Southern Emergency Response Training and Logistics Center

Related Instruction

First Professional Training Ground for Toxic Chemical Disasters

Southern Emergency Response Training and Logistics Center is established by Chemicals Administration Ministry of Environment (Former Environmental Protection Administration), to enhance professional training facilities, and to improve the resource allocation system for toxic chemical disasters in Taiwan. The objectives of this center are to accommodate the demand of national toxic chemical disaster preparedness and response for governmental response units, joint prevention organizations in the industry, and factories handling toxic chemicals.

Cooperate with Local Education Institution

To strengthen the educational function of the training ground and in consideration of the need for research and development of emergency response technology, the EPA worked with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to select an university in Southern Taiwan capable of constructing, operating, and managing the training ground, as well as planning the training programs for toxic chemical disaster response.

National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) was eventually selected. With experience of efforts in areas related to toxic chemical disaster preparedness and response. NKUST has also been selected by the MOE as a model university for industrial disaster prevention and control.

Goal

1. To improve the professional training system for toxic chemical disaster response and to enhance the professional capabilities of responders in governmental agencies and enterprises at all levels, in seeking to professionalize and internationalize the training of toxic chemical disaster response in Taiwan. The other aims are to strengthen the professional skills and capabilities of responders in related industries and improve the effectiveness and safety of the on-scene responses of disasters by utilizing the industries’ joint response efforts and responsible care systems.
2. To mitigate the impact of toxic chemicals on the environment and human health in the event of a disaster by improving the abilities of responders to implement response measures in a safe and effective manner. To reduce the risk of disasters, so as to eliminate the concerns of residents near facilities handling toxic chemicals and achieve good neighborliness.
3. To provide professional training to responders from governmental agencies, industries, schools and the general public, thereby paving the way for the long-term planning of a certification system. Moreover, improving the safety of transportation of toxic chemicals and handling of toxic chemical disasters, so as to mitigate disasters and reduce the loss of life or property.
4. To establish a database of responders in Taiwan, offer international programs for toxic chemical disaster response, facilitate technical exchanges with other countries, increase the opportunities of cooperation between Taiwan and other international organizations or institutions in the field of disaster response technology, promote the use of common international command structures to coordinate international responders in the event of large-scale disasters, and establish a regional academic platform for developing disaster response technologies.
5. To provide professional training regarding the response to toxic spills and chemical fires during different forms of transportation or in laboratories, so as to enhance the abilities of responders to effectively control and handle various types of disasters.

Summary of Construction

The Southern Emergency Response Training and Logistics Center is the first professional training ground in Taiwan established exclusively for toxic chemical disaster preparedness and response.

Construction started in April 2018 and completed in February 2020, the Center is expected to receive the usage license in August and start its operations in December once its training facilities are installed. The Southern Training Ground is a complex comprising two buildings with six floors above ground, respectively. The total floor area is more than 5,000 m2, and the outdoor area is around 2,000 m2. There are personal protective equipment (PPE) training rooms, detection equipment training rooms, laboratory spill response training rooms, decontamination training rooms, spill control training rooms, semi-outdoor training space, and response resource storage rooms. There is also a tank car leak training module, which includes the training of spill control, tank transloading, and complex disaster response.