Taipei City Government

The delegates from the Taipei City Urban Search and Rescue Team (USRT) packed their gears and headed for Japan to take part in the upcoming 2022 Japan Tokyo General Disaster Risk Reduction Drill slated for August 31 through September 5.
 
Taipei’s delegation is led by Specialist Lin Ching-wen from the Taipei City Fire Department (TCFD) and comprises four USRT members. They will visit Tokyo Fire Department and Katsushika Ward Emergency Response Team, as well as participate in an exchange with First Rescue Task Force of Tokyo Fire Department’s Sixth Fire District Headquarter.
 
Before the onset of the pandemic, TCFD has been invited to the joint drill for 13 consecutive years. In 2021, USRT have acquired additional certification by passing the National Accreditation Process for Search and Rescue Teams administered by the National Fire Agency. The invitation from Japan to take part in the General Disaster Risk Reduction Drill is a vote of confidence for USRT’s capabilities in search and rescue operations. The event is also an opportunity for USRT members to interact with elite emergency rescue forces from around the world.
 
Japan holds numerous joint disaster risk reduction drills each year. These events also help to raise public awareness on disaster risk reduction, as well as boosting the preparedness of related agencies in the area. The organizer also invited major cities across Asia to take part in the drills through the Network for Crisis Management framework, strengthening collaboration among the emergency rescue teams of different nations.
 
The scenario of the upcoming drill simulates a major earthquake in Tokyo, where the municipal government requests the support of emergency rescue teams from Asian cities through the aforementioned network.
 
As both Taiwan and Japan are located on the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” it is important for the two nations to learn from each other and collaborate in the field of disaster risk reduction and emergency rescue operations.