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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, and Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, today (July 18) participated in the last of a series of exercises to prepare Hong Kong for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events in August and September.
The exercises were designed to check the preparedness of the government response at different levels to cope with a wide range of potential incidents at the Olympics.
Mr Tang said: "These drills are important in that they have tested the workability of the response plans of multiple government bureaus, departments and agencies in various contingency scenarios, as well as the effectiveness of overall coordination. They have also provided a good opportunity for staff concerned to practise the response procedures and identify areas for fine-tuning.
"I am confident that all parties involved in Hong Kong's Olympic equestrian events have geared up to ensure that the events will be held smoothly in a safe and secure environment," he said.
The exercises, the first of which began on March 7, were planned by the Security Bureau's Exercise Planning Team, which was made up of officers with wide-ranging experience in emergency and crisis management.
Code-named "Equinox VII", today's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) field exercise was launched at the Sha Tin Olympic Equestrian Venue. The Chief Secretary for Administration and the Secretary for Security also took part in the exercise.
Nine departments, along with the Equestrian Events (Hong Kong) of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Company Limited (EqCo), were involved in the CBRN exercise in which six contingency control centres were also activated.
Representatives from more than 30 other government departments and related agencies were present to observe the exercise.
During the exercise, a simulated CBRN device was "activated" in the Sha Tin venue shortly before an event, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries and about 400 spectators being contaminated.
EqCo, Police and the Fire Services Department (FSD) swung into immediate rescue and evacuation operations. The Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was dispatched to the scene and successfully made the CBRN device safe. The FSD conducted mass decontamination of the contaminated spectators at the nearby Sha Tin Fire Station. The injured were treated at the scene and transported to hospital.
The incident scene was later decontaminated by FSD to ensure that it was safe to enter.
Ends/Friday, July 18, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:02
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