Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with recipients of the “Phoenix Award” today, January 13. He mentioned that the government has been implementing a plan to reinforce the firefighting manpower since 2019, adding 3,000 personnel in 5 years. From 2024 to 2028, another 3,000 firefighters will be recruited to enhance the firefighting and disaster relief capabilities.
President Tsai Ing-wen expressed in his speech that approaching the upcoming “119 Firefighter Day,” he first congratulated the award winners for receiving the highest honor in firefighting, the “Phoenix Award.” He extended his highest respect and gratitude to all firefighters, volunteer firefighters, fire prevention advocates, emergency response teams, disaster relief volunteers, and teachers dedicated to firefighting education across the nation.
Tsai emphasized that during times of challenges brought by disasters in Taiwan, firefighters from all regions unite and plunge into the affected areas, giving their all. The efforts of firefighters in facing earthquakes, typhoons, and fires last year aided the public in receiving assistance and returning to normalcy. Each individual dedicated to firefighting plays a crucial role in safeguarding lives, properties, and societal security. The exemplary performance of all award recipients amplifies this force, ensuring a safer Taiwan for its people.
Among the award winners is Professor Wu Guanyuan from the Central Police University, who has been engaged in firefighting education, research, and administrative work for over 30 years. In addition to promoting international academic and technical exchanges, he translated and published the authoritative Japanese work “Introduction to Architectural Fire Safety Engineering” in 2023, aligning Taiwan with global standards and enhancing national disaster prevention capabilities. President Tsai noted Professor Wu’s mission to secure a place for Taiwan in global disaster prevention research, a shared goal between the government and civil society to advance Taiwan’s competitiveness and contribute more to the world.
President Tsai emphasized the collective mission of enhancing societal defense resilience, stressing that a safer Taiwan contributes to global security and enhances the safety of its citizens. Whether facing authoritarian expansion, climate change impacts, compound natural disasters, or routine fire incidents, developing resilience and capabilities across society is imperative to tackle threats and challenges effectively.
“Taiwan has been progressing,” Tsai remarked, recalling the 25th anniversary of the 921 earthquake where international nations aided Taiwan in disaster prevention cooperation. Having once received international assistance, Taiwan now possesses the capability and experience to assist other countries. This achievement is the result of years of concerted efforts by many individuals, emphasizing the necessity to unite all forces continuously and accelerate efforts to comprehensively strengthen disaster prevention and response systems.
President Tsai stated, “We must continue upgrading firefighting training center facilities, enhancing the professional capabilities of firefighters, and bolstering equipment for frontline personnel and replacing rescue vehicles. In addition to the manpower reinforcement plan initiated in 2019, which fulfilled the target of adding 3,000 personnel by 2023, the government will continue its expansion, recruiting another 3,000 firefighters from 2024 to 2028 to fortify firefighting capabilities.”
In conclusion, President Tsai expressed gratitude to all award recipients for their contributions and urged collective efforts with the government to develop a more comprehensive and resilient disaster prevention and response system. He wished everyone an early happy new year and once again thanked the firefighting brothers and sisters for their steadfast dedication in safeguarding the lives and properties of the people, enabling the nation’s citizens to embrace the new year with peace of mind.