Yilan County handled five mountain rescue missions this year, consuming significant manpower and funds. Yesterday, Yilan County Councilor Lee Chih-yung suggested that the fire department provide hikers with satellite positioning systems so rescuers can locate them quickly and reduce rescue expenses. The fire department plans to lend out satellite positioning devices to hikers starting in January next year.
Lee Chih-yung pointed out that rescue efforts require substantial manpower, including police volunteers, firefighters, and youth mountain patrol members—just the daily consumption of boxed lunches reaches 200. If a helicopter has to be deployed for search, the cost of a single rescue operation can easily exceed one million New Taiwan dollars. Rather than spending huge sums to save people, it would be better to allocate a budget to purchase satellite positioning instruments.
He said Yilan could take the lead nationwide, just as life jackets are provided for anglers at the beach. The positioning devices can quickly determine the location of missing hikers in case of an accident. In addition to saving rescue costs, they can also help seize the critical window for saving lives. With such equipment in place, the next step could be considering the formulation of local ordinances requiring hikers to carry relevant gear before setting out.
Wu Sheng-san, head of disaster rescue at the fire department, stated that the department currently has over 30 satellite positioning devices and plans to make them available for hikers to borrow at local fire stations starting in January next year. While both satellite positioning devices and smartphones have location tracking features, “the lack of signal is the biggest issue.” A location can only be reported when there is mobile phone signal.
Wu Sheng-san said that in areas without mobile phone coverage, hikers in distress can only report their situation via satellite phone. Fire Bureau Chief Chang Sheng-hsiung pointed out that if a mobile phone lacks positioning capability but still has signal, hikers can report the number of nearby utility poles, which Taiwan Power Company can use to assist in locating the missing person.