(CNA reporter Chu Che-wei, Taipei, Dec. 24) The Taipei City Fire Department today held a physical fitness and disaster response skills assessment for new recruits at Zhinan Temple in Wenshan District, Taipei. The 62 newcomers had to wear over 20 kilograms of gear while climbing a trail with 1,397 stone steps. The process also included challenges such as setting up ladders between flights and transporting personnel.
The Taipei City Fire Department welcomed 62 new recruits this year. After five weeks of rigorous training, they are set to join disaster relief efforts. To evaluate their training outcomes, the department chose the scenic Zhinan Temple hiking trail this morning to conduct a basic disaster response skills and physical fitness assessment.
It wasn’t as simple as it seemed for the rookie firefighters to complete the course. They had to wear more than 20 kilograms of heavy gear and pass through tests including using extension ladders, transporting demolition equipment, breaking doors with disc cutters, operating generators, setting up lighting stations, deploying long-distance water hoses, transporting personnel (a 70kg dummy plus stretcher), and setting up ladders between flights.
The Taipei City Fire Department stated that firefighting and disaster relief rely not only on theoretical knowledge, firefighting tactics, experience accumulation, and on-the-spot reactions, but also—as fourth-generation mobile communications enter the LTE era—the integrated application of video, voice, and digital data has become an inevitable trend. This time, the department specially used this system to record the entire process of personnel operations, which can create a multiplying effect on command management and disaster control, showcasing the department’s digital disaster relief effectiveness. It also hopes that the new recruits will gain valuable experience during the assessment. 1051124
(CNA)