At 12:39 noon today, the Tainan City Fire Department received a report from a Mr. Su, who said he was hiking in the Meiling Scenic Area of Nansi District when he accidentally slipped into a valley while walking from the Earth God Temple toward Yixiantian. The fire department immediately dispatched Deputy Chief Yang Juncheng of the Second Disaster Relief and Rescue Brigade to lead the rescue, with personnel from the Nansi and Yujing stations responding, and also called in the Tainan City Special Search and Rescue Team to assist.

Rescue personnel set up a command post at No. 31-23, Banana Mountain, Wanqiu Li, Nansi District, to assemble vehicles and personnel, and assigned the Nansi and Yujing teams as search and rescue squads under the ICS framework to enter the area for the mission. Due to the steep terrain along the route, which made it difficult for regular vehicles to pass, and the urgency of the rescue, local volunteer firefighters used a four-wheel-drive pickup truck to reach the site.

The on-site command post immediately contacted the trapped individual by phone and continued knocking on bamboo groves to help rescuers pinpoint the exact location, accelerating the identification of where the person was awaiting rescue. Once located and assessed, it was found that the individual had slid about 10 meters down the slope and was too weak to climb back up to the main path. The person suffered multiple abrasions and a torn thumb.

After the firefighters provided basic first aid and set up rescue ropes, they successfully carried out a manual rescue. The individual was then transported by the Nansi Station’s Vehicle 91 to the Xinhua Branch Hospital for further observation and treatment.

The Tainan City Fire Department advised that if people get lost or stranded in mountainous areas and carry a smartphone, they can use free GIS positioning methods to provide satellite location data to rescuers to help quickly confirm their whereabouts. Before rescuers locate them, individuals can create noise or signal fires to attract attention. Most importantly, mountain weather changes rapidly, paths can be slippery, and falls are common—those stranded must stay calm and wait for rescue.

(China Times)