Disaster prevention certification set to exceed year-end target: MOI

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said Saturday the number of Taiwanese citizens who have completed training as certified disaster prevention specialists is expected to reach 110,000 by the end of this year, exceeding its target of 100,000.

In a statement, the MOI said Taiwan is located in an earthquake and typhoon-prone region and in response, the government has provided disaster prevention training for ward and village chiefs, housewives, military conscripts and members of NGOs in the hope of building up social resilience.

As of Dec. 22, a total of 94,102 Taiwanese citizens had completed the training and claimed their certificates, of which 63,248 were men and 30,854 women.

The MOI said it is confident the number will reach 110,000 by the end of the year, ahead of its goal of training 100,000 in one year.

The MOI said it will continue to support local governments in promoting the training program and gradually expand it to include foreign caregivers, long-term care workers and community volunteers, with the aim of comprehensively strengthening grassroots disaster preparedness and enhancing overall social resilience.

The training curriculum, which began in 2018, covers disaster prevention and response, assessment of disaster situations, household protective measures, community coordination, evacuation route planning, as well as hands-on training to staunch bleeding, bandage wounds, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators, the ministry said.

It added that participation in the program enables the public to play an important role in self-help and mutual aid during large-scale disasters, while also helping integrate public and private sector response capabilities for disaster prevention and mitigation.