Taipei City Government

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Labor, foreign workers have engaged in housekeeping and domiciliary caregiving role for approximately 43,000 people in Taipei City as of April 30th, 2018. Among the people who receive in-home care are patients who are sick or have a disability and, therefore, are vulnerable in emergency evacuation.  In times of a disaster and reporting the emergency, unclear communication of these foreign caregivers due to language barrier could potentially lead to exacerbation of the situation because the rescue unit is unable to acquire details of the circumstance.

In response to such potential risk, the Fire Department arranges a promotion session to be held on June 17th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Taipei Station (1F Lobby). Activities will be conducted to educate these foreign workers on the use of the Video 119 App, the functionalities of residential smoke alarms, and CPR. When a foreign worker is unable to verbally communicate clearly the details of a disaster, he/she can report the emergency through Video 119 from his/her smartphone. The webcam service allows delivery of real-time images, videos, and GPS coordinates directly to the 119 Emergency Dispatch Center which, upon receiving details of the situation, will in turn effectively dispatch the appropriate rescue unit to the scene. Also, educating on the various functionalities of a residential smoke alarm would allow foreign workers to react appropriately to alerts and initiate evacuation promptly; educating on CPR allows them to carry out emergency procedures and treatments.

The promotion session will be held concurrently with the Eid al-Fitr as it is estimated that a large number of foreign workers will assemble at the lobby of the Taipei Station on June 17th. This disaster prevention promotion activity will enhance the ability of foreign workers to respond to disasters and, ultimately, establish a safer capacity for our citizens to live.