- Department:Hazard Control Division
The Ministry of Environment held a press conference today (the 25th) to announce the first-time introduction of "detection robot dogs" into toxic chemical disaster prevention and response operations, demonstrating the government's achievements in promoting technology-based disaster prevention and safeguarding social safety. Through unmanned and intelligent equipment, disaster response becomes safer and detection more immediate, enhancing overall response capabilities.
The Ministry of Environment pointed out that Taiwan's toxic chemical disaster response system comprises three lines of defense: "self-help, mutual assistance, and government support." "Self-help" This is the most effective method for preventing and reducing toxic chemical disasters. The "Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act" requires operators to designate professional response personnel or commission professional response organizations to handle incidents when accidents occur, and to complete designated training. The Chemicals Administration has established a professional response personnel training system and has trained over 17,000 people to date, achieving 3.1 times the legally required amount. "Mutual assistance" The Ministry of Environment has supervised the establishment of 161 toxic and concerned chemical substances joint defense organizations, with approximately 4,300 operators participating. Currently, the Industrial Technology Research Institute Emergency Response Advisory Center and the Chemical Emergency Response Association have passed professional consultation and response organization certification, providing disaster assessment, environmental detection, protection and response services to help the industry enhance response capabilities. "Government support" This is the government's last line of defense. The Ministry of Environment has established 10 environmental incidents specialist teams and 2 centers with a total of 194 personnel, possessing capabilities for 24-hour incident monitoring, providing response consultation within 30 minutes, and arriving on-site for support within 1 hour, progressively building a complete national toxic chemical disaster response system.
The newly introduced "detection robot dogs" are capable of traversing obstacles and slopes, can be equipped with thermal imaging and gas detection instruments, and can replace response personnel in entering high-risk areas to perform detection missions while transmitting images and data in real-time, reducing personnel exposure to danger. Combined with drones and ground unmanned vehicles, they demonstrate the integrated response advantages after introducing smart technology, fully embodying the importance of technology-based disaster prevention.
The Ministry of Environment emphasized that the core of toxic chemical disaster prevention lies in effective control during the initial stage of incidents. In the future, it will continue to promote the three pillars of industry self-help, joint mutual assistance, and government support, while actively introducing smart technology to build a more resilient toxic chemical disaster prevention system. It also calls on operators to implement autonomous disaster prevention management, as only proper prevention, preparation, and response readiness during peacetime can the impact of disasters be truly minimized. The government will continue to combine industry and local forces to jointly safeguard social safety, with the goal of making Taiwan a hub for chemical disaster response technology and training in East Asia.
