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of life and property in both public andprivate buildings; and(b)whether the existing monitoring mechanismwas adequate and effective in ensuringthat these fire safety devices could anddid fulfil the functions expected of themin the land grants and/or building plans.EVAsPolicies and Enforcement4. The purpose of an EVA is to assist the FSD inthe carrying out of fire fighting and rescue operationsin the event of a fire or other emergency. Prior to1964, building plans were not required to be submitted tothe FSD for approval and it was not until 1980 that theprovision of EVAs to new buildings was made a mandatoryrequirement for certain types of but not alldevelopments. Between 1964 and 1980, the FSD's policy,which was advisory in nature, was the provision of an EVAto one face of the building. After 1980, agreement wasreached with the then Crown Land and Survey Office toinclude an 'Access for Fire Services Appliances andPersonnel' clause in the lease document of alldevelopments. However, this clause cannot be applied toredevelopments unless there is a change in scope or leaseconditions.5. The FSD has since 1980 formulated a set of morecomprehensive departmental policies and requirements withregard to the provision of accesses for fire appliancesin various types of building developments. Theserequirements, which have been revised from time to timeas necessary, are applied across the board, and there isno difference in standard for public and privatedevelopments. Mainly speaking, there are minimumcriteria to be followed in respect of developments in theso-called virgin areas (i.e. new sites) andredevelopments areas with or without a change in leaseconditions.6. As regards the provision of EVAs for villagehouses (i.e. the New Territories Exempted Houses(NTEHs) ) , delineation of EVAs is drawn up on the layoutplans for 'Village Type Development' zones. However, in- 2 -