Taipei City Fire Department

Tomb Sweeping Festival is approaching, twenty-eight public cemeteries will be patrolled by the Taipei City Fire Department from March 18 to April 5, 2023. On March 18, 19, 26 and April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, firefighters from Taipei City Volunteer Fire Brigade will be stationed at the Fude Columbarium, Fude Public Cemetery, and Yangmingshan Public Cemetery to guard and promote fire prevention.

Recently, people burning joss paper and weeds has caused a number of cemetery fires, air pollution, damaging the environment and ecology, and even endangering the lives and property of people. In order to prevent the disasters, the fire department recommend the public follow “No fire” principles when sweeping tomb: “Don't burn weeds”, “Don't burn joss paper”, “Don't set off fireworks”, “Don't throw cigarette butts”. The public can use worshipping online and centralized joss paper burning service which is provided by the Taipei City Mortuary Services Office (MSO) and Department of Environmental Protection, Last but not least, “Remember to pick up trash when leaving” to reduce the risk of fire and protect the mountain environment.

Various disaster prevention Apps can be downloaded before sweeping tomb. For example, “Taipei City Disaster Prevention App” provides information such as weather and rainfall for reference and preparation. "Video call 119App" can help to transmit incident images and GPS coordinates to the 119 Emergency Dispatch Center when the fire occurs in the cemeteries, especially in the remote mountainous areas. This will shorten the time it takes for firefighters to reach the incident area. "The first scene App" can activate the life chain and call for volunteers as soon as possible in the event of OHCA. Volunteers will perform CPR and AED for more chances of successful resuscitation before ambulance arrival. 

In conclusion, it is not only prevent fires and air pollution, but also maintain the environment and ecology when sweeping tomb without fire. The public can use various disaster prevention APPs to enhance disaster warning awareness and disaster response capability. Let's build a safe and sustainable Taipei City.