Taipei City Fire Department

On July 22nd and 23rd, 2023, Taipei City Fire Department organized the "2023 Taipei City Summer Disaster Preparedness Camp" for high school students at the Municipal Nangang Senior High School. 70 enthusiastic students participated in the event, jointly organized with the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Education, and the Tzu Chi Foundation.

The Fire Department stated that they organized this disaster prevention camp activity to promote disaster preparedness knowledge and the concept of self-help and mutual assistance during emergencies. The program includes introductory disaster knowledge sessions on identifying potential hazards, common fire, earthquake, flood, slope disasters, unique volcanic disasters in the city, and coping with wartime situations. Additionally, they incorporated training on establishing and maintaining evacuation and shelter facilities, CPR, AED operations and guided students in crafting disaster preparedness items using thick cardboard. Through theoretical classes, practical exercises, and hands-on experiences, they hope to instill a sense of disaster preparedness in the students and integrate disaster prevention work into the school campus.

To deepen students' understanding of the establishment and operation of evacuation shelters, the disaster preparedness camp was planned as a two-day-one-night activity, allowing students the rare experience of staying overnight in an evacuation shelter. Students utilized their creativity to plan the spatial configuration of the shelter. Personally, they set up their sleeping environments using the bedding and environmentally friendly partitions provided by the Tzu Chi Foundation. Lastly, local disaster prevention officers were invited to assist students in conducting practical drills for opening and operating evacuation shelters, concluding the disaster preparedness camp on a high note.

Taipei City Fire Department emphasized that prevention is paramount in disaster management. In the face of potential large-scale disasters in the future, government resources for rescue operations are limited, making self-help and mutual assistance from the public even more crucial. Through this disaster preparedness camp, the department hopes to raise students' awareness of the importance of disaster prevention, enable them to acquire disaster prevention knowledge and basic first aid skills, as well as understand the establishment and operation of evacuation shelters. This equips students with the ability to protect themselves and others during disasters and even assist in the operation of evacuation shelters, nurturing the growth of a culture of disaster prevention and ultimately achieving the goal of nationwide disaster preparedness.