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Home > Latest News > Press Releases > Eighty (80) Taiwanese Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERTs) were presented with the T-CERT flag at the pledging ceremony. LIU Shyh-fang: TCERTs make a strong backup force to protect Taiwan!

Eighty (80) Taiwanese Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERTs) were presented with the T-CERT flag at the pledging ceremony. LIU Shyh-fang: TCERTs make a strong backup force to protect Taiwan!

Today (2024/11/22), a "Pledging Ceremony of Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERTs)" was held by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), where eighty (80) T-CERTs that were formed this year (2024) rallied together and were presented with the T-CERT flag by Minister LIU Shyh-fang, which symbolized the completion of their training and their official join the ranks of the important force for Taiwan’s disaster response. The eighty (80) T-CERTs also made the bellwether of other T-CERTs to come, driving the continued growth of Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams.
 
As per Minister LIU Shyh-fang, to reduce casualties immediately after the striking of a disaster, the "Medium-term Program for Deploying Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams" (T-CERTs)" (“this Program”) was proposed, which was adjusted and deepened with reference to the experience of the United States and Singapore based on Taiwan's characteristics and practical needs. This Program introduces the concept of "Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)" in the United States, with roles from the central to local governments, from the government to the civil society and enterprises. The objectives of the Program are to cultivate civilian teams with preliminary response capabilities through a six-year medium-term program, so that when large-scale disasters occur, such civilian teams can play the role to support auxiliary polices and auxiliary firefighters of government agencies in disaster relief.
 
As emphasized by LIU Shyh-fang, the eighty (80) T-CERTs have completed diverse training courses, including theories and practices this year (2024). The core values of the T-CERT lie in self-rescue, rescue others, and mutual aid in solidarity, with the objectives that T-CERTs can respond to disasters prior to the arriving of the government’s rescue personnel, by quickly mobilizing, organizing, and carrying out life rescue and basic first aid, thus reducing the loss of lives and properties. As pointed out by LIU Shyh-fang, the T-CERT that had previously completed training jointly with the Taipei Port Area learned that the self-rescue skills trained for T-CERT could indeed enhance the protection and safety of the workplace. The first batch of T-CERTs trained this year (2024) focused on "important sites of the nation" and "key enterprises in the port area", so that T-CERTs can protect important facilities during emergencies.
 
As pointed out by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), in the future, we will continue to promote T-CERT training, strengthen disaster prevention and relief capabilities, and enhance Taiwan's resilience against disasters in upholding the spirit of "Keeping away from disasters takes priority over disaster prevention, and disaster prevention takes priority over disaster relief” as instructed by the President LAI Ching-te. As well, we will continue to deploy various types of T-CERTs in line with the evolution and transformation needs of various communities such as large industrial areas, hazardous materials factories, and various organizations and settlements with unique characteristics. Through the enhancement of the populaces’ self-help and mutual help capabilities in major disasters, the populaces can become an important partner of the government in disaster prevention and relief during disasters, thus gradually building the capacity of all-out disaster prevention.
Remarks rendered by Minister LIU Shyh-fang of the Interior Remarks rendered by Minister LIU Shyh-fang of the Interior
Group photo taken at the Pledging Ceremony of Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERTs) Group photo taken at the Pledging Ceremony of Taiwan Community Emergency Response Teams (T-CERTs)
Last Updated:2024-12-23 HOME
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