Security chief Chris Tang said on Wednesday that it would be disproportionate to issue mobile phone emergency alert messages at a district level whenever a fire breaks out, saying frequent messages would tire the public.

He said in general, fires rarely affect an entire district, and sending out such alerts would cause unnecessary panic.

The minister made the comments in response to a question from Business and Professionals Alliance lawmaker Ray Wong, who asked whether officials could establish clear criteria for issuing district-specific alerts, which are now possible following a recent upgrade.

In a written reply, Tang said fires rarely require the immediate response of all residents in a district.

"Under such circumstances, activating a district-specific alert to notify hundreds of thousands of users within its coverage would significantly exceed the population actually affected by the incident," he wrote.

The minister said for most fires, it is better to have on-site immediate alerts, such as fire engine sirens and fire alarms.

He also pointed to the possibility of what he called alert fatigue for the public, saying the frequent use of the alert system would very likely diminish public vigilance and awareness.

However, Tang did say in cases such as extensive hill fires that require major evacuation within a specific area, the Fire Services Department will exercise its professional judgement and issue alerts if needed on a case by case basis.

A mobile phone alert was once issued throughout Hong Kong during the Covid pandemic in early 2022, when the government designated Queen Elizabeth Hospital for coronavirus patients.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden