The Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts conducted a major security drill for the first time on May 8th, initiated by the First Security Police Brigade of the Police Administration Bureau. It involved a total of 256 participants from the venue and the police, including the Special Tactics Unit of the Kaohsiung City Police Bureau, to train on-site operations in the event of sudden public safety incidents within the venue. This exercise aimed to familiarize venue staff with relevant procedures in case of emergencies, ensuring that the public can enjoy performances or leisure activities at the venue with peace of mind.
Weiwuying is the world’s largest single-roof theater, covering nearly 10 hectares of land with a building area of 3.3 hectares. With over 5,800 seats in four indoor theaters, ensuring safety is the top priority for the venue. Since its opening, Weiwuying has conducted fire safety drills every six months. Under the guidance of the fire department personnel, venue staff, tenants, security, and cleaning personnel participate in disaster relief, evacuation, and other training exercises to familiarize themselves with emergency procedures.
In this major security drill, all venue staff members, in addition to those on duty, participated. Following a morning briefing by the police, they conducted exercises responding to unexpected situations such as unidentified individuals entering the venue. To ensure the realism of the drill, all parties involved rehearsed how to respond in different scenarios without a script, making it a challenging task for both venue staff and the police.
Weiwuying’s Artistic Director, Jian Wenbin, stated that while Taiwan generally has good public safety compared to many countries, the probability of major security incidents is low. However, as one of the three national-level venues in the country, Weiwuying must be prepared to prevent uncontrollable emergencies and unexpected accidents.