Abstract

Abstract -- Taiwan's mountain rescue was traditionally under the jurisdiction of the police (government force) and volunteer mountain rescue teams (non-government organization)¹. But with the growing frequency of natural and man-made disasters in Taiwan, disaster response work has grown more complex and critical. After the devastating September 21, 1999 earthquake and with the enactment of the “Disaster Prevention and Relief Law” in 2000, the National Fire Agency (NFA) was given a new mission. In addition to fire fighting, natural and man-made disaster rescue work was also added, presenting the NFA with new responsibilities and challenges. Rescue work has also changed from traditional one-dimensional operations to three-dimensional rescue operations and the work of the National Fire Agency is now more multifaceted and challenging.