Taipei City Government

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je attended the Taipei Main Station special district joint disaster prevention center drill for the 2019 National Disaster Preparedness Day on October 23.

During his speech, he commented that Taipei Main Station is the most complicated area in Taipei in terms of disaster prevention because the facility comprises Taiwan Railways, THSR, and MRT (which has more than one line), coupled with Taoyuan Metro and the Taipei City Mall, as well as the Taipei Bus Station and large malls nearby. Approximately 500,000 people pass through this district every day, and the number spikes to 600,000 during the New Year and other holidays. Mayor Ko stressed that ongoing improvement is being implemented to make Taipei Main Station a safer place.

Mayor Ko also pointed out that what is unique about Taipei Main Station is that most of the activities take place underground, making it a high-risk area from the perspective of disaster prevention. Consequently, the highest standards must be applied to disaster prevention and management. As a matter of fact, the plan to establish a joint disaster prevention center in Taipei Main Station has been delayed for a number of years, but the first drill was conducted within 3 months of its operation. He said that a total of 5 drills have been carried out; besides a large-scale joint drill involving Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan, as well as three separate night drills, the current drill is the 5th large scale drill in Taipei City.

The mayor mentioned that the drill consists of 5 scenarios including advertising light box fire, locker fire, indiscriminate attack, unexploded ordnance, and toxic chemical substances. Organizations involved in this drill include Taipei City Government, the Taiwan Railways Administration, National Army, and the central government. With participation from multiple organizations, the drill scenario has become even more complicated. Mayor Ko believes that external review or external judges are required during the drill to document the problems encountered during the drill in detail. By determining and solving the problems during each drill, a certain level of safety can be attained after numerous drills by applying the 80/20 rule.

Lastly, Ko emphasized the importance of documenting and solving the problems that have surfaced during each drill in order to achieve ongoing improvement and make Taipei Main Station a safer place.