The movement of personnel between Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong, for both land and marine emergency response, will soon be possible with the signing of a new agreement, multiple media outlets report.
Macao’s Fire Services Bureau issued a statement to TDM Portuguese News saying that the details of the agreement were “basically defined,” adding that it would be signed in Hong Kong.
Citing the Hong Kong Security Bureau, local media reported that emergency vehicles would be permitted to cross into other GBA cities when disaster strikes and the affected city required assistance.
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Officials say the new arrangement will also allow the three areas to share their know-how with each other.
Efforts to strengthen cooperation between emergency services within the GBA began last September, with the organisation of a GBA Emergency Response Joint Meeting in Hong Kong.
Such cooperation is not without precedent. For example, during Typhoon Hato in 2017, Macao requested help from the central government, which deployed around 1,000 People’s Liberation Army troops to assist with the clean up and rescue effort.
