Many people are probably unaware of the two rows of nine or eleven numbers and English letters that make up the electric coordinates for all utility poles and converter boxes that belong to Taiwan Power Co. However, when someone trekking in the mountains gets lost or in trouble, all they need to do is provide the rescue authorities with these coordinates, and they will be able to find out exactly where they are — an alternative GPS. On Nov. 18, it actually saved lives.
The New Taipei City Fire Department said three men called the emergency services telephone number 119 at 5pm on Nov. 18, reporting they had gotten lost somewhere while hiking in the White Chicken Mountain area. Among them was a 54-year-old man surnamed Yen who was injured, quite weak and in need of rescuing. However, being in a remote mountain area without addresses and having no global positioning devices, they had no idea where they were stuck. After the sun had gone down, the temperature also began to rapidly descend, causing their plight to grow grimmer by the minute.
After the 119 operator received the call, first they consoled the caller and then told them to calmly look to see if there were any utility poles nearby. The three of them just so happened to find a utility pole close to the spot where they were stuck. The operator then asked them to read the white nine-digit coordinates located on the blue background, and was immediately able to determine that they were in the vicinity of New Taipei City’s Township Road 104 North near Jiufen Road in Jhulun Village. As expected, the rescue team was able to find them an hour after they had made the call by simply following the mountain path. The three of them had lost some warmth, and the injured Yen was sent to the hospital.
Photo: Wu Jen-chieh, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者吳仁捷
The New Taipei City Fire Department said the National Fire Agency has spared no effort in promoting knowledge about utility pole coordinates. Every operator at rescue command centers across the nation has received training on such knowledge, and can use utility pole coordinates to accurately find a location right away. Thus, when people are in an emergency, all they need to do is find the utility pole coordinates, read the two rows of numbers and English letters for the rescue authorities and wait there for their rescuers to arrive.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY KYLE JEFFCOAT)
很多民眾可能不知道，在台電所屬的電線桿或變電箱上，都標有兩排九或十一碼由英文、數字所組成的「電力座標」，民眾一旦登山受困或迷路，只要向救難單位報出電力座標，救難人員就可依此尋人，宛如「另類的ＧＰＳ」，十一月十八日就有人因此得救。
新北市消防局說，十八日傍晚五時許，三名男子向一一九報案於白雞山區登山迷路，同行五十四歲嚴姓男子受傷、身體虛弱待救，但偏遠山區沒有地址，三人身上也沒帶衛星定位裝置，受困地點不明。入夜後山區溫度陡降，情況一度危急。
一一九值勤員獲報後，先安撫報案者，要報案人冷靜查看附近有無電線桿，三人果然在受困山徑附近發現一根電線桿，值勤員要報案人讀出藍底白字的九碼電力座標，立刻比對出三人位於北一０四鄉道，即竹崙九份路附近，沿山徑上山救人，果然於報案後一小時，找到輕微失溫的三人，並協助嚴姓傷者送醫。
新北市消防局表示，消防署自去年起盡全力推廣電力座標概念，全國各消防局勤務中心均已訓練種子值勤員，能立即透過電力座標比對出正確位置，所以民眾危急時，只要找到電力座標，報出兩排英文、數字編號給救難單位，並留在原地待援即可。
（自由時報記者吳仁捷）
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