Fire and rescue personnel from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have completed a joint emergency response and rescue exercise, simulating the occurrence of a strong earthquake, in Jiangmen, Guangdong.

The exercise, held from Monday until today, followed a blueprint under formulation by the governments of the three places, namely the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Emergency Response & Rescue Operational Plan.
 

The plan is aimed at developing a comprehensive and systematic emergency mobilisation and co-ordination mechanism that will strengthen capabilities for responding jointly to disasters and incidents in the bay area.
 

In the 48-hour joint exercise, named “Liancheng-2024”, a strong earthquake was presented as having take place in Pengjiang District, Jiangmen, affecting a wide swathe of territory and causing multiple buildings to collapse, people to be trapped and casualties to occur.

 
The Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Macao Fire Services Bureau immediately deployed personnel to the affected area to assist in rescue operations in response to the hypothetical disaster. 

 
The FSD deployed a total of 27 members from its Disaster Response & Rescue Team, five fire appliances, and over 400 items of rescue equipment.

 
Rescue teams from the three places conducted independent and joint operations in 11 different rescue scenarios. These involved a high-rise building, a tilted building, a collapsed container, rubble, a mudslide, a vertical shaft and a cable-car.

 
At the command meeting, Deputy Director of Fire Services (Operations) Angus Wong said the cross-boundary exercise demonstrated the efficient deployment of rescue resources from the three places.

 
He added that the three places will reflect on the experience gained and further optimise relevant operational procedures, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of cross-boundary rescue efforts.

 
The governments of the three places are expected to sign the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Emergency Management Co-operation & Greater Bay Area Emergency Response Operation Co-operation Framework Agreement in Hong Kong in mid-June.