The Industrial Technology Research Institute's (ITRI) Energy and Environment Research Laboratories (EEL) has drawn up this plan to provide technical support services for emergency response to accidents involving chemicals and toxic substances. EERL's plan is designed to mainly serve government environmental protection agencies, while also providing services to other government agencies and businesses. EERL drafted the plan based on its long-term implementation experience with related plans, as well as the operations of chemical emergency response centers both in Taiwan and abroad. On April 1, 2008, this plan was received and carried on thanks to the oversight and guidance by EPA, and with the full effort and cooperation of our colleagues. To date, 100% progress has been achieved for this plan.
Promotion of Monitoring, Training, and Joint Prevention of Environmental Disasters: A total of 259 monitors were assigned to carry out a total of 518 telephone line and fax communication tests. From April 15, video link tests were added and a total of 244 tests completed. Regarding environmental toxic disaster emergency response, a total of 66 trainings on environmental toxic disaster response were held, involving 573 participants, 2,243 hours of training, and the production of 72 bulletins, 66 site audit reports and eight press releases.The content of the natural disaster system was mainly revised with regard to system analysis and structuring, strengthening ability to create reports, adjusting the approval of “support requests” and the functions of “resources reporting.” Two briefings on system operation were held on July 2 and Aug. 5 with a total of 60 participants and 10 educational trainings with a total of 433 participants.Three educational trainings on toxic disaster control were held separately by the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan (EPA) on July 4, the central Taiwan division of the EPA Environmental Monitoring Team on July 11 and National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology on July 9 for the northern, central and southern Taiwan divisions of the EPA Environmental Monitoring Team, respectively, with a total of 155 participants. Furthermore 150 people participated in “commander training” lectures aimed at mobilizing people, bringing the total of people trained to 305. A total of 258 toxic disaster prevention manuals were completed and sent to the EPA for approval.Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) conference participation included the Fourth Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-4) of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants held by the United Nations in Geneva Oct. 10-20 and completion of report on overseas trip.In September and October, four technical training courses for domestic toxic disaster prevention agencies were successively completed.As for the inception of drills at the Central Toxic Disaster Response Center, a tabletop exercise was held at the EPA Emergency Response Center on Sept. 12 and drills at the Central Toxic Disaster Response Center are scheduled to begin on Dec. 8. An update was completed of basic information on staff assigned to the Central Toxic Disaster Response Center by all cabinet agencies. Formation of an organization for joint industry prevention of toxic disasters: The planning of its organizational structure and job functions were completed and various agencies including the Hsinchu Science Park Administration, the Central Taiwan Science Park Administration, and the Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs were visited. The statements of rights and obligations by the National Science Council’s Central Taiwan Science Park Administration, the Industrial Development Bureau’s joint regional prevention and the toxic disaster joint prevention task forces of all counties and cities were taken as reference. An industry support agreement for the said organization was completed and accepted after being checked in three unannounced tests. In order to strengthen the management of domestic toxic chemical substance transport, an “Assessment of Singapore's Toxic Chemical Substance Transport Management Mechanisms” was completed in May and submitted to the EPA for reference. In June the “SOP for Dedicated Toxic Chemical Substance Management Personnel Assisting in Toxic Chemical Substance Accident Response” was completed.On Aug. 28 the mainframe of the Toxic Chemical Substance Prevention Query System was migrated to the network operations center of Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd. and officially went online. As long as the EPA’s Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management has not yet decided on a remote backup site, the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan (ITRI) will be used.
Promotion of expert consulting: video monitoring, expert consulting services and disaster reporting regarding toxic chemical substances disasters, chemical product accidents and terrorist chemical weapons attacks are provided round the clock 365 days a year. As 17 December, a total of 271 emergency consulting cases were reported (including domestic monitoring via electronic media). Also provided were 359 response technologies and post-disaster decontamination and recovery action plans, suggestions on policymaking and response measures, as well as expert consulting in 278 incidents. In 65 out of 156 cases of disaster consulting, the emergency response team was asked to provide on-site assistance. A total of 12,318.9 pings of factory premises sustained damage, the cost of which amounted to a total of NT$4.5 million. Due to SMS content word count restrictions, accident descriptions can be unclear. To make up for this shortcoming a new voice-based SMS system was installed and officially went online on Aug. 5. A total of 665 cases of general consulting (including by telephone, fax, in written form, via press release, e-mail or the Internet) were carried out with responses being made within three days in all cases.
Integrating disaster prevention systems, coordinating with the integrated response of the National Defense Mobilization System and the Anti-Terrorism Mechanism, strengthening technical rescue capabilities: Studies and analyses regarding the toxic disaster system for EPA for internal reference will continue to be submitted for the coming four years. Assistance for relevant EPA in-house research and analyses including “content proposals for information campaign short films about emergency response for motor vehicles carrying hazardous cargo,” “Prevention Systems Overseas (Europe, America, Japan),” “China’s Garbage Disposal Mechanism,” and “Melamine” will also be continued.Maintenance of basic prevention information for toxic chemical substance factories is ongoing;Two updates were completed of toxicity information regarding 258 toxic chemical substances;Telephone interviews were conducted to update the national list of expert teams, 45 experts from industry and academia were invited to retrieve their resumes.Seven issues of the Environmental Toxic Chemical Substance e-Newsletter were published; Ten articles and bulletins were provided for posting on the EPA’s English website.The 2008 National Symposium on Toxic Chemical Substance Emergency Response was held at Garden Villa Kaoshiung on Nov. 12-13. A total of 539 people attended the symposium, which included four keynote speeches and 22 work group discussions on accident case studies.
