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Collaboration

MoU Inked with Japan’s Maritime Disaster Prevention Center

ITRI signed an MoU with Japan’s MDPC to enhance disaster prevention and response capabilities.

ITRI signed an MoU with Japan’s MDPC to enhance disaster prevention and response capabilities.

Toxic chemical disasters such as factory fires and toxic gas leaks, toxic chemical container truck spills, and toxic chemical-related occupational hazards often threaten the environment and the health and lives of people. In order to strengthen our toxic chemical disaster response mechanism and enhance the skills of emergency response personnel, ITRI and Maritime Disaster Prevention Center (MDPC), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in July. The MoU is set to establish collaborations in disaster response technologies development and professional knowledge sharing as well as to improve disaster prevention capabilities of both Taiwan and Japan.

Dr. Robert Yie-Zu Hu, ITRI’s Vice President and General Director of Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, pointed out that industrial safety and chemical disaster management cannot be overlooked. To accelerate the introduction of toxic chemical disaster responses to domestic industries, ITRI established Taiwan’s first Emergency Response Information Center (ERIC) in 1996. The Center provides emergency response services to the entire nation, and has taken part in emergency rescue missions in recent major incidents including the 2014 Kaohsiung gas pipeline explosion and the PCB factory fire which happened earlier this year. This year, ITRI took a step further and initiated collaboration with MDPC, the only legitimate organization appointed by the Japanese government to carry out disaster responses at sea. In the future, the two parties will set up transnational professional service networks and other crucial partnerships. With the support of the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA’s) Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau, ITRI hopes to form an international chemical disaster response exchange platform with its Japanese partner and to significantly increase response operation and prevention capabilities of Taiwan’s industries.

MDPC Chairman Masayuki Iwao remarked that since its establishment in 1976, MDPC has been focusing on major accidents and pollution incidents at sea. The Center continuously carries out tasks such as collecting and processing disaster data, taking part in international disaster prevention collaborations, and offering disaster response training and consulting services. Since 2014, MDPC has also begun to provide land disaster response services. The MoU inked with ITRI will allow both sides to combine their past toxic chemical disaster prevention experiences and jointly set up an exchange platform for related information and incident response case studies. MDPC looks forward to the future potential of integrating this partnership into industries.

Training Simulators provide training for chemical tank transfer and post-disaster environment recovery.

Training Simulators provide training for chemical tank transfer and post-disaster environment recovery.

On the day of the MoU signing, two training simulation vehicles were displayed, namely the “low-hazard ambient pressure storage and handling response joint prevention capability improvement module” and the “high-hazard high pressure storage and handling response joint prevention capability improvement module”. The modules, which are the results of 22 months of hard work by ITRI and the EPA's Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau, organized 28 courses that were actually applied during the simulation tests, including chemical tank transfer training and post-disaster environment recovery. Furthermore, employing the latest VR technology, trainees can virtually operate in simulated toxic chemical disaster scenarios and learn correct disaster response skills and knowledge through the near realistic visual presentations, surrounding sound effects, and interactive feedback.

A trainee operates in a simulated toxic chemical disaster scenario with VR technology.

A trainee operates in a simulated toxic chemical disaster scenario with VR technology.

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