A Hong Kong-born Pakistani, who graduated from the firefighter training academy on Friday, has called on ethnic minority people to join the fire brigade to contribute to the community.
Mohammad Raza, a 23-year-old Pakistani who was born and grew up in Hong Kong, said he was touched by the dedication of firefighters during the long fire that broke out in a self-storage facility in Kowloon’s Ngau Tau Kok in 2016, Wen Wei Pao reported.
The incident triggered his desire to become a fireman.
Raza then applied for the job with his friend Mohammad Shakir but failed the physical ability test twice. Meanwhile, Shakir succeeded and he is currently a firefighter stationed at Tsim Sha Tsui Depot.
With assistance from Shakir to improve his physical ability, he did not need to worry about the written test, as the department had introduced a bilingual version for ethnic minority candidates. That meant Raza finally succeeded and was able to join the department.
According to a video posted on the department’s Facebook page, Raza appreciated the department’s and his colleagues’ help with various arrangements, including teaching him Chinese language and halal food prepared in the academy in the six months he underwent training.
He is now stationed Tsim Sha Tsui as well, working together with Shakir. Many ethnic minority people live in the district and they are able to communicate with them in Urdu.
Raza hoped he and Shakir could set as an example for ethnic minorities in the city, as being a firefighter means they draw a good salary and sound welfare. But as ethnic Pakistanis who are also a part of the local community, they are also able to contribute to society in Hong Kong.