Hualien County Fire Bureau said today that mountain rescues involving hikers require significant firefighting resources, and advised the public to carry GPS satellite positioning devices when hiking. The bureau has nine such devices available for loan to hikers.
The bureau stated that in recent years, there has been a frequent and rising number of accidents among hikers in national parks such as Taroko and Yushan. Statistics show that last year there were about 22 mountain rescue incidents, involving over 200 personnel and more than ten helicopter sorties, costing approximately NT$1.5 million.
Fire Bureau Chief Yan Xinzhang noted that Hualien is a major tourist county with many mountains and few plains, attracting numerous hikers every year. However, in the event of an accident, rescue teams often struggle to pinpoint the location, leading to missed golden hours for rescue.
He recommended that hikers borrow a GPS satellite positioning device from the fire bureau before their trip as a precaution; currently, there are nine devices available, deployed at the Hsinhsiu, Ruisui, and Yuli fire stations. 1030214
(Central News Agency)