The National Fire Agency said on the 19th that the "pump truck rescue unit" carried out 48,480 dispatches last year and rescued 7,792 people.
The pump truck rescue unit, a concept combining fire pump trucks and the 119 rescue unit, was introduced in 2020 so that initial rescue work could be conducted by loading rescue equipment on pump trucks, whose main mission is firefighting, and assigning personnel with rescue qualifications.
According to the National Fire Agency, incidents handled independently by the pump truck rescue unit before the rescue team arrived totaled 22,349 last year, accounting for 59.2% of the total. That was up 18.3 percentage points from the 2024 independent handling rate of 41.1% (13,899 cases).
The National Fire Agency said this means the pump truck rescue unit is demonstrating capability at rescue scenes beyond a simple supporting role.
The National Fire Agency increased the number of pump truck rescue units from 190 to 203 last year and assigned 67 more personnel with professional rescue qualifications, bringing the total to 458 in the same period.
The National Fire Agency plans to continue strengthening the substance of the pump truck rescue unit and expand its operations this year. In particular, it plans to institutionalize completion of training for new appointees to perform rescue duties, continuously enhancing expertise.