“No reward for merit, but compensation for damage?” A mountain rescue case in Nantou County was ruled by the Taipei District Court as ineffective, resulting in state compensation, which led to a mass withdrawal of civilian rescuers from mountain rescue teams. On the 4th, Councilor He Wenhai specially led 13 people including Heping District Chief Lin Jiantang, utilizing the Fire Bureau’s quarterly regular training period, to conduct a 4-day, 3-night seasonal training session with five specialized personnel from the two mountain accident rescue teams under the Second Battalion—Lishan and Heping. The goal was to practically assess the fire department’s mountain rescue capabilities.
He Wenhai pointed out that the training area was the “Four Beauties of Wuling,” the mountainous region within Taichung City with the highest incidence of mountain accidents. With his own extensive mountaineering experience, he is well aware of the dangers of mountain activities. He hopes to understand the fire department’s handling capacity and the challenges they face during mountain rescue operations by personally participating in the training.
The mountain environment is rugged and unlike leisurely hiking. On the first day of the inspection tour, a team member accidentally hit their head on a protruding rock on the cliff wall while moving forward, resulting in a 3 cm laceration on the left side of the head. The accompanying firefighters immediately used the first aid equipment they carried to bandage and stop the bleeding, then accompanied the injured person down to the trailhead, where they were transported by the Lishan Team’s ambulance to the Lishan Health Station for treatment. The team joked that this was truly the “most bloody way to test.”
During the inspection, He Wenhai spoke highly of the personnel in the mountain accident rescue teams. He said that besides having excellent physical fitness and enthusiasm for their work, the team members are also very familiar with the terrain and characteristics of the mountainous areas under their jurisdiction. They have an in-depth knowledge of locations prone to mountain accidents. Their skills in mountain rescue operations, such as map reading and the use of equipment, were also performed proficiently, demonstrating that the training is well-implemented.
He Wenhai stated that due to weather conditions, they were unable to practically experience the more challenging “snow rescue,” which he found regrettable. After the session, he pledged to seek funding to enhance related rescue equipment. As a councilor, he is willing to be a strong support for the fire department’s mountain rescue efforts and will continue to urge the new city government team to invest more resources to build a comprehensive mountain rescue system.
(China Times)