The Legislative Yuan today passed amendments to the Fire Services Act (消防法) requiring property owners or managers to abide by new fire safety regulations or face up to seven years in jail if their negligence results in death or injury.
This bill was originally drafted in response to an industrial fire in Pingtung County last year that killed 10 firefighters and wounded nearly 100.
To ensure that firefighters are aware of dangers before going into a facility, property managers of large facilities are now required to provide maps, inventory of chemicals on site and other necessary information.
Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan Fire Department
All the information must also be uploaded to an online platform and provided to firefighters in the event of an incident, and there must also be personnel on site ready to brief firefighters on potential hazards.
The penalties for failing to provide maps or floor plans are NT$50,000 to NT$3 million (US$1,542 to US$92,518).
Failing to inform firefighters about chemical hazards is punishable by NT$100,000 to NT$5 million, in addition to a maximum seven-year prison sentence for deaths as a result of failing to abide by fire safety rules.
To encourage whistle-blowers, the new law gives any on-site employee the right to a percentage of the fine if they report illegal actions to authorities.
The amendment also establishes a new safety and health advisory council to make policy recommendations.
Both central and local firefighting organizations are required to set up specialized units for safety and health, with the fire chief serving as the head.
Furthermore, fire services should expand the ability of local firefighters to collaborate on policy or operational procedures.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS