The old mode walkie-talkies, once the lifeline for frontline firefighters, were unreliable, an inquest into the death of a senior fireman in March 2010 was told on Tuesday.

The "man down" alarm on the breathing apparatus also may have failed at the critical moment, the court was told.

It was the second day of the inquest into the death of Yeung Chun-kit, who died in a four-alarm fire at an industrial site in Cheung Sha Wan on March 8, 2010. Three other firemen were injured.

Coroner Michael Chan Pik-kiu criticized firemen for not following established safety procedures.

Ng Wai-lam, partner of the dead firefighter, took the stand on Tuesday.

He recalled that the oxygen level at the scene dropped rapidly to near zero before he could get out. He could feel Yeung leaning on his oxygen tank, then Ng blacked out.

The tragedy began to unfold when the fire truck arrived in haste. It was not carrying sufficient equipment, Ng recalled. Five firemen were on the track but only four breathing apparatuses.

Ng had to grab a back-up breathing apparatus from another fire truck.

Before entering the site, Ng said he forgot to remove the keys on the breathing apparatus to activate the "man down" alarm.

He attributed his failure to lack of familiarity with the equipment he was using that day.

The device he was using monitors a fireman's safety. A warning sounds if the fireman remains still for 22 seconds.

Ng added that it's a common knowledge among firemen that the "man down" alarm doesn't work well.

Firemen don't really count on it, but tend to use walkie-talkies or whistles to call for help, he said.

Judge Chan described it as the cry wolf effect. Ng agreed, adding he had reported the problem to supervisors for many times.

Many firemen at the fire didn't follow the procedure and remove the keys, the officer in charge of breathing apparatus on that day said.

Their supervisor is also supposed to ask firemen to hand in the keys before entering the fire , but the step was missed .

Moreover, the monitor plate indicated that seven firemen went in, but he knew there were more then seven, the officer added.

The supervisor then asked the commander to count the number of firemen and withdraw those who didn't active the "man down" alarm. When Yeung's body was found, it was discovered he had not activated the alarm.

The Corner's Court on Monday also found the old mode walkie-talkies shared between two firemen may stop working when the system became very busy after the fire was upgraded.

guojiaxue@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 08/31/2011 page1)