Miaoli County Government passed an autonomous ordinance on mountain climbing activity management during its county affairs meeting on the 14th, explicitly stipulating that those engaging in mountain climbing must carry positioning-enabled equipment and communication devices, be led by a team leader, and have insurance. The goal is to reduce mountain-related accidents. In cases where rescue resources are expended, compensation will be sought from the insurance. The entire proposal awaits approval by the county council, after which Miaoli will become the fourth city or county to implement such an ordinance.
Miaoli County Fire Bureau pointed out that there are 10 mountains within the county with altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters, and in recent years, mountain climbing has become a popular trend. However, mountain-related accidents have risen correspondingly year by year. Whenever an accident occurs, it often requires the deployment of significant manpower and resources for search and rescue, consuming considerable social resources.
To prevent potential issues and save overall disaster relief resources, the fire bureau believes a mountain climbing activity management mechanism should be established. As a result, the Miaoli County Mountain Climbing Activity Management Autonomous Ordinance was formulated to regulate relevant key points. The 17-article ordinance passed during the 14th county affairs meeting clearly defines the rules that hikers must follow. As the regular county council session is currently underway, it may not be submitted for review in time, but efforts are being made to secure its passage during an interim session.
Fire Bureau Director Xu Xinyuan stated that three cities and counties—Taichung, Nantou, and Hualien—have already implemented autonomous ordinances on mountain climbing activity management, and Miaoli County is expected to become the fourth.
Xu Xinyuan said the ordinance specifies the equipment required for entering mountainous areas, mandates that those entering specially regulated mountain areas must have insurance arranged by the team leader for themselves and their team members, and outlines the procedures and penalties for reporting violations by police, fire authorities, and mountain activity regulatory agencies.
If an accident occurs in a specially regulated mountain area, the costs incurred by the county government’s search and rescue operations will be covered by insurance, but if the incident is attributable to the individuals involved, they will be responsible for the costs.