Hong Kong fire officers train with GMFRS

Liang Ka-po, Phil Jenkinson and Yuen Tik-hang

Two senior station officers from the Hong Kong Fire Service have travelled half way around the world to receive specialist training from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS).

Liang Ka-po and Yuen Tik-hang are taking part in a five-week driving instructor course at Leigh Operational Training and Development Academy.

They arrived on Sunday (January 27) to a cold and snowy Greater Manchester having never been to the North West before, and on March 1 they'll return to Hong Kong where they'll put their training into practise as driving instructors and examiners for the fire service during a three-year post.

GMFRS has a well-established relationship with the Hong Kong Fire Service having hosted around 16 delegates in previous years, but Liang and Yuen are the first visitors to the county in over five years and they hold the Service in high regard.

Forty-year-old Liang, who's based in operational duties, said: "The training course is very systematic and comprehensive and everyone we've met has been very friendly - from the firefighters to the cooks.

"We can choose between driver training in Australia and Manchester and the course here is much more intensive and has a high quality of trainers."

Forty-five-year-old Yuen, who works in the protection side of the service, said: "The instructors are very experienced and they take us through the course slowly because English isn't our first language.

"Everyone has made us feel very welcome."

Each delegate is responsible for their own air fare and accommodation whilst staying in the UK which in itself shows the level of dedication and kudos this post carries within the Hong Kong Fire Service.

There are three elements to the training - LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) instructor, EFAD (Emergency Fire Appliance Drive) instructor and EFAD examiner courses, all of which are compiled to national standards. Training involves large vehicle driving instruction through to high speed and response driving

Driver trainer Phil Jenkinson said: "Because Hong Kong used to be a colony of the British Empire, the road traffic legislation is very similar so it helps the officers to work with instructors who understand the systems.

"One of the hardest things about the course is that it's very dynamic and changing all the time and these officers are doing it in a second language which makes it even tougher. We have some stock English messages which we use and I'm learning a few Cantonese phrases too.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to develop our cultural views, build friendships and demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of our driver training team throughout - hopefully this will be the first of many more visits to GMFRS by the Hong Kong Fire Service."