- Date:2026-09-14
- Department:Hazard Control Division
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming visited the Southern Emergency Response Training and Logistics Center (the "SERT") of the Chemicals Administration today (September 1) to see firsthand the customized training facilities and courses for chemical disasters in the high-tech industry, as well as the application of smart disaster prevention and response technologies. He expressed hope that the Chemicals Administration will continue to strengthen public-private cooperation and technology-based disaster response capacity.
Distinguished Professor Chen Cheng-jen of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) reported that the SERT is funded by the Ministry of Environment, with NKUST providing the land and operations. It has a six-story physical training space and has passed on-site verification by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) for five consecutive years. The SERT offers hands-on training — including chemical spill response, protective equipment use, and command post exercises — for three major types of accident: high-tech industry, laboratory, and transportation incidents. It trains approximately 3,000 people annually, including about 1,000 participants in more than 20 customized training programs. Its main clients include major Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturers and traditional industrial plants; as the semiconductor industry continues to expand capacity, the demand for disaster response training remains very high.
Minister Peng noted that the planned "National Chemical Safety Center," an administrative corporation to be established in the future, could also work with the semiconductor and high-tech industries to institutionalize fees for corporate response consulting and services, and combine incentive mechanisms such as insurance premium discounts to establish independent funding sources, further deepening a resilient disaster prevention system built on public-private cooperation.
The Chemicals Administration then reported on the advancement of a smart toxic chemical disaster response system, explaining that to address the challenges of rescue operations involving highly complex and diverse chemicals, it has applied AI technology, unmanned vehicles, and remote monitoring to disaster information gathering and rescue operations, addressing the most critical response pain points in chemical disasters: the "immediate aftermath" and "information blind spots."
Minister Peng directed that the core of digital transformation in disaster prevention lies in breaking down "data silos" and the "silo effect." The Ministry of Environment is working with the National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior to link "Chemical Cloud" data with the fire service's intelligence system, flexibly converting complex data into streamlined and summary versions. In the future, an "AI Smart Safety Officer" system will also assess on-site dynamics and risks in real time and provide key response recommendations, comprehensively improving rescue efficiency and personnel safety, with the goal of ensuring that every rescuer returns home safely.
Following the inspection, Minister Peng gave high praise to the SERT for its comprehensive facilities for high-tech industry response, its expanded training capacity, and its innovative approach to a smart response system. Because the Chemicals Administration has demonstrated outstanding results in operating the SERT and building the toxic chemical disaster prevention and response system, he specifically encouraged the Chemicals Administration to represent the Ministry of Environment in the Executive Yuan Government Service Award, actively showcasing its efforts to use technology to protect lives and striving for outstanding results and recognition.
