CUHK signs MoUs with Fire Services Department to jointly organise core course Empowering health and sports talent
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) signed a pair of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) today to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities for local public health, primary healthcare and sports talent. According to the framework, CUHK’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care (JCSPHPC) at the Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine) and the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education at the Faculty of Education will organise a training module on the fundamentals of emergency care and critical response, together with the FSD’s Fire and Ambulance Services Academy (FASA). The module will become a core course in corresponding Bachelor’s degree programmes. The collaboration will enhance students’ awareness of community emergency preparedness and life-saving treatments, promoting a community-based public safety strategy.
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Representatives of the FASA and CUHK commemorate the signing of the MoUs. Front row from left: Professor Samuel Wong Yeung-shan, Director of the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at CU Medicine; Ms Cheung Kapo, Deputy Commandant (Ambulance Services Training) of the FASA; and Professor Stephen Wong Heung-sang, Chairperson of the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, CUHK. Back row from left: Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan, Dean of CU Medicine, CUHK; Mr Cheu Yu-kok, Commandant of the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy (FASA); and Professor Fan Xitao, Dean of the Faculty of Education, CUHK.
The training module will teach students how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use automated external defibrillators (AEDs), as well as providing them with skills and knowledge of fire safety measures and emergency evacuation procedures. It will be included as a core module in the Bachelor of Education in Physical Education, Exercise Science and Health, Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Education, Bachelor of Science in Human Movement Science and Health Studies, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Community Health Practice and Bachelor of Science in Gerontology curricula. Students who have completed the module will become members of the FSD’s Resuscitation Alliance, who pledge to give a helping hand in cardiac arrest cases.
One MoU was signed by Ms Cheung Kapo, Deputy Commandant (Ambulance Services Training) of the FASA and Professor Samuel Wong Yeung-shan, Director of JCSPHPC at CU Medicine, while the other was signed by Ms Cheung and Professor Stephen Wong Heung-sang, Chairperson of the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education at CUHK. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr Cheu Yu-kok, Commandant of the FASA, Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan, Dean of CU Medicine;andProfessor Fan Xitao, Dean of the Faculty of Education at CUHK.
Professor Samuel Wong Yeung-shan (front row left), Director of the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care at CU Medicine, signs an MoU with Ms Cheung Kapo (front row right), Deputy Commandant (Ambulance Services Training) of the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy (FASA), witnessed by Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan (back row left), Dean of CU Medicine, and Mr Cheu Yu-kok (back row right), Commandant of the FASA.
Professor Stephen Wong Heung-sang (front row left), Chairperson of the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, CUHK, signs an MoU with Ms Cheung Kapo (front row right), Deputy Commandant (Ambulance Services Training) of the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy (FASA), witnessed by Professor Fan Xitao (back row left), Dean of the Faculty of Education, CUHK and Mr Cheu Yu-kok (back row right), Commandant of the FASA.
Professor Chiu and Professor Fan thanked the FSD for its unwavering support for the collaboration.
Professor Chiu remarked: “This collaboration brings the medical education we provide closer to the community and aligns it with contemporary societal needs. In addition to enhancing students’ situational awareness and emergency response capabilities, our goal is to instil a people-centred ethos. This empowers students to take decisive action during crises, positively influence their communities and embody the principles of life care and health protection in practice.”
Professor Fan added: “Students participating in the training module can effectively integrate their undergraduate knowledge with emergency safety awareness, strengthening their vigilance and problem-solving skills. Through these experiences, they will cultivate a spirit of mutual support and care, enabling them to respond proactively to the evolving needs of society.”
Mr Cheu commented: “The training module will enhance students’ competence and confidence in saving patients from cardiac arrest, strengthening support for local patients with cardiac arrest and allowing them to receive timely rescue in the community, increasing their chances of survival. The MoU also represents a key step forward in maintaining sustainable co-operation between the two parties to provide various types of non-academic training to young people in Hong Kong.”
