To enhance logistics care capacity during major disaster response operations, the Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government has continued to deepen public-private collaboration. On July 6, it held a “Logistics Care Vehicle Observation and Exchange Activity”, inviting Chou-Yao Huang, Deputy Convener of Tzu Chi Central Region Hexin Disaster Response Center, Mei-Chu Hsieh of the Central Region Tzu Chi Police Association Hexin Team, and 68 other volunteers to participate. Through an on-site observation of the logistics care vehicle, sharing of disaster response experience, and exchanges on cooperation models, the activity integrated private-sector disaster response resources and established a logistics support mechanism for disaster scenes, jointly protecting the safety of frontline firefighters and strengthening Taichung’s overall disaster response resilience.
Fu-Yu Sun, Director-General of the Fire Bureau, said the Bureau has newly purchased a logistics care vehicle and formally launched a disaster-scene logistics care system. The vehicle is mainly used to support major disasters, long-duration fires, mountain rescue operations, large-scale incidents, and missions in high-temperature environments. It provides firefighters with rest, cooling, hydration, food supplies, and basic physiological condition monitoring, allowing personnel to recover their strength at appropriate times during high-intensity disaster response operations. This helps reduce the risks of heat injury, dehydration, and excessive fatigue, while ensuring both disaster response efficiency and duty safety.
Director-General Sun noted that the core concept of the logistics care vehicle is based on the “REHAB” system widely adopted in international firefighting and disaster response operations. Under this system, a personnel recovery and health monitoring area is set up at the disaster scene, allowing firefighters to temporarily leave high-risk environments after completing staged tasks and receive rest, supplies, cooling, and health assessments. They may then return to disaster response work depending on their physical condition, ensuring that operations remain safe, sustainable, and efficient.
The Fire Bureau said that whenever major disasters or long-duration disaster response missions occur, Tzu Chi volunteers often take the initiative to provide logistics support, including hot meals, drinking water, and various supplies, serving as the strongest support for firefighters. The Tzu Chi team was specially invited to take part in this visit and exchange. In addition to introducing the operating model and equipment configuration of the logistics care vehicle, the two sides also exchanged views on activation timing, contact points, task assignments, supply support, and on-site coordination during major disaster response operations. The Bureau hopes to gradually establish an institutionalized cooperation model, making logistics support at disaster scenes more immediate, stable, and efficient.
Disaster rescue work relies not only on firefighting expertise, but also on cooperation between the public and private sectors. In the future, the Fire Bureau will continue to deepen cooperation with private organizations, integrate diverse disaster response resources, and improve the logistics care system at disaster scenes. These efforts will protect the duty safety of frontline firefighters and continue to enhance Taichung’s overall disaster response capacity and urban resilience.