Substantial improvements have been made to the new mobilising system launched in the New Territories Fire Command in March, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee says. It will be extended to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Fire Commands by mid-2005.

Responding to lawmaker Kwong Chi-kin's query today, Mr Lee said the dispatch time of the Third Generation Mobilising System in March and April was not satisfactory as some system software and hardware did not perform as expected in the initial stage of operation. Staff were not fully familiar with the new system's operation.

About 80.3% and 83.8% of the 1,029 and 829 building fire calls in the New Territories in March and April met the six-minute target response time. About 80.7% and 86.8% of the 17,022 and 17,393 ambulance calls met the 12-minute target response time.

The corresponding figures in the 12 months prior to the commissioning of the new system are 94.3% for building fire calls and 89.7% for emergency ambulance calls. The average time taken for dispatching ambulances was 4.7 minutes in March and 2.3 minutes in April.

Mr Lee said the need to fine-tune the large-scale, high-tech new system and for staff to adjust was inevitable, and the Fire Services Department has been working closely with the contractor to refine the system.

He noted the old system is running in parallel with the new one to ensure the provision of emergency rescue service. The extra cost incurred was $1.53 million as at the end of April.