the FSD and co-organised by eight Resuscitation Alliance members, namely the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Civil Aid Service, the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong College of Cardiology, the Hong Kong Red Cross, the Hong Kong St John Ambulance, the Resuscitation Council of Hong Kong, and the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Hong Kong Foundation.
Addressing the ceremony, the Director of Fire Services, Mr Andy Yeung, said that many people lose their lives each year through sudden cardiac arrest, but timely intervention of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED) can significantly increase patients' chances of survival. In view of this, the FSD launched the AED Anywhere for Anyone (AAA) Programme in 2021, encouraging public and private organisations to install AEDs in their premises and facilities. The department has also introduced an online information platform, named Centralized AED Registry for Emergency, which provides real-time information on the location of AEDs and other relevant data for public access. Currently, nearly 3 000 AEDs are available for public use in various public places throughout Hong Kong.
Among the 282 organisations that have participated in the AAA programme, 26 were awarded the Big Heart of the Year Award and the Big Heart Outstanding Performance Award by the FSD today in recognition of their proactive promotion of AED installations.
The Assistant Director (Ambulance) of the FSD, Mr Henry Kwok, presented the Save Heart Award at the event today to commend members of the public who had rescued people during emergencies. The award ceremony featured short videos with sharing from some of the awardees, with a view to encouraging more citizens to save people's lives.
The event is an initiative under the Hong Kong Fire Services Department Disaster Management Programme, which is funded by the HKJCCT and consistent with the safe communities objective. It offers a variety of activities, including the Big Heart and Save Heart award ceremonies, emergency preparedness information sharing by Big Heart Ambassador Miss Rosita Kwok, CPR and AED hands-on activities, and the AED Instruction Design Competition Award Ceremony, etc.
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