Home
>
Latest News >
Press Releases > National Fire Agency (NFA): Using disaster relief robots to enhance disaster relief effectiveness and helping replacement of old vehicles year by year to ensure the safety of firefighters
National Fire Agency (NFA): Using disaster relief robots to enhance disaster relief effectiveness and helping replacement of old vehicles year by year to ensure the safety of firefighters
Not long ago, some civilian groups questioned the central government for subsidizing local fire agencies in procuring disaster relief robots instead of replacing old fire vehicles. The National Fire Agency (NFA) clarified that using disaster relief robots to enter fire scenes on behalf of firefighters can not only enhance disaster rescue capabilities, but also greatly safeguard the safety of firefighters’ lives. Meanwhile, through special projects, local governments were assisted in replacing old fire vehicles to improve the safety in disaster relief.
At present, local fire agencies have purchased 128 disaster relief robots (including procurement with own funds and the central subsidies) which have successively placed into disaster relief in special areas, such as fires in high-tech factories, disasters in petrochemical (chemical) factories, and disasters in tin structures, warehouses, and resource recycling which usually require long time for disaster relief, as well as leaks of or fires associated with toxic nuclear, biological, and chemical gases, disasters in long tunnels, and other areas where rescue work can be difficult, etc. When the on-site information and conditions are unknown, through applying science and technology to disaster relief, firefighters can use disaster relief robots first to conduct preliminary detection and disaster relief work to ensure the safety of firefighters in disaster relief. As of 2024/11/26, disaster relief robots have been deployed for 145 times.
As pointed out by the National Fire Agency (NFA), although disaster relief is a matter of local governments’ autonomy, to improve the safety of firefighters in disaster relief, the central government has designated a medium-term program for subsidizing the procurement of disaster relief robots based on the needs of each fire agency. The robots can control the access to dangerous fire scenes through remote control and perform tasks to prevent the spread of fire or extinguish fire attacks through the water-jet turret, thus avoiding sending firefighters into high-risk fire environments. The use of science and technology to replace manpower and reduce the possibility of accidents among firefighters is in sync with the development towards technological disaster relief for firefighting in various countries around the world.
In addition, to ensure that all field firefighters have comprehensive personal protective equipment (PPE), the National Fire Agency (NFA) has secured approximately NT$1.9 billion for all fire agencies to enrich their basic personal firefighting equipment as well as special disaster relief equipment such as personal light guides, personal masks with radio amplifiers, personal thermal imaging cameras, helmet and ear-shield sets, etc., so as to provide more thorough protection for frontline firefighters.
The outmoded fire vehicles are to be replaced by local governments with budgets designated in accordance with the law. To assist local fire agencies to better their replacement efficiency, the National Fire Agency (NFA) has proposed a medium-term program for replacing outmoded fire vehicles since 2020. From 2020 to 2022, 79 vehicles have been replaced with the subsidy of a budget of more than NT$1.2 billion from the NFA, and 31 vehicles have been replaced with funds raised by local governments themselves, making a total of 110 vehicles replaced. In addition, since 2023, in Phase 2 plan, additional 168 fire vehicles are to be replaced with a budget of more than NT$1.9 billion from the Ministry of Interior (MOI), and additional 68 vehicles are to be replaced with funds raised by local governments themselves, making a total of 236 vehicles to be replaced, thus further assisting local fire agencies in replacing outmoded fire vehicles.
As per the National Fire Agency (NFA), due to the relatively high unit price of fire vehicles and disaster relief robots, the central and local governments must work together to continue to enrich and advance the said equipment. In the future, the central government will also assist local fire agencies through various projects in supplementing various disaster relief vehicles, equipment, and devices, striving to jointly enhancing the safety in disaster relief for firefighters.
Last Updated:2024-12-23
HOME