The main work under this plan for this year was to assist the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in maintaining operation of the Northern Taiwan Environmental Toxic Incidents Emergency Response Teams (NTETIERTs) in Taipei, Yilan and Hsinchu. Each team had 16 members, and had at least three persons on duty at all times, year-round, ensuring an effective response to toxic incidents at any given time. The teams were responsible for environmental monitoring, sampling in connection with incidents, and clean-up and restoration work, and were intent on enhancing the timeliness of toxic incident response. The three teams responded to 61 incidents, and also performed such other work as the routine calibration and maintenance of various EPA instruments and equipment, and the updating of response information for their areas of jurisdiction. With regard to toxic incident prevention and readiness, the teams completed 91 in-plant assistance sessions at toxic substance handling facilities, 46 unannounced inspections, 13 legal explanation meetings, three joint operations with the EPA's Inspection Team, two mobilization sessions, two training sessions for joint prevention task forces, and 39 drill and preparatory training sessions with local environmental agencies. The teams further conducted sand table exercises connected with mobilization, anti-terrorism, and environmental disaster response on behalf of the EPA, and helped the Bureau of Environmental Protection to complete review of 175 hazard prevention and emergency response plans. The teams compiled toxic substance handling data for 1,181 plants in industrial parks, and helped review the toxic chemical substance incident prevention and response plans of all counties and cities within their areas of jurisdiction, while providing relevant recommendations. The NTETIERTs invited response experts from Dupont USA to Taiwan for a response experience interchange conference, and also held an expert and agency case review interchange conference. The accident response units and experts at these conferences discussed how to prevent past incidents from recurring. Regarding the "Environmental Incident Pollution Source Analysis Survey," the teams completed analysis of 15 samples pursuant to a support mechanism activated by the EPA, and issued analytical reports. The teams coordinated the establishment of toxic incident joint prevention and response support teams by enterprises. NTETIERT's three support teams continued their work and participated in relevant training exercises, supporting nine missions or drills.