The Taoyuan City Government Municipal Council approved amendments to the "Taoyuan City Fire Prevention Self-Government Ordinance" today (May 8th), further institutionalizing the foundation for urban transformation governance and advancing towards the establishment of a safe and resilient disaster prevention city.
Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng stated that in current disaster incidents, there are often chemical accidents or warehouse fires (such as the Chin Poon Company incident in 2018, the Sci-Pharmtech incident in 2020, the Mayfull and Carrefour warehouse incidents in 2022, and the Ming Yang incident in 2023), which not only put firefighters at risk of life-threatening accidents but also cause significant property damage. He particularly urged Deputy Mayor Su Chun-pin to vigorously oversee relevant units in constructing regulations and systemic management approaches to effectively reduce the occurrence of disasters and safeguard the lives and property of citizens.
The Taoyuan Industrial Park has the highest number of industrial establishments in Taiwan, with an industrial output value surpassing NT$4 trillion, ranking first nationwide. Given the complexity of fire types, causes, and industries in such a dense and developed industrial and commercial environment, it is essential to develop a safe city and safeguard the lives and property of citizens. To enhance disaster resilience, Deputy Mayor Su has instructed relevant departments such as the Department of Environmental Protection (TYDEP), Fire Department, Department of Economic Development, Department of Labor, and Department of Urban Development to establish special project plans. After analyzing data from the past eight years (from 2015 to 2022), it was found that six industries had a higher-than-average fire incidence rate: the textile industry at 8.6%, basic metal manufacturing industry at 8.3%, the chemical materials and fertilizer manufacturing industry at 8.2%, rubber product manufacturing industry at 7.6%, pharmaceutical and medical chemical product manufacturing industry at 7.5%, and non-metallic mineral product manufacturing industry at 6.5%. Additionally, it was identified that in recent years (from 2022 to 2023), the fire incidence rate in the warehousing industry has surged to 7.1%. As the warehousing industry does not involve manufacturing or processing activities, it is not subject to the regulations of the Factory Management Act. Deputy Mayor Su pointed out during a meeting of the Executive Yuan on November 30, 2023, that from 2022 to October 2023, there were a total of 1,075 fire incidents in Taoyuan, of which factories accounted for 12% of total incidents, while warehouses accounted for 8.47%. However, Taoyuan has 12,264 registered factories, while there are only 2,104 legal logistics warehouses. This means that there are six times more factories than warehouses in Taoyuan. Despite this, the fire incidence rate in warehouses, which have fewer in number, is higher than that of factories. Therefore, Deputy Mayor Su urged central authorities to pay attention to and strengthen the regulation of warehouses and chemicals to reduce the risk of disasters.
In the absence of completion of the amendment procedures for the current "Factory Management Act" and "Fire Services Act," the Taoyuan City Government has taken the lead nationwide by actively amending the existing "Taoyuan City Fire Prevention Self-Government Ordinance" through legislative means. This amendment aims to proactively include "high-risk areas" in management. After the amendment to the self-government ordinance is passed, the first list of "high-risk areas" to be included under management will include operations involving hazardous substances in factories, public hazardous materials, and chemicals of concern (such as precursor chemicals for explosives), low-temperature warehousing, flammable substances, or illegally constructed warehouses attached to factories. It is estimated that nearly 600 establishments will be included in this regulation. After the implementation of the ordinance, a rolling management system will be continuously adopted to address existing deficiencies in legislation and to enhance disaster prevention measures in high-risk areas through regular reviews. This will serve as the basis for future fire prevention management and handling. In the future, when announced subjects file related applications, the proposed targets will also need to provide information on the types, locations, and quantities of stored items in their business registration records. Additionally, considerations are being made for regulations regarding the prioritized demolition of illegal structures and related penalties, aiming to further strengthen regulatory measures.
According to Mayor Chang, in addition to amending the "Taoyuan City Fire Prevention Self-Government Ordinance" in the future, relevant departments should also enhance technological enforcement measures. This will advance the policy goal of developing a resilient city in disaster prevention, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that the people of Taoyuan can live with peace of mind in a safer and more secure environment.