Guarding the citizens and creating a safe city, Taichung City's disaster relief capacity is further advanced! Today, April 17, Taichung City Government Fire Department Special Search Brigade passed the National Accreditation Process (NAP) to obtain the medium-sized search and rescue team capability certification, the first in the central counties and the fifth in the country, and is currently the only search and rescue team with a veterinarian, and will carry out international humanitarian rescue missions as a member of the national team in the future.

The fire chief, Sun Fu-you, said "This is a demonstration of teamwork! The city's mayor, Lu Hsiu-yen, has the vision to build a fire safety network and improve the city's disaster prevention and relief capabilities. International humanitarian aid has to be mobilized in the shortest possible time to travel to overseas disaster sites, which are unfamiliar, and the environment can be quite harsh and full of variables. While saving lives, we need to rely on continuous logistical supplies, close cooperation between teams, and teamwork to successfully complete the mission.

The fire chief, Sun said that the Taichung City International Humanitarian Rescue Team members include police and fire, doctors, veterinarians, civil engineering technicians team and search and rescue dogs, more than 100 people, but also the only veterinarians accompanying the team take care of the search and rescue dogs. For more than a year, the army has been preparing for the training of equipment and personnel, and actively improving the rescue capacity.

The Fire Department mentioned that to align with international standards and establish an institutionalized disaster relief model, the Fire Department followed the United Nations standards to handle the search and rescue capability classification test, divided into two stages: written examination and field simulation exercises. The actual test is a 36-hour uninterrupted rescue exercise, from mobilization, and assembly to base building planning, in the collapsed building in the restricted space to search for rescue victims, to give emergency medical treatment, etc. All tasks must be completed within the given time, and the test aims to test the physical strength and skills of the rescue personnel in a time-sensitive environment.

The Fire Department also said that in February this year, the most serious earthquake in a century occurred in Turkey, Taichung City Fire Department Special Rescue Squad sent two search and rescue dogs and veterinarians to join the international rescue efforts; In the past, we have also assisted in major domestic disasters such as the Typhoon-Morakot-caused flood, the Suhua Highway Cruiser Crash into the Sea, the Hualien earthquake, and the Tainan Viguan building collapse. The national search and rescue capability certification, not only is a kind of affirmation but also gives heavy responsibility mission.In the future, the Taichung City Fire Department Special Rescue Squad will join the International Humanitarian Aid National Team and go to all corners of the world to save lives in desperate need of rescue.