GBA emergency response agreement to be signed in May
Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Tuesday said the administration would sign an agreement with the governments of Guangdong and Macau next month, regarding a new emergency response mechanism with cities in the Greater Bay Area.  Chief Executive John Lee announced in his Policy Address last year that Hong Kong would formulate a new plan to establish a systematic emergency response mechanism with bay area cities. Speaking at a Legco panel meeting, Tang said the cities would organise joint exercises to enhance the efficiency of rescues, including an exercise in May which targets earthquake disasters. He said Hong Kong could also benefit from the resource sharing mechanism. "Guangdong province has an advantage in heavy-duty equipment. With this platform, we can enhance our overall emergency response capabilities. On the other hand, we can also provide emergency response resources to other cities in the GBA under the resource-sharing mechanism," he said. "We have prepared a list of shareable resources covering rescue equipment, vehicles, vessels, and fire and ambulance personnel. Guangdong and Macau Fire and Rescue Services Units have taken note of the list and are currently conducting research on the resources they can share." Meanwhile, DAB lawmaker Elizabeth Quat asked Tang whether the new agreement would improve the Shenzhen reservoir discharge notification mechanism. This came after police were informed 45 minutes ahead of the discharge in September last year, amid widespread flooding across Hong Kong. According to the current mechanism, Shenzhen authorities are advised to inform Hong Kong three hours ahead about their decision. Tang said after the incident, Shenzhen authorities agreed to inform Hong Kong about their plan to discharge water even before the decision was confirmed, so the SAR could be more prepared.