Hong Kong firefighters to act first and seek clearance later in emergencies at high-speed rail joint checkpoint
Fire services chief says city and mainland authorities have agreed on the principle and are working out relevant guidelines
Hong Kong firefighters will respond first to emergencies on trains and in the mainland port area of the local high-speed rail link terminus before getting official clearance, the city’s fire services chief pledged on Tuesday.
Daryl Li Kin-yat, director of the Fire Services Department, said it had been in discussion with mainland authorities and relevant parties over a set of operational procedures.
The talks centred on how Hong Kong rescue services should act in the event of any emergencies occurring inside an area of the West Kowloon terminus where mainland laws apply.
“The main principle is to ensure the safety of people in the area ... We have similar operational agreements [in the Shenzhen Bay Port] so we will handle the emergency operations first and communicate or get relevant clearance afterwards,” Li said during a media conference to present the department’s work for 2017.
“The working principle has been accepted by both parties. So we are now in the process of ironing out detailed procedures and guidelines,” Li said.
According to the co-location arrangement for the local terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, trains and platforms would fall under mainland jurisdiction, but the tracks would stay within local purview to facilitate maintenance and handling of emergencies.