In 2021, the Taipei City Urban Search and Rescue Team obtained the National Accreditation Process (NAP) certification for heavy urban search and rescue capabilities from the National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior. It became the first heavy urban search and rescue team in Taiwan. Since its establishment, the team has participated in numerous domestic and international disaster rescue operations, accumulating a wealth of search and rescue experience and demonstrating both expertise and capacity. Additionally, the Taipei City Urban Search and Rescue Team continues to fulfill its role in the international humanitarian aid rotation task assigned by the National Fire Agency Special Search and Rescue Team, making it one of Taiwan's critical forces in international disaster search and rescue.
In July 2024, Taipei City will be the first in line for international humanitarian aid rotation. To enhance the mobilization readiness of the Taipei City Urban Search and Rescue Team and strengthen the efficiency of horizontal communication with external units, ensuring swift deployment upon receiving domestic or international disaster alerts, a mobilization test was conducted focusing on the heavy urban search and rescue team's capabilities. The test also invited the National Fire Agency Special Search and Rescue Team and other cities in the international humanitarian aid rotation for guidance and exchange.
Today's mobilization test was held at the Minquan Station of the Third District headquarter of the Taipei City Fire Department. The drill included post-disaster reporting, horizontal communication with external units, personnel assembly, reporting procedures during assembly, personal equipment inspection, health checks, disaster information collection, and briefings. The drill mobilized 68 personnel and 3 search and rescue dogs from Taipei City Fire Departments, Taipei City Volunteer Search and Eescue Team, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei Structural Engineers Association, and the Taiwan Detection Dog Association.
In the future, the Taipei City Urban Search and Rescue Team will continue to enhance its capabilities and maintain close cooperation with external professional units. In the event of domestic or international disasters, it will swiftly mobilize professional personnel to save trapped individuals, contributing to international disaster relief efforts.